News

January 27, 2012

National Media Discuss Vermont Yankee Court Ruling With VT Law School Experts – The New York Times and other media nationwide sought out Vermont Law School faculty experts for insight into a federal court's recent ruling on the fate of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

January 18, 2012

Failure Isn’t An Option, MLK Day Speaker Tells VT Law School – Some of America's founding fathers owned slaves, but their pursuit of equality, justice and a "more perfect union" remains relevant today, Vermont Law School's Martin Luther King, Jr., Day speaker said Tuesday.

December 16, 2011

National Media Report on VT Law School's Top 10 Environmental Watch List – The New York Times was among the many media nationwide that reported on the Dec. 12 launch of Vermont Law School's second annual Top 10 Environmental Watch List.

December 16, 2011

Is the Durban Platform a Suicide Pact? – Vermont Law School Professor Pat Parenteau, whose expertise includes climate change, wrote the following commentary on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa, which concluded Dec. 11, 2011.

December 2, 2011

Justice for All: VT Law School Supports Poverty Law Coalition, Fellowships – Continuing its tradition of supporting access to justice for all, Vermont Law School and VLS's South Royalton Legal Clinic recently helped host a reception for the Vermont Poverty Law Fellowships program and Vermont Access to Justice Coalition.

November 30, 2011

ENRLC Weighs In On Nitric Acid Rulemaking – Vermont Law School's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic (ENRLC) recently submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on the agency's proposed revision of its outdated air pollution standards for nitric acid plants.

November 4, 2011

Speth Unveils Blueprint For "New America" – The road to the apocalypse isn't necessarily a dead end. So says Vermont Law School Professor Gus Speth, a founder of the modern environmental movement who in a recent lecture series at VLS brutally indicted what he called an American plutocracy dominated by greed, money and power. But at his third and final lecture on Nov. 3, Speth concluded it isn't too late for a populist uprising to install a democracy fueled by a sustainable economy, peace, income equality, justice and respect for the environment.

October 7, 2011

VT Law School Professor Calls For "Revolution," New Political and Economic Order – Gus Speth loves his country. He also thinks it's dying and that a revolution is the only way to save it. "There's still hope, but it's time for civil disobedience," the Vermont Law School professor said. Speth, a founder of the modern environmental movement, declared his passion for the United States on Thursday at the start of his three-part lecture series titled "America, Rising to Its Dream: Charting Passage from Today's Decline to Tomorrow's Rebirth." But he also declared the United States an empire rotting from within, plagued by worsening rates of poverty, disease, infant mortality, crime, poor student performance, pollution and nearly every other index of well being.

October 7, 2011

In Memoriam: the Vermont Law School Gazebo – Vermont Law School's iconic gazebo, which was swept away by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Irene, was memorialized in words, photos and video in a blog post by TruexCullins, the Burlington architectural and interior design firm that created the gazebo.

September 29, 2011

Second Environmental Colloquium Draws Global Scholars – Some of the world's most prominent environmental law and policy researchers met Oct. 23 for Vermont Law School's second annual Colloquium for Environmental Scholarship to gather feedback on their works in progress.

September 27, 2011

Prof. Hanna Picks U.S. Supreme Court Cases Vermonters Should Watch – The first Monday in October marks the first day of oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court. So far, the Court has granted about half of its usual 80 or so cases that it will decide by June of 2012. And while there is no case yet on the docket that has originated in Vermont, there are many cases that may be of interest to Vermonters either because the outcome could impact our state or because the case is just super interesting.

September 15, 2011

VT Law School's Response to Irene Exceeds "Highest Expectations" – When the White River raged on Sunday, Aug. 28, it literally changed the landscape of Vermont Law School and nearby communities. Uprooted trees were scattered across fields; farms were transformed into mud pits; floodwaters swirled through homes; roads collapsed; and bridges were broken. Yet while Tropical Storm Irene caused much damage, it also strengthened the foundation of a community as VLS students, faculty, staff and alumni responded with an outpouring of donations, manual labor and legal aid to help their neighbors recover.

