Professor Meili Delivers Appointment Lecture

Professor Steve Meili, James H. Michael Chair in International Human Rights Law, delivered his appointment lecture titled “The Constitutionalization of Human Rights Law and Its Impact on Asylum-Seekers” on April 14.

In his talk, Meili analyzed how lawyers representing asylum-seekers in five countries—Colombia, Mexico, South Africa, Uganda,
and the United States—have bridged the gap between lofty words on parchment and the protection of asylum-seekers on the ground. Meili has written a book on this topic that will be released soon.

An audience question-and-answer session and a reception in Auerbach Commons followed the lecture. 

Students, Faculty, and Staff Provide Legal Aid to Afghan Refugees 

Several Minnesota Law students joined faculty and staff from the James H. Binger Center for New Americans to provide legal support to Afghan refugees on the Fort McCoy military base in Wisconsin in January. The team helped the refugees understand the complex and often challenging U.S. immigration system, prepare their asylum or special immigrant visa applications, and get connected to a nationwide network of lawyers.

Those helping included (in photo, from left to right) Ben Gleekel, 2L; Nicole Carter, 1L; Deepinder Mayell, executive director of the Binger Center; Carli Cortina, 2L; and Mahmoud Ahmed, community outreach and program coordinator for the Binger Center. The group assisted an estimated 70 to 95 Afghan guests over three days.

“It felt good to be productive and to help people get further along in the immigration process,” said Carter. “They have made a lot of sacrifices and deserve to be supported.”

Carter, who chose Minnesota Law because of its strength in human rights and immigration programs, said the experience at Fort McCoy reaffirmed that choice and provided added motivation. 

Minnesota Law Ranked No. 1 Law School for Interdisciplinary Impact 

A Journal of Legal Education article ranked Minnesota Law as the top law school in the nation for interdisciplinary impact.

The article, “Total Scholarly Impact: Law Professor Citations in Non-Law Journals,” was written by Vanderbilt Law professors J.B. Ruhl and Michael P. Vandenbergh and lecturer in law Sarah E. Dunaway. According to the article, the top five schools in the country for interdisci- plinary impact, in ranked order, are Minnesota Law, Stanford Law, Yale Law, Duke Law, and the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

Minnesota Law’s top five most- cited interdisciplinary scholars are professors Susan Wolf (who is No. 2 in the nation overall), William McGeveran, Michael Tonry, Paul Vaaler, and Francis Shen, the article said.