Author Archives: prospectusmjlr

“Dispossessing Detroit”: Learn More and Full Schedule

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Hear from the Symposium team’s Nathan Santoscoy, Michigan Law student and Detroit native, about tax foreclosure crisis in Detroit and some of the conversations we’ll be having at our Symposium on Nov. 9:

Learn more about the Detroit story that will be our lens for conversation at “Dispossessing Detroit.”

The full schedule is below. If you have not yet RSVP’ed, we encourage you to do so soon: https://dispossessingdetroitsymposium.com/rsvp-comment/

We’re excited to see you there!

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Symposium: Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. @ Michigan Law School

Hutchins Hall | 701 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Continental Breakfast and Check-In
8:00 – 8:30 AM | Main Floor Lobby, outside of Hutchins 100

Property Dispossession is Nothing New: A Historical Overview
8:30 – 9:30 AM
Panel discussion on the historical instances of land dispossession experienced by people living in the Detroit area and more broadly.

  • Bernadette Atuahene, Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law
  • Beryl Satter, Professor of History, Rutgers University-Newark
  • Louise Seamster, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology and African American Studies, University of Iowa
  • Michael Witgen, Director of the Native American Studies, Program and Associate Professor of History and American Culture, University of Michigan

Municipal Bankruptcy: Who Gets What?
9:35 – 10:35 AM
Panel discussion comparing the experiences of Detroit, Puerto Rico, and Harrisburg, PA and the citizens who call these places home during and after bankruptcy proceedings.

  • Michelle Anderson, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
  • Juliet Moringiello, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Professor of Law, Widener University, Commonwealth Law School
  • John Pottow, John Philip Dawson Collegiate Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
  • David Skeel, S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School 

Dispossession in Other Forms: A Closer Look at Detroit 
10:45 – 12:15 PM
Short presentations or conversations on various topics. Each conversation will be limited to 15-20 minutes with 5 minutes for audience questions and will be held three times over the course of an hour and a half. 

  • Right of Refusal
    • 10:45- 11:10 AM; 11:15- 11:40 AM; 11:45- 12:10 PM
    • Speakers: Michele Oberholtzer, Director of Tax Foreclosure Prevention, United Community Housing Coalition and Eli Savit, Senior Advisor to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan
  • Changes in the Detroit Real Estate Market 
    • 10:45- 11:10 AM; 11:15- 11:40 AM; 11:45- 12:10 PM
    • Speaker: Joshua Akers, Assistant Professor of Geography and Urban & Regional Studies, University of Michigan-Dearborn
  • MorningSide v. Sabree: The Tax Foreclosure Crisis
    • 10:45- 11:10 AM; 11:15- 11:40 AM; 11:45- 12:10 PM
    • Speaker: Michael Steinberg, Professor from Practice, University of Michigan Law School 
  • How Data Informs Policy
    • 10:45- 11:10 AM; 11:15- 11:40 AM; 11:45- 12:10 PM
    • Speaker: Jerry Paffendorf, Co-Founder & CEO, LOVELAND Technologies

Lunch
12:15 – 1:15 PM

Ramifications of Dispossession: Activism and Lived Experiences
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM
A panel discussion addressing the ways dispossession has affected community members and activists. 

  • Sonja Bonnet, Community Legal Worker, Detroit Justice Center
  • David Pitawanakwat, J.D. Candidate, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and University of Windsor Faculty of Law  
  • Simone Sagovac, Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition

Revitalization Today: Urban Renewal and Eminent Domain
2:30 – 4:00 PM
Panel discussion on the role of revitalization efforts in cities throughout the country. 

Dispossession Reform Round Tables
4:00 – 4:45 PM
Small group discussions with speakers and participants discussing reforms to current issues of land dispossession. Small groups will reconvene to report possible reforms.

Closing Remarks
4:45 – 5:00 PM
Small group discussions with speakers and participants discussing reforms to current issues of land dispossession. Small groups will reconvene to report possible reforms.

Detroit Engagement Day: Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. @ Detroit

Helping Detroiters “Step Forward” Into Secure Home Ownership

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As a part of the 2019 Journal of Law Reform Symposium “Dispossessing Detroit: How the Law Takes Property,” JLR is excited to partner with the United Community Housing Coalition to host a clinic for Step Forward Michigan applications on November 10th. 

After the 2008 financial crisis and downturn in the housing market, Michigan used federal government funding to establish Step Forward Michigan, a program to help homeowners struggling to make mortgage, property tax, or condominium fee payments. Over 30,000 homeowners have received assistance through the program, which is set to end on December 1, 2019. 

