Brian Leiter's Law School Reports

Interim Dean Song Richardson at UC Irvine named Dean

Her colleague Rick Hasen has the news.

Someone should have paid more attention in his evidence class

Matthew Petersen withdraws from further consideration for a federal district judgeship in wake of questioning by Senator Kennedy (R-LA) showing that he didn't know what the Daubert standard was and didn't know what a motion in limine is, among other rather remarkable gaps in his knowledge for someone aspiring to be a trial judge!  (Here's the full questioning by Senator Kennedy, who is an experienced lawyer and also, like Mr. Petersen, a graduate of the University of Virginia Law School.)

Judge Kozinski retires

Effective today.

Law school transfer students

Jerry Organ updates his data for 2017.  Taking large numbers of transfer students--whose credentials are invisible to the US News ranking gods--can allow a school to take a smaller 1L class (whose credentials are reported to the ranking gods) while still generating tuition revenue.  Of course, not all schools take transfers for that reason, but the larger the numbers, the more likely that is part of the consideration.

Chief Judge of 9th Circuit initiates investigation into allegations of misconduct against Judge Kozinski

The order here.

A proposed limit on student loans for graduate education (other than medical)

I missed this story while I was travelling, but it is quite significant, since it would cap loans for, say, legal education at $28,500 per year, which will result, I expect, in a collapse in enrollments at some law schools and probably put some financial stress on all law schools to increase their own financial aid or limit tuition increases.  It may also push more students into the private loan market, though some private lenders may undertake more due diligence regarding the school for which the loan is to be utilized.

More details and information?  Comments are open; submit the comment only once, they may take awhile to appear.

Case Western's Cassandra Burke Robertson calls for impeachment proceedings against Judge Kozinski

Her reasons here.

More Judge Kozinski creepiness

Professor Nancy Rapoport (UNLV) recounts her experience.

Signs of the times: George Washington Law reduces incoming class size...

...to reverse U.S. News ranking slide.  Proof once again that a ranking website runs U.S. legal education.

Farewell Judge Kozinski

Now that the dam has broken,  can it be long now?  I had heard of his reputation for, shall we say, "inappropriate" behavior from former clerks on the 9th Circuit (for other judges) before.  But now we have six women reporting very similar stories.   It's a shame, though, that Trump will likely replace him with an inferior judge.