tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84867957026765339532024-03-13T15:20:27.679-07:00The Religiously Affiliated Law SchoolsThis is a home for discussion among those working within, attending, or interested in religiously affiliated law schools.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-38176242157213036412012-02-13T08:48:00.000-08:002012-02-13T08:51:44.789-08:002012 Schedule announced!You can get all the details on the 2012 Religiously Affiliated Law School conference, hosted by Touro, <a href="http://www.tourolaw.edu/News/default.aspx?pageID=631&new=1">here</a>. <br /><br />Here's the schedule:<br /><br /><strong>Wednesday evening, May 2:</strong> <br /> Evening Panel: University Presidents - The Place of Religion and Religiously Affiliated Law Schools in the University<br /> <br /><strong>Thursday, May 3: </strong> <br /> Morning Panel: Law and Religion Institutes<br /> <br /> Lunch<br /> <br /> Afternoon Panel: Religion in the Work and Lives of Judges, Government Lawyers, and Public Interest Lawyers<br /> <br /> Gala Dinner at the Alfonse M. D’Amato United States Courthouse for the Eastern District of New York<br /> <br /><strong>Friday, May 4:</strong> <br /> Morning Panel (CLE credit available): Bringing Religion into the Classroom, in the Law School and the University<br /> <br /> Lunch <br /> <br /> <br /><br />Confirmed Speakers Include:<br />(as of February 9, 2012)<br /> <br />Dr. Robert John Araujo, S.J., John Courtney Murray, S.J. University Professor, Loyola University Chicago Law School<br /><br />Adrienne Asch – Director of the Center for Ethics and the Edward and Robin Milstein Professor of Bioethics, Yeshiva University<br /><br />Michael Broyde - Professor of Law and Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Emory University School of Law<br /><br />Dr. Carlos Campo - President, Regent University<br /><br />Elizabeth Clark - Associate Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School<br /><br />Robert F. Cochran Jr. - Director, The Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics and Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law<br /><br />Ana Renata Dias – Director of the Institute on Religion, Law and Lawyer's Work, Fordham University School of Law<br /><br />Marie Failinger – Professor of Law and Editor, Journal of Law and Religion, Hamline Law School<br /><br />Timothy Floyd – Director of the Law & Public Service Program and Professor of Law, Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law<br /><br />Steven K. Green – Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy and the Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law, Willamette University College of Law<br /><br />Sister Elizabeth Hill - President, St. Joseph's College<br /><br />Charles J. Hynes - District Attorney, Brooklyn, New York<br /><br />Richard M. Joel - President and Bravmann Family University Professor, Yeshiva University<br /><br />Dr. Alan Kadish - President, Touro College<br /><br />Greg Randall Lee - Professor of Law, Widener University School of Law<br /><br />Dr. Frank Macchiarola – Chancellor and Professor, St. Francis College<br /><br />Graham McAleer - Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Maryland<br /><br />Mark Movsesian - Director of the Center for Law and Religion and the Frederick A. Whitney Professor of Contract Law, St. John's Law School<br /><br />Michael Tzvi Novick - Jordan Kapson Chair in Jewish Studies and Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame<br /><br />Lucia Ann Silecchia - Professor of Law, Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law<br /><br />Come meet us in New York!Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com160tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-25015699492285381182010-09-20T14:25:00.000-07:002010-09-20T14:34:38.281-07:00Touro in 2012!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmOELUAh66qXQqWDy77p9VDNO9bnFx2IYkM_9qS7ZjWdhsCvITHZ3RLseMTIjseGp560sosDQVl0qmvM1_DMT_ycl1Kfmq_82dgk3xaB3ENgUiGQ67GNQ-jxvQpEm54yxYTMGOfS8dGM/s1600/touro_lawschool_xlarge.