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Regent Law Faculty Achievements – April 5, 2017

Regent University’s School of Law Faculty members willingly share their knowledge and expertise beyond the classroom to spark scholarly debate and advance the practice of law. Their latest endeavors include the following.

Professor Craig Stern spoke at Faculty Bridges’ “Winds of Change” conference on March 4 in California on how Christian professors can affect global problems. See Professor Stern’s prior work on related matters.

Professor Lou Hensler presented his work on Natural Affections at the Religious Critiques of the Law for Pepperdine Law School’s Nootbaar Conference in March.

Associate Professor Jim Davids spoke at Regent Law’s 3rd and final Law Faculty Colloquium on March 21, presenting “Two Legal Threats to Christian Colleges and Universities – Loss of Tax Exemption and Loss of Hiring Rights.” The discussion revisited the Bob Jones University case on tax exemption to show its sharp limitations, and considered how far the religious discrimination exemption can be stretched to accommodate the needs of religious employers. On these issues, Davids has three articles forthcoming, and has previously written about related matters. A special thanks to Law Library Assistant Director Marie Summerlin Hamm and the Law Library for sponsoring these events, and for Lisa Marie Otto and her assistance in helping to make them happen.

Professor James Duane recently published “May It Please the Court: The Perils of Correcting a Justice’s Pronunciation” in the Seton Hall Circuit Review. After one week on SSRN, it has more than 200 downloads.

Law Library Assistant Director Marie Summerlin Hamm recently published a piece titled “Preparing for the Battlefield and Avoiding the War: Recently Released Construction Litigation Resources” in the Virginia Lawyer. This is her seventh contribution to the annual Construction Law & Public Contracts Section-focused issue. She has previously written on related matters. And, on March 31, she presented “Where the Rubric Meets the Road: Assessing Legal Research and Writing Competency Across the Curriculum” at the Southeastern Association of Law Libraries annual meeting in Raleigh, NC.

Marie Summerlin Hamm, assistant director of the Regent University Law Library, has been appointed co-chair of the Virginia Association of Law Libraries Publications Committee. Her duties include soliciting and editing contributions for the recurring Law Libraries column in Virginia Lawyer.

Professor Ben Madison presented at Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers at the Ignite presentations given at this year’s annual meeting. View his presentation. Madison and Associate Dean Lynne Marie Kohm had a proposal entitled “The heart of ABA 302: Teaching millennials law with moral formation,” which he will present on July 6-8 at the Institute for Law Teaching and Learning (ITL), University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law’s Conference, “Teaching Cultural Competency and Other Professional Skills.”

Program Director Janis Kirkland has just published two short articles on environmental law matters including “Multi-million Dollar Lawsuit Filed By State Levee Board for Ecological Damage Allegedly Caused By Oil and Gas Companies Fails Due to Failure To Show Duty to Local Municipality and Lack of Specific Pleading” (summary of Board of Commissioners v. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., No. 15-30162 (5th Cir. Mar. 3, 2017) – published in both Chemical Waste Litigation Reporter, Vol. 73, beginning at page 13 (Mar. 2017) & EPA Administrative Law Reporter, Vol. 49, beginning at page 14 (Mar. 2017). She has also published “Court Forces EPA to Undertake Nondiscretionary Duty To Approve or Disapprove State’s Refusal to Develop Biologic TMDLs for Biologically Impaired Waters” (summary of Ohio Valley Environmental Coal, Inc. v. McCarthy, No. 3:15-0271 (S.D. W. Va. Feb. 14, 2017) – published in EPA Administrative Law Reporter, Vol. 49, beginning at page 35 (February & March 2017).

Associate Professor Gloria Whittico has again been invited to present her research on Freedom Suits at the National Underground Railroad Conference in Washington, D.C. in May. View her previous publications.

The Regent University College Student Leadership Board is putting on a Pro Life Panel tonight, April 5th in the Library Auditorium from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. where Associate Dean Lynne Marie Kohm will be a panelist and largely present Part III “Roe’s Effects on Sexuality and Romance,” from this article.

Associate Professor Brad Jacob spoke on constitutional matters on “Let’s Talk With Mark Elfstrand” (www.1160hope.com).

Several Regent Law faculty and alumni have appeared on Mauck & Baker’s “Lawyers for Jesus” radio show in Chicago with Noel Sterett.