Events Calendar

Join us for an insightful workshop on animal law, where we delve into a compelling California case involving Cedar, a cherished goat whose life was disrupted by law enforcement actions despite the wishes of his dedicated caretakers. This case highlights critical issues in animal protection.

Our expert for the session, Vanessa Shakib, is a leading figure in animal law and government accountability. Her impressive background includes extensive coverage by major media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, and the New York Times. Vanessa is the co-founder and co-director of Advancing Law for Animals, a pioneering non-profit law firm dedicated to advocating for animals in research and industrial food production. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School, where she has been recognized as the 2022-2023 Adjunct Professor of the Year.

(Vegan lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to ensure your spot and meal.)

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/02/79133/

From Execution Date to Release Date: The Story of Clinton Young

Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Clinton Young, a former Texas death row inmate who spent 18 years in solitary confinement for a crime he insists he didn’t commit. Convicted of two murders at the age of 19, Clinton was sentenced to death in 2003, largely based on the testimony of his co-defendants—testimony that was later proven false.

In September 2021, Clinton’s conviction and death sentence were overturned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals due to shocking prosecutorial misconduct. The prosecutor, while working on Clinton’s case, was also secretly serving as a law clerk for the judges who presided over the trial. This blatant violation of due process led to Clinton's release on bond in January 2022, making him the first former death row inmate to secure release on bond. He now awaits a new trial.

This event offers an extraordinary opportunity to learn about the flaws in the criminal justice system, wrongful convictions, and the fight for justice. Clinton’s case exemplifies critical legal issues surrounding due process violations, prosecutorial misconduct, and the resilience required to survive on death row.

Don’t miss this powerful session that will provide unique insight into the life of someone wrongfully convicted and highlight the crucial role lawyers play in fighting for justice.

**Food will be provided**

Date: October 3, 2024 Time: 11:50 AM - 2:00 PM Location: CCJ 2.306 - Eidman Courtroom Hosted by: The Capital Punishment Clinic/Center

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/03/79176/

Join alumni, prospective students, and friends for paella, drinks and networking! Hosted by Trey Martinez JD '96 and Rolando Rubiano BS '93, with paella from Ralph Vela, CEO Workforce Solutions Cameron and award-winning paella chef.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/03/78170/

Please join Texas Law Students for Life on Monday, October 7, at 11:50 a.m. in TNH 2.124 as  Dr. John Seago of Texas Right to Life addresses common concerns about pro-life laws and their impact on women's health—particularly in cases involving miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or medical emergency.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/07/79299/

This speaker series considers the criminalization of reproduction—historical and contemporary, local and global—largely through the lens of reproductive justice.

RSVP

Abstract: Over the past four years, three of the largest Latin American countries have made significant strides toward the decriminalization of abortion: Argentina in December 2020, Colombia in February 2022, and Mexico in September 2023. The changes are the result of strategic rights-based litigation, cultural work, and national and regional coalition building, largely on the part of feminists who came of age in the 1990s and 2000s. These feminists had long worked for incremental change, using the Courts as allies for reform. Contrasting their strategies with those deployed today by younger feminists in the region, who not only are more inclined to use social networks and direct action but are also more focused on issues of violence and individual harm, I argue for the need to bridge gaps between old and new feminisms to continue to work toward reproductive justice.

Isabel Cristina Jaramillo Sierra is Professor of Law and Director of the Jurisprudence Department at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. She also acts as general coordinator of the Latin American Network of Feminist Legal Scholars- RED ALAS (www.redalas.net). She has written extensively on feminist legal reform and its impact on women, with particular attention to reforms related to quotas, abortion, and violence. Relevant works in English include “The New Colombian Law on Abortion" in International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2022) and "Abortion Reform in Colombia: From Total Prohibition to Decriminalization up to Week Twenty-Four" in The South Atlantic Quarterly (2023). She has worked as a consultant for the National Government and the Judicial Branch on gender and human rights issues; served as an expert before the Congress of the Republic; and worked as an Ad Hoc Judge for the Constitutional Court and the State Council. In 2017, she was nominated (but not elected) by President Juan Manuel Santos to the Constitutional Court. She earned her S.J.D. from Harvard Law School and an LL.B. with Honors from Universidad de los Andes.

Co-sponsored by Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies and the Latin America Initiative at Texas Law

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/07/78332/

Please join the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab (PJIL) for a film screening and panel discussion about “Solitary Confinement in Prison” on Monday, October 7, from 5:15 – 6:45 pm at the Law School (TNH 2.137). We are screening the 2023 short film “The Box: 27 Years in Solitary,” which explores the use of solitary confinement in prison. It focuses on the case of Dennis Hope, a man who spent 27 years in solitary confinement in a Texas prison and who took a lawsuit about his situation to the US Supreme Court. After the screening will be a panel discussion with Jeremy Young, Senior Producer for Fault Lines, Al Jazeera’s current affairs news program, and the producer of the film; Molly Petchenik, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project which represented Dennis Hope in his Supreme Court challenge; Chanel Jones from the Lioness Justice Impacted Women's Alliance who has lived experience in solitary in a Texas women's prison, and Robert Lilly from Grassroots Leadership, also with lived experience in solitary. The panel will be moderated by UT LBJ/Law professor and PJIL Director Michele Deitch. The event is organized by the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and is co-sponsored by the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law at the Law School. Please register for the event and help spread the word about it. Open to the Austin community.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/07/79251/

This is the first round of the Foley & Lardner Novice Mock Trial Competition. The round will be held at 6:00PM. This competition is for those who have not competed in a Texas Law intramural mock trial competition before. Please contact Kacey Simmons (kacey.simmons@utexas.edu) for more information.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/08/78832/

Join Laura Fox, a fellow with the Climate Change & Animal Agriculture Litigation Initiative (CCAALI) at Yale Law School, for a compelling workshop on animal law. Laura will share her expertise on the environmental and public health impacts of extreme farmed animal confinement, strategic litigation for protecting animals and human health, and the evolving legal landscape under different federal administrations. She will also discuss the interconnected suffering of pigs and people, offering insights into specific legal challenges and innovative solutions. (A vegan lunch will be served. Please RSVP to secure your spot.)

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/09/79134/

Learn about the Justice Center and the support and resources we provide for students interested in nonprofit, government, and legislative service. Chat over lunch with Justice Center staff and students who are involved in our projects.

Register by 12PM on Thursday, October 3rd at https://justicecenteropenhouse24.eventbrite.com.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/10/78872/

This is the second round of the Foley & Lardner Novice Mock Trial Competition. The round will be held at 6:00PM. This competition is for those who have not competed in a Texas Law intramural mock trial competition before. Please contact Kacey Simmons (kacey.simmons@utexas.edu) for more information.

Full event information: https://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2024/10/10/78833/