Remembering John W. Fitzgerald July 7th marks the 14th anniversary of the passing of Justice John W. Fitzgerald (1924-2006). He was the favorite son of Grand Ledge MI who rose to become Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court while playing an instrumental role in the life of WMU-Cooley Law School.
WMU-Cooley criminal law professor spells out the case surrounding fired Minneapolis police officers
WMU-Cooley Professor Tonya Krause-Phelan is frequently tapped as a criminal law expert by the media. She has appeared as a commentator on numerous radio, television, print, and internet media sources regarding criminal law and procedure issues and teaches Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Defending Battered Women, Criminal Sentencing, and Ethics in Criminal Cases.
What is the Insurrection Law? Brig. Gen. Michael C.H. McDaniel explains
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense Strategy and retired Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel, associate dean at WMU-Cooley Law School, was sought out by the media to explain how President Donald Trump can use the Insurrection Act to help control riots.
WMU-Cooley Faculty Experts Speak Out on Equal Access to Justice
Tracey Brame, associate dean of WMU-Cooley’s Grand Rapids campus, Renalia DuBose, a WMU-Cooley professor in Tampa, Florida, and Criminal Law Professor Tonya Krause-Phelan, have been called upon to speak about racial injustices happening throughout the country and the legal ramifications following the recent deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Georgia.
Bar Exam Subjects: How Many Are Too Many?
Social-distancing policies have forced states to rethink the July bar exam. One state has decided to shorten it to one day. Another is going open-book. A third is eliminating the multiple-choice portion and using short-answer questions instead. All three plan to administer their exams remotely (on-line). ABAJournal.com has the story. And now Michigan has decided to go with a one-day, on-line, all-essay test in July.
The Three Lucys of Contract Lore, Part Three: Peevyhouse vs. Garland Coal
Blog contributor Otto Stockmeyer is a WMU-Cooley Law School Distinguished Professor Emeritus. This is another in his series of posts offering a fresh look at famous cases.
The Three Lucys of Contract Lore, Part Two: Wood vs. Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon
Blog contributor Otto Stockmeyer is a WMU-Cooley Law School Distinguished Professor Emeritus. This is another in his series of posts offering a fresh look at famous cases.
The Three Lucys of Contract Lore, Part One: Lucy vs. Zehmer
Blog contributor Otto Stockmeyer is a WMU-Cooley Law School Distinguished Professor Emeritus. This is another in his series of posts offering a fresh look at famous cases.
Vampire Verbs and Zombie Nouns
Whether it's Halloween or not, verbs and nouns can sometimes be downright scary! Professor Otto Stockmeyer has gone emeritus after more than three decades teaching at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, with visiting stints at Mercer University and California Western. He is a past president of Scribes—The American Society of Legal Writers. A version of this blog post first appeared in the Society’s newsletter The Scrivener.
The Power of Plain English
Background. Placing a shareholder proposal in a corporation’s annual-meeting proxy statement is the only practical way for shareholders to communicate with each other about corporate policy. Some years ago, I used the process successfully by drafting a shareholder proposal using plain-English principles. I believe that using plain English made a difference.