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 370px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmOELUAh66qXQqWDy77p9VDNO9bnFx2IYkM_9qS7ZjWdhsCvITHZ3RLseMTIjseGp560sosDQVl0qmvM1_DMT_ycl1Kfmq_82dgk3xaB3ENgUiGQ67GNQ-jxvQpEm54yxYTMGOfS8dGM/s400/touro_lawschool_xlarge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519110677999757890" /></a><br />After considering an excellent set of proposals, the RALS Executive Committee has selected <a href="http://www.tourolaw.edu/">Touro Law School </a>in Central Islip, New York to host the 2012 Conference. It will be the first RALS conference to be held at a Jewish-affiliated school. <br /><br />The conference will be coordinated by <a href="http://www.tourolaw.edu/AboutTouroLaw/bio.aspx?id=194">Professor Samuel J. Levine</a>, who serves as Professor of Law and Director of the Jewish Law Institute. <br /><br />Details about the theme of the conference, the date, and ways you can participate will be announced in the upcoming months.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-36607218664034120862010-01-13T09:09:00.000-08:002010-01-13T09:12:11.366-08:00RALS 2010 at BYUHere is the info, with even more at <a href="http://www.law2.byu.edu/rals_conference/">this link</a>.<br /><br /><strong>2010 Conference of Religiously Affilliated Law Schools</strong><br /><br />J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University<br /><br />Room 472<br /><br />Thursday, March 18, 2010<br /><br />9:00-9:15 am Introduction<br />Associate Dean Kif Augustine-Adams, BYU <br /><br />9:15-10:15 am Plenary Session<br />H. Reese Hansen, President, Association of American Law Schools and Howard W. Hunter Professor Law, BYU <br /><br />10:15-10:30 am Break <br /><br />10:30 am-12:00 pm Panel: The Role of Ministering As Well As Administering in the Law School Community<br /><br />Scott Cameron, BYU (Chair) <br />Lindsay P. Watkins, Project Manager, Law School Survey of Student Engagement <br />Wendy C. Archibald, BYU <br /><br />12:15-1:30 pm Lunch: Hinckley Alumni Building<br />Welcome: Dean James Rasband, BYU Law School <br /><br />1:45-3:15 pm Panel: Sacred Texts Part I: The Role of Sacred Texts and Traditions in Informing Our Understanding and Engagement of Jurisprudence<br /><br />David Dominguez, BYU (Chair) <br />John Welch, BYU <br />Steven Goldberg, Georgetown U. <br />[Other speaker invited] <br /><br />3:30-3:45 pm Break <br /><br />3:45-5:15 pm Panel: Judges, Kings, Prophets, and Lawyers in Biblical and American Perspectives<br /><br />Samuel Levine, Pepperdine U. (Chair) <br />Zach Calo, Valparaiso U.: Catholic/Anglican Perspective <br />David Vlatto, Penn. State U.: Jewish Perspective <br />Robert Cochran, Pepperdine U. <br />Mark Graber, U. of Maryland <br /> <br />5:30 pm Box Dinner <br /><br />5:30 pm Tabernacle Choir Rehearsal in Salt Lake City<br /><br />6:15 pm Buses depart<br />8:00 pm Tabernacle Choir Rehearsal<br />9:45 pm Busses return to Provo <br /><br />Friday, March 19, 2010<br /><br />8:15-9:00 am Continental Breakfast, BYU Law School <br /><br />9:00-10:30 am Plenary Session: Relevant and Reliable Rankings Criteria for Religiously Affiliated Law Schools<br />David Thomas, BYU <br /><br />10:30-10:45 am Break <br /><br />10:45 am-12:15 pm Sacred Texts Part II: Texts, Law and Life<br /><br />Thomas Folsom, Regent U.: "Disintegrating Norms in Cyberspace: Future Law and the Relevance of Ancient Sacred Texts (Is There a Common Morality for a Global/Tech Era?)" <br />Collin Mangrum, Creighton: "Religious Text as Authoritative Sources for Legal Reasoning: The Israeli Experience" <br />Hank Chambers, Richmond: "Biblical Interpretation and Ignoring Text" <br /> <br />12:30-2:00 pm Lunch: Wilkinson Student Center <br /><br />2:15-4:00 pm Practicing Religion in the Classroom, Court Room, and Marketplace<br /><br />David Koelsch, U. of Detroit-Mercy: "Promoting Consolation Among Law Students and Attorneys: Incorporating the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola into the Law School Curriculum" <br />Sherman Cohn, Georgetown U.: "Teaching Jewish Law at Georgetown" <br />Kristin Gerdy, BYU: "Clients, Empathy, and Compassion: Introducing First-Year Law Students to the ‘Heart’ of Lawyering" <br />Bill Piatt, St. Mary’s U.: "Catholicism and Constitutional Law: More Than Privacy in the Penumbras" <br />Rodney Dale Chrisman, Liberty: "Seeking Filthy Lucre: The Historic Christian Teaching on the Goodness of Commercial Activity as the Overarching Purpose of the UCC" <br /> <br />4:00-4:15 pm Break <br /><br />4:15-5:00 pm Closing Session/Idea Exchange for the Future <br /><br />Saturday, March 20, 2010<br /><br />Optional Activity Tour of LDS Humanitarian Services Center Exchange in Salt Lake City <br /><br />Registration<br />The cost of the conference is $175.00 per person, which will cover the lunches, dinner and continental breakfast, and the Thursday excursion to Salt Lake City. Guests may attend and participate in the meal and excursion functions for a fee of $75.00. You may register online by clicking here, or you may download a printable PDF, and send it with your check (made out to Brigham Young University Law School) to:<br /><br />Adrian Selle<br />Room 405<br />J. Reuben Clark Law School<br />Brigham Young University<br />Provo, Utah 84602Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com60tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-33608004378098339762009-10-05T07:44:00.001-07:002009-10-05T07:45:29.976-07:00RALS At The AALS!The Religiously Affiliated Law Schools will be hosting a reception at the AALS Hiring Conference this year. The reception will be held from 7:30 09:00 in the Hoover room, on Thursday, Nov. 5. We hope to see you there!Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-59643625271871401932009-09-08T13:01:00.000-07:002009-09-08T13:03:36.392-07:00BYU Conference coming togetherThe 2010 Conference of Religiously Affiliated Law Schools will be at Brigham Young University March 18-19, which is a Thursday/Friday. <br /><br />The theme will be “Blessing the Lives of Our Students,” and while several panels are still in the planning stages, there will be panels on the Law School Survey of Student Engagement and the role of sacred texts and traditions in our understanding of jurisprudence. <br /><br />An announcement and a call for papers should be available soon.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-18392800763505556842009-04-27T13:02:00.001-07:002009-09-08T13:03:54.915-07:00Do Rankings Punish Religiously-Affiliated Schools?It seems possible, given the reputational rankings given some religiously-affiliated schools. See the very good discussion <a href="http://prawfsblawg.blogs.com/prawfsblawg/2009/04/us-news-and-assessments.html">here</a>.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com144tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-73611519707847664462008-12-02T09:20:00.000-08:002008-12-02T09:31:06.138-08:00The Charge and Embrace of DiscriminationOne thing that is distinctive about religiously-affiliated schools is that we very often discriminate in hiring. Specifically, in diverse ways, we favor members of our faith over those who are not a part of that faith. Within our group, we vary from schools that have almost no religious favoritism in hiring to those who hire only from members of the faith (or those willing to live under its strictures). My own school, Baylor, is probably more towards the restrictive end of this continuum-- our University demands a relatively close inspection of a candidate's faith, and our current law faculty contains no non-Christians. <br /><br />Critics of this type of discrimination properly point out that it limits the viewpoints a student is exposed to, and may restrict the debate within the faculty. <br /><br />However, those problems are costs which many institutions are willing to bear in order to retain their denominational identity, foster the views professed by the sponsoring faith, and provide diversity to the larger national discussion on legal issues from a place of moral certainty.<br /><br />What I wonder at times is how intentional all this is-- that is, are we sure we are getting the benefits that would justify the costs?Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-15121722938350578052008-11-25T08:58:00.000-08:002008-11-25T09:02:16.066-08:00Throwing BombsAs I read legal scholarship these days, I see many pieces analyzing doctrines, tracing historical developments, seeking adjustments to parts of rules or laws, and suggesting new "perspectives," but very few that broadly attack a law or practice as fundamentally unjust. We have many exceptional analysts and commentators, but few bomb-throwers, and those that exist often are outside the core of elite institutions.<br /><br />It could be that we are fortunate enough to live in a nation without unjust laws, but I doubt that many of us would truly agree with that statement. Given that most of us would agree that there are unjust laws, why are we not more focused on attacking them? I suspect that at least two factors dampen the excitement for overarching reform within legal scholarship.<br /><br />First, we do live in a society where the laws are the product of a democratic process. Thus, if we identify a law as unjust, we are suggesting either a flaw in the process or that the majority of people in our nation are not only wrong about something, but at some level that they are fundamentally, morally wrong. Understandably, we are reluctant to attack our democracy or our fellow citizens.