Dicta 2019

Clerk Count

During the past year, three NYU School of Law graduates secured clerkships with US Supreme Court justices. During the 2018 term, 32 graduates are clerking on federal appellate courts, including nine on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Formidable Fellows

The Skadden Fellowship Foundation named Hugh Baran ’17, Jason Pedraza ’19, Molly Rugg ’19, Gabriela Siegel ’19, and Victoria Wenger ’19 among this year’s 28 fellows. The foundation, established by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, grants two-year fellowships to recent law school graduates working full-time in public interest law.

Honoring a Leader

On May 9, Anthony Welters ’77, chair emeritus of NYU Law’s Board of Trustees, was the guest of honor in a ceremony celebrating the unveiling of his portrait and the naming of the Welters Lobby, located at the front entrance of Vanderbilt Hall. Artist Jamie Lee McMahan painted Welters’s portrait.

A New Deputy in Town

Vicki Been ’83, Boxer Family Professor of Law and director of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, became New York City’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development in May in the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

From 2014 to 2017, Been was the city’s commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development. “That appointment, as well as the current one, offers testament to her deep expertise and experience in the areas of land use, urban policy, and affordable housing,” said Dean Trevor Morrison.

“New Yorkers are lucky to have Vicki on their side,” de Blasio said in a tweet announcing her appointment.

Cited by SCOTUS

On June 24, when the US Supreme Court struck down a federal law preventing businesses from registering scandalous or immoral trademarks, the opinion cited an amicus brief filed by John M. Desmarais Professor of Intellectual Property Law Barton Beebe and Professor Jeanne Fromer.

Iancu v. Brunetti stemmed from the US Patent and Trademark Office’s (PTO) refusal to register artist Erik Brunetti’s clothing line FUCT under a 1946 Lanham Act provision that prohibits registration of “immoral” or “scandalous” trademarks.

In Plain Cite

In September 2018, India’s Supreme Court overturned the criminalization of same-sex sexual activity, citing articles by Edwin D. Webb Professor of Law David A.J. Richards.

“Sexual Autonomy and the Constitutional Right to Privacy: A Case Study in Human Rights and the Unwritten Constitution” was referenced to refute the idea of “unnatural acts” between consenting adults, and to assert an individual’s rights to privacy and autonomy. The court cited “Unnatural Acts and the Constitutional Right to Privacy: A Moral Theory” to argue for the importance of allowing individuals to express love toward a partner without hindrance.

On a Kind Note

In October 2018, Garrett Heller ’21 created what he called the “affirmations project” to help mitigate stress and discouragement during first-year exams.

A Statement for Equality

On April 2, Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law, testified before the US House Committee on the Judiciary in support of the Equality Act, proposed legislation that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

In his testimony, Yoshino said that the Equality Act would codify existing legal precedents while providing needed protections against the discrimination that LGBTQ people still face. The House passed the Equality Act in May, but at press time the bill faced an uncertain future in the Senate.

50 Years of Federal Practice and Procedure

To mark the 50th anniversary of Federal Practice and Procedure, the seminal treatise on the federal judiciary, founding author and University Professor Arthur R. Miller is featured in a series of podcasts with legal scholars and thought leaders. Publisher Thomson Reuters also surprised Miller with a customized cookie to celebrate his half-century milestone.

IRC in Action

This year, the Immigrant Rights Clinic (IRC) celebrated 20 years of immigration advocacy. The above points represent some locations where IRC alumni are currently working on immigration issues in the United States.

NYU Law in Forbes 30 Under 30

Olivia Ensign ’16, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, and Riley Jones ’20, co-founder of Bloc, were named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 lists for Law & Policy and Social Entrepreneurs, respectively.

And the Winner Is...

On June 9, three alumni took home Tony awards for producing this year’s best musical, Hadestown, a reimagining of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

The winners were Craig Balsam ’86, Tom Kirdahy ’88, and Manny Klausner ’62, LLM ’63.

On the Small and Silver Screens

Aronson Family Professor of Criminal Justice Bryan Stevenson’s advocacy for incarcerated persons in Alabama is being shown in two films. In June 2019, HBO aired the documentary True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality, and in 2020, Stevenson’s defense of a wrongfully convicted man facing the death penalty will be depicted in Just Mercy, starring actor Michael B. Jordan as Stevenson.

Court Victories

This year, NYU Law continued a legacy of dominating on the court. Law students won both the Deans’ Cup—the annual charity basketball game against Columbia Law—and the All-University Games, which pitted the School of Law against other NYU schools in a daylong intersport intramural competition.

Law Suitors

This year, six couples shared their stories about finding love against the backdrop of NYU Law. Mercer Street Residence, in particular, seems to be where sparks flew.

Freedom of Expressionism

The Willem de Kooning Foundation has generously lent one of the Abstract Expressionist artist’s paintings to the Law School. The foundation’s co-president, John Eastman '64, helped facilitate the loan of the 1985 oil-on-canvas work, titled The Key and the Parade. It will be displayed in the NYU Law Library in Vanderbilt Hall.

ALEA President

Jennifer Arlen ’86, Norma Z. Paige Professor of Law and co-founder and director of the Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement, served as president of the American Law and Economics Association (ALEA) during the 2018–19 term.

Arlen is the third member of the NYU School of Law faculty to serve as ALEA president, joining a group that includes Frank Henry Sommer Professor of Law Lewis Kornhauser and Professor Daniel Rubinfeld. Professor Ryan Bubb currently sits on ALEA’s board of directors.

Charles Rettig LLM ’82 Becomes 49th IRS Commissioner

Charles Rettig LLM ’82 was sworn in as the 49th commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on October 1, 2018.

Fare Prices

The New York City Council has appointed Max E. Greenberg Professor of Contract Law Clayton Gillette to serve on its newly created Taxi Medallion Sales Price Task Force. Medallions, which are issued by the city but then can be sold on the private market, allow owners to operate city-sanctioned yellow cabs.

Steven Dean’s Awesome Bars

Steven Dean’s passions in life include taxes and baking. Dean, professor of tax law and faculty director of the Graduate Tax Program, began baking as a child with his mother and sisters and has developed an array of specialties from cakes to croissants. He keeps a stocked basket of individually wrapped cookies and biscotti in his Vanderbilt Hall office for visitors.