August 23, 2011

Vermont Law Professor Gus Speth Walks the Talk –

July 15, 2011

Supreme Court Ruling on AEP v. CT: While Round One Was Promising, Round Two Left Much To Be Desired – Judge Peter Hall of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit joined Vermont Law School professors Pat Parenteau and John Echeverria for a panel discussion June 30 at VLS, where they analyzed the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in American Electrical Power v. Connecticut.

July 14, 2011

NPR's Richard Harris: On the Frontlines of Gulf Oil Spill, Japan's Nuclear Crisis – Of the many news scenes where NPR science correspondent Richard Harris has reported from around the world for three decades, few were as prominent as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in April 2010 and Japan's nuclear crisis this year.

July 8, 2011

Prof. Cheryl Hanna: Vermont Likely To Foot Legal Bill in Vermont Yankee Lawsuit – In her latest addition to Vermont Law School's faculty commentary blog on the lawsuit over the controversial Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, Professor Cheryl Hanna wrote: "So, it is my prediction that if Vermont ever tries to enforce Act 74, even if it prevails in its lawsuit with Entergy, it is Vermont's taxpayers, not the Louisiana corporation's shareholders, who will ultimately foot the bill."

June 24, 2011

Prof. Don Kreis: "Belly Buttons and Blarney" in Vermont Yankee Lawsuit Hearing – In his latest addition to Vermont Law School's faculty commentary blog on the federal lawsuit over the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, Assistant Professor Don Kreis wrote: "John Herron, CEO of Entergy's nuclear operations, seems affable enough. He drew a laugh in U.S. District Court in Brattleboro on Thursday when he referred to a 'belly button count' as a folksy synonym for the number of people working at his company's Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant."

June 23, 2011

Vermonters Must Work Together to Revitalize Brownfields, Markowitz Says – Vermont's government, businesses and local communities must work together to redevelop the state's many brownfields, Vermont' Secretary of Natural Resources Deb Markowitz told a Vermont Law School conference on June 23.

June 23, 2011

U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Another Vermont Law On First Amendment Grounds – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Sorrell v. IMS Health, striking down Vermont's prescription confidentiality law as a violation of the First Amendment. The opinion should warrant great attention as its implications for the First Amendment and corporate speech could be sweeping.

June 6, 2011

"Story of Stuff" Author Annie Leonard Receives Honorary Degree – Annie Leonard, the author of "The Story of Stuff," received an honorary degree at Vermont Law School's 36th commencement on May 21 in recognition of her nearly two decades investigating and organizing on environmental health and justice issues.

June 3, 2011

Oceans Expert Calls for Ban on Shark Finning – Teeth, yes. Charisma, no. A magnetic personality probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of sharks, especially the great white shark, but the oceans' top predators have long held a morbid curiosity for humans. And it's that public fascination that conservationists are using to try to stop shark finning, the brutal practice of cutting off their fins to make shark fin soup, an oceans expert told a Vermont Law School audience on June 2.

May 25, 2011

Democracy Now! Host Urges VLS Grads to be "Sword or Shield" – Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, urged Vermont Law School graduates at the school's 36th commencement on May 21 to join the forces fighting for truth, justice and openness.

May 13, 2011

Society of American Law Teachers Opposes Efforts to Derail Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Law – Vermont Law School Professor Jackie Gardina wrote the following statement from the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) on May 12 in response to the House Armed Services Committee's amendment that would make the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law more difficult.

April 27, 2011

U.S. Supreme Court Skeptical About Vermont's Physician Data Mining Law – A lawyer is only as good as the law that the Legislature hands her, and it was clear after yesterday's U.S. Supreme Court argument in Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc. that Vermont Assistant Attorney General Bridget Asay had a not-so-good law to defend

April 19, 2011

When Taxes Are Good for Us – The government's near miss with a shutdown last week and the follow-up speech by President Obama are the latest episodes in our public conversation about the proper role of government and taxes.

April 13, 2011

Anatomy of Social Change: Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" – In December, Congress approved and President Obama signed into law the "Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010."