<br /><br />Second, to call a law unjust requires a position from which to determine justice as a moral position. Legal philosophers discuss this in depth, but generally not in connection to a live issue, while the rest of us are often uncomfortable with the ideas of positivism or natural law, and certainly loath to connect a contemporary debate to either.<br /><br />It does seem to me that many of the worthwhile challenges to unjust law is coming from those speaking from a position of faith. It could be that this is a particular strength of ours, and one that we should consciously encourage amongst our members, while acknowledging that there will likely be divergent views about which laws are unjust and for what reason.<br /><br />-- Mark OslerMark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-76846547167173285962008-11-18T11:53:00.000-08:002008-11-18T11:57:45.105-08:00Gearing up for AALSUnder the leadership of our own John Garvey of BC, the January AALS meeting sounds great. The theme is "institutional pluralism," and a part of that theme is the range of schools which includes the 49 religiously-affiliated law programs.<br /><br />There can be little doubt among those of us active in RALS that we offer something different than state or other private schools, and that there is also great diversity even among our own ranks. One feature of our conferences I always find fascinating is the different answers we come to on questions we agree to be important. Those conversations are one good reason to keep our schools and our organization strong, vital, and engaged with the rest of the legal academy.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-31428260747647273312008-11-07T12:39:00.000-08:002008-11-07T12:45:37.699-08:00Christians and the Payday Loan IndustryI was interested to stumble across <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1092006">this fascinating article</a> by Christopher Lewis Peterson and Steven Graves. Entitled <em>Usury Law and the Christian Right: Faith Based Political Power and the Geography of the American Payday Loan Regulation</em>, it centers aroung the striking finding that payday loan outlets are most often found in the same places where relative conservative Christians live. Here is part of the abstract:<br /><br /><em> This Article presents empirical research based on the largest, most comprehensive database of payday loan locations yet created. Payday lender locations are compared to an index measuring the political power of conservative Christian Americans in all fifty states. We conclude that there is a strong correlation between the density of payday lending industry and the political power of conservative Christians, suggesting that conservative Christians have become a prime demographic target of payday lenders. These findings are further discussed in light of Biblical injunctions against usury. </em>Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com201tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-31057702211889422232008-05-01T06:58:00.000-07:002008-05-01T07:01:45.615-07:002010 at BYU!I'm happy to announce that the 2010 RALS conference will be held at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. BYU has been an active and important part of RALS over the past several years, and will put on a great conference.<br /><br />The date for the conference has not yet been selected. Building on a great meeting at BC, we are going to try for record numbers at BYU.<br /><br /><strong>-- Mark Osler</strong>Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-2338794537735521402008-04-28T07:16:00.000-07:002008-04-28T07:18:21.167-07:00Thank you, Boston College!The bi-annual RALS conference held this month was a wonderful success, thanks to the ace team at Boston College who hosted the event. The attendees left with a new vigor for our common project.<br /><br />In the next week, I look forward to announcing here the site for the 2010 meeting.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-13829155117591368602008-03-26T08:57:00.000-07:002008-03-26T09:00:10.076-07:00BC Meeting Coming up soon!The RALS conference at Boston College April 6-8 promises to be a great experience. It's not limited to those at Religiously Affiliated Schools, and those from secular schools have registered and attended in the past. All that is required is an interest in the subject matter...<br /><br />For complete details and registration info, check the BC site <a href="http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/fac-staff/scholarlyevents/conferences.html">here</a>.