Events Calendar

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/

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

Abstract: In only 15 years, Colombia underwent a remarkable transformation in its abortion laws, transitioning from one of the most stringent to one of the most permissive. This significant shift was accomplished through successful Constitutional litigation led by feminist organizations. From 2005, exploiting momentum created by a 1991 reform, feminist NGO’s have worked to build a framework for the decriminalization of abortion and increased access to abortion services. In 2020, under the umbrella of the Fair Indication or Causa Justa campaign, they asked the Court to eliminate the crime of abortion. In 2022, the Constitutional Court determined that abortion would be free up to week 24. Women in Colombia now have a fundamental right to abortion, and it shows in the numbers. Although complete access to abortion services is not yet assured, especially for late-term procedures, there has been a notable surge in demand since the recent reforms.

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/

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/

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.

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/