April 7, 2011

Quest for Rule of Law Motivates Arab Uprisings, Says Former New York Times Bureau Chief – The uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East have put many autocratic Arab governments in the unusual position of fearing their people rather than instilling fear in them, a former New York Times foreign bureau chief told a Vermont Law School audience on April 6.

April 1, 2011

Ocean Conference Explores Multiple Uses of Marine Resources – Once considered limitless-by ancient mariners and modern industrialists alike-the oceans' natural resources face growing pressures that can only be reconciled by a comprehensive use plan that balances conservation, energy development, fishing and other demands.

March 23, 2011

Vermont Supreme Court Hears Arguments at VLS – At the Vermont Supreme Court's annual session at Vermont Law School on March 23, teams of lawyers argued seven cases involving issues of criminal procedure, evidence, property, torts, environmental law, administrative law and constitutional law.

March 2, 2011

China, U.S. Must Cooperate to Reduce Global Warming, VJEL Panelists Say – China and the United States have vastly different legal systems, but the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases must work together to strengthen the Asian giant's environmental laws and to bolster each other's investments in renewable energy.

February 18, 2011

Climate Change Makes Humankind's Survival Uncertain, McKibben Says – Bill McKibben, one of America's foremost environmental advocates, had a mixed message for the standing-room crowd Feb. 17 at the seventh annual Norman Williams Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Planning and the Law at Vermont Law School.

February 16, 2011

Gov. Shumlin Taps VLS for Another Top Government Post – For the third time since taking office, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has appointed a Vermont Law School faculty or staff member to a top post in his administration.

February 11, 2011

Capital Punishment Violates Human Rights, Panelists Say – James Harlow was shackled when he entered court, but at 6 feet, 5 inches and 300 pounds of muscle, he made the many officers in the courtroom tense.

January 27, 2011

What's For Supper? Vermont Law School Explores How the World Eats – What Americans have on their plates these days is increasingly coming from opposite sides of the food spectrum. Over the past decade, production and consumption of both genetically modified food and organic food have risen steadily in the Untied States-as have the complex legal issues surrounding these trends.

January 19, 2011

Bell Urges VLS Students to Pursue King's Dream of Justice For All – For Robert Mack Bell-who delivered the keynote address at Vermont Law School's Martin Luther King Jr. Day observation on Jan. 18-lawyers have two images in the public consciousness.

January 14, 2011

VLS Ranks Among Best Law Schools for Public Interest – Vermont Law School recently received another high ranking in national surveys of U.S. law schools when preLaw magazine placed VLS in the top 20 of public interest law programs.

January 14, 2011

"Progressive Fusion" Needed to Save America, Speth Says – The United States is doomed unless the American way of life is radically overhauled, Vermont Law School Professor Gus Speth said in a Jan. 13 public lecture titled "Letter to Liberals: Liberalism, Environmentalism, and Economic Growth."

November 30, 2010

VLS Prepared JAG Lawyer for Afghanistan War Zone – Lt. Joe Griffo '07 was a few days away from departing for Iraq in June when his orders changed. He was deployed to Afghanistan instead with little knowledge of that embattled nation and no training on how to bring the rule of law to a virtually lawless land.

November 16, 2010

VLS Team Advances to ABA National Negotiation Competition – Vermont Law School's two dispute resolution teams posted a strong showing Nov. 13 when they both made the regional final four at the American Bar Association's annual Negotiation Competition.

November 15, 2010

Takings Conference Investigates Land Use and Regulations – Some of the nation's top legal scholars and practitioners gathered Nov. 5 at the University of California-Berkeley School of Law to discuss recent and pending court cases and new regulatory initiatives in takings law.

Williams Lecturer Discusses What's Driving New York City's Unprecedented Rezonings – Like much in land use politics, the results of Professor Vicki Been's comprehensive study of New York City's unprecedented rezoning effort were complicated. But one conclusion was clear: Land use decision-making should be more transparent and tied to city- and region-wide consequences.