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-41054416711092553322008-02-12T12:12:00.000-08:002008-02-12T12:13:38.995-08:00What's Shakin' at Univ. of Detroit/Mercy....The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law welcomes Dr. Leslie Griffin, Larry and Joanne Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics, University of Houston Law Center to deliver the 10th Annual McElroy Lecture on Law & Religion, Tuesday, March 18, 2008 @ 5:30 PM<br /><br /><strong>No Law Respecting the Practice of Religion</strong><br /><br />The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” What if the drafters used the words “practice of religion” instead of “religion”? How would this change the jurisprudence surrounding this part of our Constitution? Dr. Leslie Griffin, Professor of Law at the University Houston Law Center will address this compelling question, focusing on government funding for religious organizations, public school prayer and free exercise claims. Through this exercise, Dr. Griffin will explore the meaning our courts have given to the term “religion” as they have addressed these critical issues. <br /><br />For more information please contact Prof. Andrew Moore, (313)596-0220 or mooreaf@udmercy.eduMark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-75444323707652658972008-02-05T15:04:00.000-08:002008-02-06T21:07:57.085-08:00More Details on the BC Meeting!Boston College has announced further details for the April 6-8 meeting of the Religiously Affiliated Law Schools. Check <a href="http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/fac-staff/scholarlyevents/conferences.html">here</a> for information on the event, including registration and lodging info. <br /><br />Below is the schedule for the conference:<br /><br />SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2008<br /><br />5:00 p.m. Roman Catholic Mass, Trinity Chapel, BC Law School <br />(for those interested)<br /><br />6:00 p.m. Opening Reception<br /><br />7:00 p.m. Dinner <br /><br />SPEAKER: JOHN GARVEY, DEAN, BOSTON COLLEGE LAW SCHOOL<br /><br />TABLE DISCUSSION: IDENTIFY 10 THINGS YOU DO DIFFERENTLY AT YOUR LAW SCHOOL BECAUSE YOU ARE A RELIGIOUSLY AFFILIATED INSTITUTION<br /><br />MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2008<br /><br />9:00 – 10:15 a.m. TEACHING THROUGH THE LENS OF FAITH: SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGING RELIGIOUS ISSUES IN THE CLASSROOM<br /><br />• Ladislas Orsy, S.J., Georgetown<br />• Mark Osler, Baylor<br />• Chaim Saiman, Villanova<br />• Amy Uelmen, Fordham<br /><br />10:15 – 10:45 a.m. Break and informal discussion<br /><br />10:45 – 12:15 p.m. STUDENT VOCATIONAL DISCERNMENT: SPARKING THE SPIRITUAL, MORAL, AND PROFESSIONAL FORMATION OF YOUNG ADULTS (AND US TOO!) <br /><br />• Jeff Brauch, Dean, Regent<br />• R. Michael Cassidy, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Boston College and BC Law School students <br />• Natt Gant, Regent <br />• Jerome Organ, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Univ. of St. Thomas (Minneapolis)<br />• Susan Stabile, Univ. of St. Thomas (Minneapolis)<br />• Ronald Volkmer, Creighton<br /><br />12:30 p.m. LUNCH & SPEAKER: CUTBERTO GARZA, PROVOST, BOSTON COLLEGE, GASSON HALL, CHESTNUT HILL CAMPUS<br /><br />2:30 – 3:45 p.m. HIRING (AND ADMITTING) FOR MISSION: WHAT IT MEANS AND HOW TO DO IT <br /><br />• Mary Bowman, Seattle Univ. <br />• Cari Haaland, Director of Admissions, Univ. of St. Thomas (Minneapolis)<br />• Kenneth Starr, Dean, Pepperdine<br />• Kevin Worthen, Dean, BYU<br /><br />TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008<br /><br />9:00 – 10:30 a.m. SCHOLARSHIP THROUGH THE LENS OF FAITH: WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE AND WHY DO YOU WANT TO REACH THEM?<br /><br />• Michael Broyde, Emory<br />• Vince Rougeau, Notre Dame<br />• David Skeel, Univ. of Pennsylvania<br /><br />10:45 – 12:15 p.m. THE CHALLENGE OF INCLUSION: AVOIDING THE US AND THEM <br /><br />• Sam Levine, Pepperdine<br />• Lucia Silecchia, Catholic Univ. of America<br />• Norah Wylie, Dean for Students, Boston College, and BC students<br /><br />12:30 p.m. CONCLUDING LUNCHMark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-3166297698573629792008-01-25T11:19:00.000-08:002008-12-10T00:06:19.512-08:00God and Man in Malibu<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ChsncKjkv0ElF-Hq8UZb8pqtDnN2F9LDyqaAMuB6gjtKt0CwLifyoCWMXm2nv8ukd5wGyK9A-7BEJ3Pn_CSEjzJHn177eazh_vWK5O4saqbeBnrTyCg1OOJD0NHzad77uU_yw3oF6Og/s1600-h/pepperdine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ChsncKjkv0ElF-Hq8UZb8pqtDnN2F9LDyqaAMuB6gjtKt0CwLifyoCWMXm2nv8ukd5wGyK9A-7BEJ3Pn_CSEjzJHn177eazh_vWK5O4saqbeBnrTyCg1OOJD0NHzad77uU_yw3oF6Og/s400/pepperdine.