As a law student interested in a non-conventional career, I found Crystal Brown’s discussion with Dean Lennon informative and reassuring. I came to law school with the intention of working for the Federal Government. Yet, I am still not exactly certain how I will achieve that goal. The discussion confirmed what I have heard from other Federal employees: there is no formulaic way to obtain a job in the Federal Government. Rather, it will require taking some risks and keeping your mind open to jobs you never thought you would have interest in. Ms. Brown’s career path is great example for any law student interested in a successful career in government. Ms. Brown’s interest in public policy, rooted in her undergraduate studies at Duke University, led her to Temple Law. After graduation, she had the opportunity to clerk for notable Temple alum, the Honorable Clifford Scott Green. She spoke highly of her experience and strongly recommended a federal clerkship upon graduation from Temple. The relationship she forged with Judge Green and the experience she gained …

Today is Transgender Day of Visibility. And, as I do on most days, I have many feelings. On the one hand, I want nothing more than your (our) visibility. I want us to be everywhere. I don’t want anyone to be able to go anywhere without knowing that there is a trans person there with them; without knowing that respecting us is not just an expectation, it is a demand. On the other hand, visibility should never be a prerequisite for your existence. You have always already deserved existence, survival, happiness. We shouldn’t have to go to the Supreme Court to be able to use the bathroom. We shouldn’t have to leave our homes, we shouldn’t have to let lawyers speak for us, and, more than anything, we shouldn’t have to die. Our worth should not be predicated on how visible we are. I came to law school because trans people are my home. Because I will choose trans people every time, without question and without apology. Because I wanted to be useful to this …

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees a freedom from prosecution of law for religious belief, speech, press publication, peaceful assembly, or petitioning of the government. The scope and application of the First Amendment has been a source of some controversy as of late, particularly at institutions of higher education. For this reason, the Federalist Society invited Ari Cohn, the Director of the Individual Rights Defense Program at the Foundation for Independent Rights in Education (FIRE), to come and speak about free speech in educational and academic settings. Mr. Cohn began his talk by laying a background of speech codes and efforts to both support and suppress free speech on university campuses nationwide. He highlighted cases regarding the prevention of the creation of a Palestinian organization at Fordham University and Democrats group at Central Connecticut State, noting that in each case the university was taking it upon itself to prevent certain voices and ideals from having a platform on campus. Mr. Cohn also addressed “Free Speech Zones” such as those at Citrus College …

Law students can’t resist a free lunch, especially one that’s accompanied by an interesting speaker. The final event in the Presidential Transition Lecture Series, featuring Professor Laura Little’s interview of EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, promised both sandwiches and compelling conversation. Chai Feldblum became an EEOC Commissioner in April of 2010, a position she will retain until her term ends in July of 2018. During her tenure at the EEOC, she has focused on employment civil rights issues, including sexual orientation and transgender discrimination, pregnancy accommodation, and employment of people with disabilities. In short, she’s kind of a big deal. Commissioner Feldblum began the talk by laying out the processes and functions of the EEOC. She explained that the EEOC is a five-person, bipartisan agency whose members are appointed by the president and approved by Congress. I was heartened to learn that EEOC decisions are arrived at through a majority vote, rendering them more insulated from turnover than other agency guidance. While some agency action is revocable by the Cabinet Secretary—for instance, the Department of Education’s …

Leading through Law – Our Civic Duty in Today’s Society  Lawyers are leaders.  As citizens, we all have civic responsibilities to participate in our democratic institutions of governance.  As lawyers, these responsibilities are heightened as we have the knowledge to better navigate these systems and the collective impact of our work inevitably shapes our society.  Through its current Presidential Transition Lecture Series, Temple Law School is seeking to engage and motivate its future attorneys to have an informed awareness that promotes deliberate and strategic positive action.  Mr. David Thornburgh, President and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, presented the second lecture in this series, titled “Answering the Call for Political Renewal.” Mr. Thornburgh’s message was one of encouragement, challenging us as lawyers to utilize the current energy associated with the recent national election to create positive action that strengthens our democratic institutions both locally and nationally.  While I whole-heartedly agree with this directive, I was surprised to find myself at odds with his initial statements regarding his motivations in deciding not to attend law school.  …

Bill Marimow, the Editor and Executive Vice President of The Philadelphia Inquirer, spoke to Temple Law about the relationship between President Trump and the media, the post-election role of local papers, and a wide variety of related topics. His visit on Tuesday, January 17, was the first event in the Presidential Transition Lecture Series organized by Professor Laura Little, who conducted an engaging and wide-ranging interview with Marimow. “Read papers that don’t necessarily align with your politics and think critically about their editorials.” Professor Little asked Marimow about the “rules of engagement” between the Trump administration and the media, a relationship Marimow called “extremely antagonistic.” Marimow explained that while the president-press relationship constantly evolves from one president to the next, the relationship between Trump and the media is characterized by his fighting back when criticized and viewing issues in “black and white.” Marimow went on to explain that the President, while he needs a medium to communicate with the world, is less reliant on traditional media and more reliant on social media. He emphasized that …