Welcome to See infra, our e-newsletter delivering a sampling of news from St. John’s Law, including: innovative courses, programs, and hands-on learning opportunities; faculty scholarship with real-world impact; students who bring unique and diverse perspectives to the study of law; alumni who make their mark in the profession; and the many ways our community members live St. John's Vincentian mission of helping those in need.

IN BRIEF

Taking Action
In July, as events impacting J.D. and LL.M. students across the country unfolded, Dean Michael A. Simons shared this message on social media:

"Later today lawyers will appear before a federal judge in Boston seeking to stop ICE from revoking the visas of international students whose universities adopt online programs in response to the public health crisis.

St. John's University has joined an amicus brief in support of that lawsuit.

As the dean of St. John's Law, I’m proud to stand with our international students. As a legal educator, I’m grateful for the rule of law, an independent judiciary, and the Administrative Procedure Act.”

Ultimately, the U.S. government rescinded the contested policy and related plan.

Take Two
We were all set for the August Law Matters webcast, but Tropical Storm Isaias had other plans as it battered the coast and caused power outages.

So, we’re taking a do-over on September 9, 2020, when Dean Michael A. Simons will sit down with three St. John’s Law faculty colleagues to review the recent U.S. Supreme Court Term.

His guests will be:

• John Q. Barrett, Professor of Law; Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow, Robert H.
Jackson Center; Justice Jackson biographer; and Creator, the Jackson List
email list and web archive
• Marc O. DeGirolami, Cary Fields Professor of Law; Co-Director, Center for
Law and Religion; Co-Creator, Law and Religion Forum blog; and Co-Host,
Legal Spirits podcast
• Anita S. Krishnakumar, Mary C. Daly Professor of Law

They’ll share their wide-ranging expertise as educators and Court scholars as they discuss the:

•  DACA Case (Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of University of
California)
•  Title VII Case (Bostock v. Clayton County)
•  Religious Liberty Cases (Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue and Our
Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru)
•  Trump Subpoena Cases (Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP and Trump v. Vance)

Alumni in the virtual audience will have a chance to contribute to the conversation during a Q&A session. There’s no fee to attend, but you need to register in advance to get the WebEx webcast access credentials.

Looking forward!

FACULTY FOCUS

In the Media
Professor Mark Movsesian, who co-directs our Center for Law and Religion, is in the media and online offering his take on the U.S. Supreme Court’s religion cases. You’ll find his latest insights published in the Washington Examiner and First Things and broadcast through the Legal Spirits podcast and Law and Religion Forum blog he produces with Center co-director Marc DeGirolami.

Guest Appearance
Professor Elayne Greenberg and Colin Rule, President and CEO of mediate.com, were the guest speakers for a webinar hosted by ombudspeople and mediators of the United Nations and Related International Organizations (UNARIO), an informal network of diverse organizations dedicated to international cooperation. Their talk focused on technical and practical issues that mediators and ombudspeople need to address as they shift their in-person practice to online meetings.

Publications
The popular TaxProf Blog spotlighted “Recommendations for Online Teaching,” a timely resource for educators created by St. John’s Law Professors Renee Allen, Jennifer Baum, Catherine Duryea, Robert Ruescher, Courtney Selby, Eric Shannon, Rachel Smith, and Jeff Sovern.

And let's hear it, again, for Associate Dean for Library Services and Associate Professor of Legal Research Courtney Selby, who completed work recently on the 4th edition of New York Legal Research, part of the Legal Research Series from Carolina Academic Press.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Scholarship Wins
Joseph Diorio '18C, '22L and Gia Fernicola '21 were awarded 2020 American Immobiliare Scholarships, recognizing their achievement, service, and leadership consistent with the values of Italian-American influencers and innovators in the field of Commercial Real Estate.

His enthusiasm, dedication, and success as a student of IP Law has earned aspiring patent lawyer Michael Ofori '21 this year’s New York Intellectual Property Law Association (NYIPLA) Hon. Giles S. Rich Diversity Scholarship. This marks the ninth consecutive year that a St. John's Law student has won the award. Read all about it.

Summer Stories
From virtual hearings, to research and discovery, to mock trials, Lauren Collins '21, Elena Santo '22, and 11 other St. John's Law students thrived on a mix of remote and in-person opportunities as participants in the Queens DA’s new summer internship program. Here’s how and why.

As chronicled in Nassau Lawyer, the journal of the Nassau County Bar Association (NCBA), six St. John’s Law students were among 15 students in the NCBA’s COVID-19 Law Student Pro Bono Program. The participants gained hands-on, substantive legal experience this summer as they teamed remotely with volunteer attorneys to respond to inquiries from Nassau County residents and business owners impacted by the pandemic. The St. John’s student participants were William Bird ‘22, Michelle Capobianco ‘21, Zachary Manasia ‘21, Adam Ratner ‘22, Ciara Villalona-Lockhart ‘22, and Abigail Ziegler ‘22. Villalona-Lockhart was one of two students who served as Program Administrators.

Comments, Suggestions, or Content Ideas?
Please email Lori Herz, See infra's Managing Editor and Lead Writer, at herzl@stjohns.edu.

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IN BRIEF

FACULTY FOCUS

STUDENT SUCCESS

Comments, Suggestions, or Content Ideas?Please email Lori Herz, See infra's Managing Editor and Lead Writer, at herzl@stjohns.edu.

Comments, Suggestions, or Content Ideas?
Please email Lori Herz, See infra's Managing Editor and Lead Writer, at herzl@stjohns.edu.