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159498169360503474" /></a><br />Pepperdine has organized a fascinating conference for February 21-22 on the question of "Is there a higher law? Does it matter?" Speakers include (but aren't limited to) Mark Tushnet, Kenneth Elzinga, Steven D. Smith, and Doug Kmiec. For more info, go to <a href="http://law.pepperdine.edu/ilre/conferences/html">Pepperdine's website</a>.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-87493934921414998012008-01-08T13:54:00.000-08:002008-01-23T21:38:19.326-08:00An update on the upcoming RALS conference!Boston College, host of this year's meeting of Religiously Affiliated Law Schools, now has some info up on their web site <a href="http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/fac-staff/scholarlyevents/conferences.html">here</a>. The conference is slated for April 6-8, which is often a beautiful early-spring week in New England.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-73798464353487992662007-11-15T15:18:00.001-08:002007-11-15T15:27:26.120-08:00An interesting take on pacifism and just warI often troll for knowledge and provocation over at the social science research network (www.ssrn.com), and I usually find a fistful of both. <br /><br />Most recently, I came across a piece written by David B. Kopel, titled "Evolving Christian Attitudes Towards Personal and National National Self-Defense." The full text is available for download <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1028849">here</a>. The passage below is drawn from Kopel's abstract:<br /><em><br />In the nineteenth and early in the twentieth centuries, the traditional Christian concepts of Just War and of the individual's duty to use force to defend himself and his family remained uncontroversial, as they had been for centuries. Disillusionment over World War One turned many Catholics and Protestants towards pacifism. Without necessarily adopting pacifism as a theory, they adopted pacifism as a practice. World War Two and the early Cold War ended the pacifist interlude for all but a few radical pacifists.<br /><br />Beginning in the 1960s, much of the American Catholic leadership, like the leadership of mainline Protestant churches, turned sharply Left. Although churches did not repudiate their teachings on Just War, many Catholic and mainline Protestant leaders seemed unable to find any circumstances under which American or Western force actually was legitimate. Pacifism and anti-Americanism marched hand in hand. Today, pacifism now has greater respectability within orthodox Christianity than any time in the past 1700 years.</em>Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-2131772742351380402007-10-24T07:48:00.000-07:002007-10-24T07:53:09.512-07:00Is the hunger there?Every year over on my personal blog I solicit suggestions on how we can make Baylor Law a better place. This year, the post yielded up <a href="http://oslersrazor.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-can-we-improve-baylor-law-school.html">82 comments</a> from students and former students. <br /><br />One intriguing part of the process this year was that not one of those comments related to the religious mission of the school. <br /><br />I don't think the issue is that the students don't care about that part of our mission, which I think is very important. Rather, I suspect that they simply don't see that as an area which urgently needs change one way or the other... or so I hope.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-65154992533573463692007-10-08T08:38:00.000-07:002007-10-08T08:49:52.155-07:00When Justices Go To ChurchI was in Washington for the start of the Supreme Court's term this year, having written one of the briefs in the <em>Kimbrough</em> case. One item on the news the Sunday before the start of arguments was that six of the Justices attended the annual "Red Mass" at the Cathedral of St. Matthew, which is held every year to commemorate the opening of the court. With five Catholic Justices (who were joined at the service by Justice Breyer, who is Jewish), the service seems fitting.<br /><br />Not all agree, though. In <a href="http://writ.lp.findlaw.com/hamilton/20071003.html">this article</a>, Marci Hamilton at Findlaw argues that "there is good reason to question the judgment of the Justices who attended." In the article, Hamilton seems to link attendance at the service to the outcome in <em>Gonzalez v. Carhart</em>.