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Then & Now: Immigration Legal Advocacy at the Mexico-U.S. Border

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Part one of a two-part post on the changing asylum landscape under the new administration. The Biden administration has signaled its intention to repair the U.S. asylum system. As law students who worked directly with asylum-seeking families, this is welcomed news. Over the last four years, the Trump administration intentionally increased the hardships that asylum seekers face. It adapted harsh, inhumane immigration policies with the express goal of deterring people from seeking asylum in the U.S. One such policy was the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” program. This policy treated displaced persons, including women, infant children, and the elderly, as dangerous adversaries that the country must defend itself against, and it caused widespread and profound human suffering at the U.S.-Mexico border. MPP is a Trump-era policy enacted in January 2019 which, for the first time, required asylum seekers to wait for their asylum hearings outside the United States at the U.S.-Mexico border. This policy impacted tens of thousands of asylum seekers. They were forced to build makeshift refugee camps …

Prof. Carpenter speaks to a lecture hall with seated students

About Your First Semester Grades: What Ought to Come Next?

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So here we are again – it’s the beginning of another Spring semester for America’s law students. This time of year means a lot of different things for a law school; it’s the beginning of the end for some of you who are getting ready to (finally!) graduate, but for 1Ls, it’s the end of the beginning – that bewildering first semester when you have absolutely no idea how you’re doing. Well, 1Ls: now you know how you were doing. The question for you now, is this: what ought to come next? As a prof who primarily teaches in the first year and also experienced my own share of law school grades that were sometimes relieving, sometimes disappointing, and frequently confusing, I’d like to offer a few words of advice. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands – and then immediately get back to work. For those of you who received above-the-curve grades, you’re probably pretty pumped right now, and it’s appropriate that you should be! I’m sure you worked really hard, …

Human Rights Protections Through International Criminal Law

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One of the tools in the toolkit of human rights protection is international criminal law. However, application of this body of law is generally limited to the most serious human rights violations: atrocity crimes. In her recent book, Shocking the Conscience of Humanity: Gravity and the Legitimacy of International Criminal Law, Professor deGuzman examines what it means for crimes to be so grave that they concern all of humanity. She shows that the concept of gravity remains highly undertheorized, and uncovers the consequences for the regime’s legitimacy of its heavy reliance on this poorly understood idea. She argues that gravity’s ambiguity may at times enable a thin consensus to emerge around decisions, such as the creation of an institution or the definition of a crime, but that, increasingly, it undermines efforts to build a strong and resilient global justice community. Having elucidated the consequences of the regime’s reliance on the ambiguous idea of gravity, Professor deGuzman suggests how gravity could be reconceptualized to take account of global values and goals in the various decision-making contexts …

Reflections on AIDS Awareness Month and the Case for Public Health Law Research

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As we observe AIDS Awareness month this December, we find ourselves looking back on the most challenging year from a public health perspective in at least a century. The current pandemic places all of us at the direct crossroads of public policy and public health in a daily reality unrivaled in most of our previous experience. Thinking about the impact of school and business closures, restrictions on gatherings and travel, mask mandates, and how to distribute vaccines highlight just a few of the law and policy responses we now interact with to keep ourselves and each other safe. As we pause each year to recognize those living with HIV, and remember those lost to AIDS, the condition caused by the virus, we must also remember that we suffer many of those losses, especially the early ones, because of the original failures of the public health response to the HIV epidemic. These failures included but are not limited to a minimization of the government’s role in public health response and related delays to address the spread …

Temple Law’s Integrated Trial Advocacy Program

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Temple Law School is nationally recognized as a leader in trial advocacy and Temple Law graduates are reputed to be excellent trial lawyers.  Temple’s Integrated Trial Advocacy Program (ITAP) is a big reason why. Recently, ITAP classes have been looking a little bit different as students learn how to conduct trials over Zoom and other platforms. What has stayed the same, however, is the immersive and unique experience. ITAP is a two-semester-long block of classes that Temple students can take during their second year. The program is set up as a mix of doctrinal/fundamental classes and practical/experiential classes. The first semester classes consist of evidence, trial advocacy I, and a lecture class that covers many aspects of litigation. The second semester classes are civil procedure II, trial advocacy II, and a continuation of the lecture classes. The classes are designed so that each week you will learn the theory in one class, and you will put it into practice in the other. For example, you would learn how to introduce medical records in court during …

