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May 31, 2006

More Scrutiny of the U.S. News Rankings...

...courtesy of Tom Bell (Chapman):  here and here.

UPDATE:  And one more!

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 31, 2006 in Rankings | Permalink | TrackBack

May 30, 2006

New Study of Placement in Law Teaching

This newest study looked at which schools were most successful at placing their graduates in the "best" law teaching jobs.  The results are not significantly different from the results based on aggregating Larry Solum's data on all placements, though there are some clearer lines to be drawn.

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 30, 2006 in Rankings | Permalink | TrackBack

May 26, 2006

New Paper: "Why Tolerate Religion?"

I have posted a new paper--the subject of my 'Or 'Emet Lecture at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, Toronto this past March--on the subject:  "Why Tolerate Religion?"  You may download the working draft here.  Comments are welcome.  Here is the abstract:

Religious toleration has long been the paradigm of the liberal ideal of toleration of group differences, as reflected in both the constitutions of the major Western democracies and in the theoretical literature explaining and justifying these practices. While the historical reasons for the special “pride of place” accorded religious toleration are familiar, what is surprising is that no one has been able to articulate a credible principled argument for tolerating religion qua religion: that is, an argument that would explain why, as a matter of moral or other principle, we ought to accord special legal and moral treatment to religious practices. There are, to be sure, principled arguments for why the state ought to tolerate a plethora of private choices, commitments, and practices of its citizenry, but none of these single out religion for anything like the special treatment it is accorded in, for example, American and Canadian constitutional law. So why tolerate religion? Not because of anything that has to do with it being religion as such—or so this paper argues.

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 26, 2006 in Navel-Gazing | Permalink | TrackBack

Tracking Changes to the U.S. News Ranking Criteria

Tom Bell (Chapman) is keeping track here and here.  Administrators in particular may find this useful.

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 26, 2006 in Rankings | Permalink | TrackBack

May 25, 2006

Swaine from Wharton School to GW

Edward Swaine (international law, antitrust, foreign relations law), an Associate Professor of Legal Studies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, who also holds a secondary appointment in the Law School at Penn, has accepted a tenure-track offer from the law school at George Washington University, to start in the fall.

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 25, 2006 in Faculty News | Permalink | TrackBack

May 24, 2006

Pildes Turns Down Harvard, To Remain at NYU

Richard Pildes (constitutional law, voting rights) at New York University School of Law has declined the senior offer from Harvard Law School.

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 24, 2006 in Faculty News | Permalink | TrackBack

May 23, 2006

Labor Law Expert Fischl from Miami to Connecticut

Richard Michael Fischl (labor law, Critical Legal Studies), a longtime member of the law faculty at the University of Miami, has accepted a senior offer from the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford.

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 23, 2006 in Faculty News | Permalink | TrackBack

May 22, 2006

Penn Makes Bid for Yoo at Vanderbilt

Christopher Yoo (law & technology, copyright, telecommunications law) at Vanderbilt University has received a senior offer from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 22, 2006 in Faculty News | Permalink | TrackBack

May 20, 2006

Meares from Chicago to Yale

Tracey Meares (criminal law & procedure) at the University of Chicago Law School has accepted a senior offer from Yale Law School.  Meares's former colleague and occasional co-author Dan Kahan (criminal law & procedure) moved from Chicago to Yale in 1999.

Yale, which also hired Heather Gerken (election law, voting rights) from Harvard this year, will be announcing one more senior hire of a woman from the Harvard faculty before long--or so I am told.

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 20, 2006 in Faculty News | Permalink | TrackBack

May 19, 2006

Congratulations UT Law Class of 2006!

It's been a pleasure and privilege to have had the opportunity to work with many of you during your time in the Law School. I'm sure I speak for all my colleagues in wishing you much professional success and personal happiness in the years ahead.  I look forward to seeing many of you at tomorrow's graduation ceremony.

Posted by Brian Leiter on May 19, 2006 in Navel-Gazing | Permalink | TrackBack