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-65291027631017416142007-09-11T15:51:00.000-07:002007-09-11T15:54:38.586-07:00Moot Court Competition on Religious FreedomIn the world of moot court competitions, I can't imagine one more interesting than the National Religious Freedom Moot Court, to be held at George Washington Law School Feb. 22-23, 2008. For more information, check out the web site <a href="http://religiousfreedommootcourt.org">here</a>.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-3491084214500742572007-09-08T08:47:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:06:19.706-08:00April in Boston-- The RALS Conference is Coming!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDo4rp8sxVGfhImhmE79EbzbiNmGXdh-Dtc31zXouM7KF7bDovEM_7NLmOCBEhGTuCf5AB4_zv4m2vPPBELLBqXPgNbtVsBI6InM6i-4ynK-WaIwPJtBdp1LOYTVjmqTOA6Kgkqy1Lpc/s1600-h/20050716_17_BostonTrip_HighSchoolReunion_011_Xuehua_BostonCollege.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDo4rp8sxVGfhImhmE79EbzbiNmGXdh-Dtc31zXouM7KF7bDovEM_7NLmOCBEhGTuCf5AB4_zv4m2vPPBELLBqXPgNbtVsBI6InM6i-4ynK-WaIwPJtBdp1LOYTVjmqTOA6Kgkqy1Lpc/s400/20050716_17_BostonTrip_HighSchoolReunion_011_Xuehua_BostonCollege.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107861622990995842" /></a><br />The dates have been set for the 2008 conference of Religiously Affiliated Schools. The 2008 conference will be hosted by Boston College Law School from Sunday evening, April 6 through midday Tuesday, April 8. The Conference presentations and panels will center on the relationship between religion and a lawyer's professional development; that is, how faith can influence our students' growth as lawyers and our facultys' development as scholars, teachers, and mentors. This two-day event should be of great interest both to faculty and to student service professionals. <br /><br />I anticipate that this will be the best RALS conference yet.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-64526796460681813322007-08-20T19:02:00.001-07:002007-08-20T19:02:49.384-07:00Good Things Happenin' at Fordham LawAmong the institutions most actively investigating the connection between faith and legal practice is Fordham Law. Much of these efforts are through Fordham's <a href="http://law.fordham.edu/lawreligion">Institute on Religion, Law & Lawyer's Work</a>, which runs programs in a number of areas, both focused on Catholic thought and more broadly addressing interfaith issues. <br /><br />The Institute's Executive Director, Amy Uelmen, not only heads up these efforts, but publishes some very important work in the field. Her most recent article is <em>Reconciling Evangelization and Dialogue Through Love of Neighbor</em>, 52 Villanova L. Rev. 303 (2007), investigates the tension between evangelizing for a faith and maintaining a warm dialogue with other faiths, always a thorny issue.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-70171756505001481062007-08-03T05:44:00.001-07:002007-08-03T05:45:53.044-07:00Summer MissionsAs I have made my way through the summer, it has occurred to me that I have never heard of a law school working on any sort of a summer mission. It seems like that would be a great project for faculty and students. Though it would have to be short due to the need of students to work in the summer, it might still be worthwhile. Has anyone every tried this? How did it work?Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486795702676533953.post-28535536442783710182007-07-14T06:33:00.000-07:002007-07-14T06:39:45.567-07:00Another Good ReadOne of the most stimulating articles I have read in a while is Ava Maria professor Lee Strang's <em>The Role of the Christian Legal Scholar: The Call for a Modern Saint Benedict</em>, 20 Notre Dame J. of Law, Ethics & Public Policy 59 (2006), which is available <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=843787#PaperDownload">here</a> via SSRN. Though it argues from a Christian perspective, many of its points would apply to scholars of other faiths, as well.<br /><br />Strang argues that Christian legal scholars should have three distinct roles in the modern context-- building Christian law schools, rebuilding Christian law schools, and engaging in larger debates within the society.<br /><br />Among other things, I find Strang's argument to be a personal challenge to make my own work more relevant and vigorous.Mark Oslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260378085599864212noreply@blogger.com1