Center for Compliance and Ethics Summer Fellowship | Student Perspectives

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This past summer, three Temple Law students completed the Center for Compliance and Ethics Summer Fellowship. They shared their experiences here: Zoey Binder LAW ’22 This past summer I was a Compliance, Privacy & Legal intern at Novocure, a medical device company, based out of their Malvern, PA office. My interviews were scheduled in person the week that the Philadelphia area began to shut down but Novocure quickly pivoted and my interviews were seamlessly conducted virtually. Right from these discussions, I felt everyone’s passion for their jobs and collaborative spirit which led me to accepting their offer. My start date was scheduled for May but ultimately had to be pushed back as I was stuck outside of the country but that presented no issues as everyone was very accommodating to my circumstances. Once I began (remotely), I was immediately introduced to an array of assignments from the compliance, legal and brand departments. Everyone was welcoming and approachable from the start. I was able to use my skill set on the policy work that I was …

Dear Justice Barrett

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Dear Justice Barrett, I hear that you will be asked to recuse yourself in the upcoming voting litigation about the presidential election. Here are my thoughts on how to rule on those requests: You have received an appointment for life. Now is the time that you start to prioritize your independence, your role in protecting the Court as an institution held in great respect among our citizens and the rest of the world, and yes, selfishly–your own legacy. *Independence: Your own view of whether you lack personal bias or prejudgment in these voting cases is only part of your consideration. The self-proclaimed independence of Justices does not fully satisfy the importance of judicial independent decision making. The public’s view of your independence is crucial. You were selected from the sea of hopeful qualified candidates by a man who announced that you would likely decide cases assisting him with holding onto the presidency. I understand that you did not have control over what this man was saying. But his announcement is part of the facts that …

Federal Appellate Litigation Clinic | A Student Experience

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Representing an indigent immigrant in a deportation appeal before the Third Circuit was the absolute highlight of my three years at Temple Law. As I prepare to begin my legal career, I am incredibly grateful to have learned the following: What Legal Teamwork Looks Like: As law students, we are used to writing our papers and taking our exams independently. Collaborating with Professor Levy and Professor Epstein taught me what it means to be part of a legal team. I learned how lawyers divide different tasks and support each other’s research and writing. This experience further showed me how to respectfully navigate differences. While we all shared the common goal of obtaining relief for our client, there were often varying opinions about the best way to get there. Professor Levy and Professor Epstein taught me how to let the client’s best interests drive the discussions and decisions about the right course of action to pursue. How to Prepare for an Appellate Argument: One of the most crucial lessons I learned from Professor Levy and Professor …

The Temple Law Racial Justice Working Group | Student Experience

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The Racial Justice Working Group was convened in response to the national uprising over police brutality and systemic racism. During the summer of 2020, the group, which included students, staff, and faculty, advised Dean Gregory Mandel on actions the law school can take in the short, medium, and long terms to address racial inequities within the law school community, our wider geographic communities, and the legal profession itself. Some of the law students participating in the group explain what that work means to them and their future careers. Terence Jones LAW ’21 I have gone to predominantly white private schools from third grade all the way through college. For me, this brought the unfortunate responsibility of educating my peers, faculty, and administration. I was regularly asked to speak about my experience as a black man receiving an education that did not have people like me in mind when it was created and how it can be made better now that people like me are here. I have always seen myself as a leader and an …

Japan Study Abroad – The Best Study Abroad Experience

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My time at Temple University Japan was unforgettable. Even though half the semester was conducted online, the quality of classes was not diminished. The staff and professors almost seamlessly transitioned classes to distance learning, and they were there for the students at every corner to help where they could. During the time spent in-person at TUJ, I was incredibly impressed by the facilities, resources available to the students, and the quality of professors and education offered. It was obvious that the professors were passionate about the students and the subjects they were teaching. There wasn’t a question or issue that the staff couldn’t help you solve. It was very comforting to have such a solid lifeline while living abroad as a student. The class schedule was great, and the 3-day weekends left plenty of time to explore the country, people, and culture. TUJ was absolutely the best study abroad experience I’ve ever had because of the quality and care put into their curriculum.