Teaming up with Downstream Strategies, a Morgantown-based environmental consulting
firm, the Center will be working on a project titled “Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction
Opportunities for the West Virginia Power Sector.” They will explore the various
strategies available to West Virginia to comply with the EPA’s Clean Power
Plan Proposed Rule.
“West Virginia has an abundance of energy resources including coal, natural gas,
biomass, wind, solar, and energy efficiency,” said
James Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development.
“The challenge is to use the right mix of these resources to ensure that West Virginia
can achieve compliance with the new emission standards in the lowest cost manner
to minimize the disruption to the state’s economy.”
The Plan, released on June 2, identifies a series of pollution reduction measures
to lower carbon dioxide emission from the U.S. power sector. It intends to cut
emission by 30 percent of 2005 levels by 2030. For West Virginia, that means reducing
emission rates by 21 percent by 2030, from a 2012 baseline.
E. Gordon Gee, president of West Virginia University, will confer the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree on the 118 graduates expected to participate in the ceremony. Gee served as dean of the College of Law from 1979-1981.
Professor emeritus Forest Bowman ‘63 and Judge O.C. Spaulding ‘73 will receive the Justitia Officium Award in recognition of their contribution and service to the legal profession. It is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Law.
“It’s an honor to celebrate with the Class of 2014 and I wish them all the best,” said Joyce E. McConnell, the William Maier Jr. Dean and Thomas R. Goodwin Professor of Law. “It’s also a privilege to recognize Forest Bowman and Judge Spaulding for their impact on the legal profession. Their work has truly made a difference.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –
West Virginia University College of Law faculty member
Jena Martin has been named one of the top minority law professors in the
country.
Martin, an associate professor of law, is featured in the “50 Under 50” list in
the 2014 “Law School Diversity Special Issue” published this month by Lawyers of
Color.
A member of the WVU Law faculty since 2009, Martin teaches courses in
business organizations, international business transactions, and securities regulations.
Her areas of research include the growing field of business and human rights.
Last fall, Martin organized a
business and human rights conference at WVU. Supported by the United
Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, it offered an examination of
the issues and advances in the field with leading experts from around the world.
Earlier this year, Martin spoke at the Second United Nations Forum on Business and
Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.
Martin graduated with degrees in history and political science from McGill University
in 1994 and she earned her J.D. from Howard University School of Law in 1997. She
received her LL.M. in International Law from the University of Texas Law School
in 2006.
Prior to joining the faculty at WVU Law, Martin worked as an associate
at Ross, Dixon & Bell in Washington, D.C.; as a senior counsel for the United
State Securities & Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement; and as a
consultant for Bloomberg L.P. in Washington, D.C. She also worked pro bono for
the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A program between
West Virginia University’s College of Law and
School of Medicine has received formal recognition from the National Center
for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP).
Based at George Washington University, the NCMLP works to build a better
healthcare team that can identify, address, and prevent health-harming legal needs
for patients, clinics, and populations. Only 37 law schools and 30 medical schools
in the country are members of the program.
“Recognition by the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership puts WVU among
the top schools in the country,”
Joyce McConnell, dean of the College of Law, said. “In addition to providing
a valuable service to the community, the program gives our law and medical students
the opportunity to deal with real-world situations faced by families.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—Third-year law students Natalie Arvizu and Kristin Kearns recently attended the National Innocence Network Conference in Portland, Ore., which provided them with an opportunity to share ideas with and learn from others in the specialized field of post-conviction relief.
In addition to the education that Arvizu and Kearns received as a part of the two-day conference, they were given the chance to meet numerous exonerees and hear their stories.
“Seeing all the exonerees on stage reminded me why I do this work,” said Kearns. “They are my inspiration going forward.” Arvizu and Kearns also attended the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Post-Conviction Training, which was held the day before the Innocence Network Conference.
