Vol. 18 No. 2 January 18, 2000

Indiana Law Annotated Vol. 18 No. 2 January 18, 2000

Table of Contents

• VITA NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
• ACADEMY OF LAW ALUMNI FELLOWS PROFILE
• NEWS FROM THE FACULTY
• NEWS FROM STUDENT AFFAIRS OFFICE
• NEWS FROM STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
• ANNOUNCEMENTS
• CALENDAR

VITA NEEDS VOLUNTEERS

The Office of International Services is in need of volunteers for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program of the IRS. These volunteers undergo training and take a basic test to become certified volunteers. They work with international students and scholars from 15 Feb to 15 Apr. Each volunteer must undergo training and must be available a few hours a week to meet with students and scholars. There will be specific training in taxation for nonresident aliens. This is unique opportunity to learn about nonresident alien tax law and the tax treaties that go with it.

VITA Past coordinators have said that volunteers from the School of Law have been among the best. If you are interested, please email for more information.

ACADEMY OF LAW ALUMNI FELLOWS PROFILE

Who are those people whose photographs are on the first-floor wall? In this series of profiles, we introduce you to the members of the Academy of the Law Alumni Fellows. The Fellows are the recipients of the highest honor the Law School bestows on its alums. We hope that each profile will help you reflect on the successes of our alumni as well as some possibilities that are ahead for you.

V. SUE SHIELDS
V. Sue Shields, U.S. Magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court, Southern District, Indianapolis Division, is the first woman to serve as a magistrate judge in the district courts of Indiana. She was also the first woman Indiana Court of Appeals judge and the first woman to hold a general jurisdiction judgeship in Indiana when she became judge of the Hamilton County Superior Court.

Judge Shields received her bachelor's degree from Ball State University in 1959. She graduated with distinction from the IU School of Law in 1961. After graduation, she became attorney and regional counsel for the Internal Revenue Service. A year later, she became deputy attorney general for the State of Indiana.

Judge Shields has worked hard to improve the administration of justice. Her achievements include serving on the Indiana Judges Association's judicial administration committee that did an in-depth study of the state's judicial system and made recommendations on reorganization, sentencing, and child support guidelines. She has also served on the Indianapolis Bar Association's commission on Marion County Courts, and she has been secretary and director of the Indiana Lawyers Commission's section on sentencing appeals. she has also served on committees for the Hamilton County Bar Association.

Shields has served as Vice President of our Board of Visitors as well as a member of special committees of the ABA, the Indiana Judges Association, and the Indiana Judicial Center. She has been a lecturer and instructor in multiple professional education seminars.

Judge Shields has received the Indianapolis Bar Association's first Antoinette Dakin Leach Award and its Paul Buchanan Award of Excellence. She is an honorary member of Delta Kappa Gamma and has received the Law School's Order of Coif.

NEWS FROM THE FACULTY

Professor David Fidler's latest article, International Law and Global Public Health, 48 Univ. of Kansas Law Review 1 (1999) began as a paper presented at a conference in Durban, South Africa in November 1998, then was revised and presented as a Dean's Lecture at the University of Kansas last fall.

Professors Charles Geyh and Emily Van Tassel have published an article entitled "The Independence of the Judicial Branch in the New Republic." The article, which was solicited for inclusion in a symposium on Chancellor James Kent, was published by the Chicago-Kent Law Review. It explores the contours of the federal judiciary's institutional independence from the founding through the constitutional showdown at the beginning of the Jefferson administration over President Adams' "midnight judges."

Professor Emily Van Tassel presented remarks criticizing the historical turn toward Constitutional originalism as a panelist for a session on "The Impeachment Imbroglio: History and the Role of Historians" at the annual meeting of the American Historical Association in Chicago earlier this month. The panel included both lawyers and historians who testified before Congress or otherwise offered their historical expertise during the recent unpleasantness, among them Princeton's congressional scold Sean Wilentz ("history will hunt you down for your cravenness!") and Northwestern's Steve Presser. A biological theme was struck for the panel with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jack Rakove's observation that lawyers appear to be hard-wired to overlook ambiguity. The two lawyers on the panel took this to imply that lawyers are simple, but can't help it, which Rakove did not deny. (It should be noted that Professor Rakove is married to a lawyer and therefore may now be in trouble at home.) As is generally the case with panels of this sort, no useful conclusions were reached, but much was learned and a good time was had by all.

NEWS FROM STUDENT AFFAIRS OFFICE

PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL MEETING
The semester meeting for all presidents and chairs of our student organizations will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 12:15 p.m. in Room 214. If presidents are unable to attend, please send a delegate from your group.

SUMMER EUROPE GLOBALIZATION PROGRAM OPPORTUNITY AND MEETING
There will be a meeting at 3:15 p.m. this Wednesday, Jan. 19, in Room 122, to provide information and application forms for the SPEA sponsored globalization program in Europe this summer. This is particularly a good opportunity for rising 2Ls.

NEWS FROM STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

FEMINIST LAW FORUM
The next meeting of the Feminist Law Forum will be on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at Noon. The Forum is pleased to commence a series of speakers on feminist perspectives with a presentation by Heejin Cho, the first female prosecutor in South Korea. All persons interested in feminist legal issues are invited to attend. Room to be announced.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MEETING ON PUBLIC INTEREST INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Are you interested in exploring the possibility of a for-credit internship this summer? Please join Dean Robel on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 12:20 in the Moot Court Room for information about what the public interest internship program is, why it might be right for you, and how to go

about finding and securing the internship you want.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT NEEDED
Professor Bell would like to hire a 2L as a research assistant this semester to work on a project on hate crime law. Anyone interested should apply directly to Professor Bell, Room 249.

EVENTS CALENDAR / ROOM SCHEDULING
To schedule classrooms in the law building, send email to bl-law-events (for Outlook users) or bl-events-law@exchange.indiana.edu (for non- Outlook users). Please include date and time of event, length of time room will be needed, classroom requested and number of people attending event. Requests should be sent at least one week prior to event and include name of person requesting, organization planning the event and an email address. Confirmations will be sent by reply email.

AUDIO - VIDEO SERVICES
Requests for AV services may be sent to Beth at av@exchange. indiana.edu. Please include the name of your group and the e-mail address of the contact person, a description of what you want to do, and the date, location, starting time and duration of the event. Requests must be made at least 48 hours in advance and will be confirmed by email.

CALENDAR

Tuesday, Jan. 18, President's Council Meeting, Room 214, 12:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 19, Feminist Law Forum, Noon. (Room TBA)

Wednesday, Jan. 19, Public Interest Internship Program Meeting, Moot Court Room, 12:20 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan 19, Globalization Program Opportunity, Room 122, 3:15 p.m.

Updated: 18 January 2000