“Each lecture gave us the opportunity to not only hear from people with years of experience, but also hear from people with different perspectives on the criminal justice system.” Arvizu said. “There were attorneys, scientists, policymakers, and exonorees all sharing their experiences and knowledge.”
Ultimately, the students learned techniques that will help them obtain post-conviction relief for their clients. In addition, they got the invaluable opportunity to meet people, both attorneys and exonerees, whose lives have been forever changed by wrongful convictions in the criminal justice system.
Morgantown, W.Va.—WVU Law professor Bradley Smith supports the majority opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court’s
recent 5-4 ruling in
McCutcheon v. FEC.
A conservative businessman, McCutcheon argued that the FEC limits on
the amount he could contribute to a political campaign during a two-year period
was a violation of the First Amendment.
Smith takes the stance that fears and not facts of corruption tied to campaign
contributions has led to “tremendous regulatory overkill.”
Writing in TIME magazine’s
April 2 issue, Smith said:
“The case turned on a substantial infringement on our First Amendment right to freely
associate — the so-called “aggregate contribution limit.” The aggregate contribution
limit should not be confused with “base limits.” Base limits restrict the ability
of any individual to give unlimited sums to a candidate, party, or PAC.”
According to Smith, the government argument hinged on “a series of wild hypotheticals,
completely unbound from common campaign practice or common sense.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Associate Professor of Law Alison Peck has been named the winner of the College of Law’s 2013-2014 Significant Scholarship Award.
The Significant Scholarship Award is given annually to a law faculty member whose written work addresses an important public issue while demonstrating their ability to conduct thorough research through clear and concise writing.
Peck, who teaches and writes in the area of sustainable development law, won the award for her article, “Does Regulation Chill Democratic Deliberation? The Case of GMOS,” which takes a close look at the role administrative agencies play in the regulation of emerging technologies. It was published in volume 46 of the Creighton Law Review in 2013.
“This article raises important questions of administrative law and democratic theory, and lays groundwork for further discussion of the proper balance between regulatory and legislative action and potential legal reforms to assure that balance,” said Joyce McConnell, dean of the College of Law.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University College of Law student David Stone has been selected by his peers to serve as the Editor-in-Chief of the West Virginia Law Review for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Founded in 1894, the West Virginia Law Review is the fourth oldest law review in the country. It is a professional, student-governed legal journal that publishes articles of interest to legal scholars, students, legislators and members of the practicing Bar.
“We’ve got some brilliant, hardworking people on the law review, and to have been chosen to lead that group is quite an honor,” said Stone, who was an associate editor for the law review this year.
As editor-in-chief, Stone’s responsibilities will include publishing three issues that lend practical value to the legal community. He will work closely with faculty advisor Gregory Bowman, professor of law and associate dean for academic affairs.
A native of Morgantown, W.Va., Stone earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from American University, where he was also a member of the men’s golf team. After earning a master’s degree in sport management from WVU, Stone worked for a PGA golf tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and the American Cancer Society in Washington, D.C.
Before enrolling in WVU Law, Stone was a fundraiser for the university. This summer, he will be working for the law firm Jackson Kelly PLLC in Charleston, W.Va.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University College of Law is hosting the Mon River Law Faculty Colloquium on Thursday, April 10 and Friday, April 11.
The third annual event, formerly known as the Tri-School Colloquium, brings together faculty fromWVU College of Law, Duquesne University School of Law, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law to share research on a broad range of topics. Duquesne and Pitt have previously hosted the colloquium.
WVU Law’s Anne Marie Lofaso, associate dean for faculty research and development and professor of law, said the colloquium fosters collaboration between the Morgantown and Pittsburgh universities.
“It’s an opportunity to transcend school boundaries and work collegially toward increasing the body of knowledge in the field of law,” she said. Presentations at the Mon River Law Faculty Colloquium are split between junior faculty on April 10 and senior faculty on April 11. They will be held in the Davis Gallery and the new event hall at the College of Law. Following each presentation, faculty will have the opportunity to engage in discussion and offer feedback.