The program provides qualifying homeowners with interest free loans of up to $30,000 to help them catch up on delinquent property taxes, mortgage payments and condominium association fees. The loans are forgivable at 20 percent each year, as long as the property remains the homeowner’s primary residence. If the homeowner is still living in the home after five years, the loan is completely forgiven.

To be eligible to apply, the homeowner must have experienced an involuntary hardship that led to the delinquency. Examples of qualifying events are a medical emergency, job loss, divorce, death, or one-time unforeseen out-of-pocket expenses like home repairs. Additionally, the homeowner has to have enough income to cover their future mortgage and property taxes once they are caught up. They must also show that they do not have sufficient cash reserves in their bank account to cover the relevant payments. 

A one-time unexpected event can spiral into financial trouble with outsize consequences. JLR is excited to partner with UCHC and provide Detroit residents with assistance in completing Step Forward applications and moving towards resolving any delinquency in their home ownership-related payments. This is just one of many legal reform strategies that we will discuss at Dispossessing Detroit – RSVP to attend the Symposium here!

Sources: https://www.stepforwardmichigan.org/en/, http://cedamichigan.org/2017/07/step-forward-michigan-program-helps-struggling-homeowners/

Announcing JLR’s 2019 Symposium: “Dispossessing Detroit: How the Law Takes Property”

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The Michigan Journal of Law Reform is pleased to announce that its Fall 2019 Symposium,  “Dispossessing Detroit: How the Law Takes Property” will take place on November 9, 2019. All events on November 9 will be held at the University of Michigan Law School.

RSVP to the Symposium today!

The Symposium will bring together a diverse range of academics, practitioners, and community members to speak on this important topic through the lens of the Detroit experience. We aim to have attendees learn, connect, and deepen their understanding of property dispossession and related topics. 

A few of our speakers include:

  • Michelle Anderson, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School 
  • Bernadette Atuahene, Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law
  • Amina Kirk, Senior Legal and Policy Advocate & Organizer, Detroit People’s Platform
  • Simone Sagovac, Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition
  • Eli Savit, Senior Advisor to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan
  • Louise Seamster, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology, University of Iowa
  • David Skeel, S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School 

On November 10, 2019, JLR will partner with the United Community Housing Coalition to host an HPTAP (Homeowners Property Tax Assistance Program) application clinic. This event will take place in Detroit. 

We look forward to sharing more with you about our program in the coming weeks – and we look forward to seeing you there!

Volume 52 Issue 4 Summer 2019

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Foreword
Jeffrey Levicki
Does a Non-Extreme Answer to Extremism Exist (pdf)

Keynote Address
Sammy Rangel
Keynote Address (pdf)

Symposium Article
Leonard M. Niehoff
Policing Hate Speech and Extremism: A Taxonomy of Arguments in Opposition (pdf)

Symposium Essays
Rebecca J. Marston
Guilt by Alt-Association: A Review of Enhanced Punishment for Suspected Gang Members (pdf)

Anna C. Williford
Blurred Lines: What is Extremism (pdf)

Symposium Transcript
Khaled Beydoun, Nina Mozeihem, & Samuel Bagenstos
Interview with Khaled Beydoun (pdf)

Notes
Emily S.P. Baxter
Protecting Local Authority in State Constitutions and Challenging Intrastate Preemption (pdf)

Christian H. Robertson II
Different Problems Require Different Solutions: How Air Warfare Norms Should Inform IHL Targeting Law Reform and Cyber Warfare (pdf)

Volume 52, Issue 3 Spring 2019

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Articles

Eli Savit
States Empowering Plaintiff Cities (pdf)

Kit Kinports
The Quantum of Suspicion Needed for an Exigent Circumstances Search (pdf)

Paul David Stern
Tort Justice Reform (pdf)

Charles Aside III
The Innocent Villain: Involuntary Manslaughter by Text (pdf)

Notes

Kara Naseef
How to Decrease the Immigration Backlog: Expand Representation and End Unnecessary Detention (pdf)

Megan C. Anderson
21st Century Cures Act: The Problem With Preemption in Light of Deregulation (pdf)

Volume 52, Issue 2 Winter 2019

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Articles

Carl T. Bogus
Books and Olive Oil: Why Antitrust Must Deal with Consolidated Corporate Power (pdf)

Theresa A. Vogel
Critiquing Matter of A-B-: An Uncertain Future in Asylum Proceedings for Women Fleeing Intimate Partner Violence (pdf)

Wayne Batchis
The Political Party System as a Public Forum: The Incoherence of Parties as Free Speech Associations and a Proposed Correction (pdf)

Ying Hu
Robot Criminals (pdf)

Notes

Julie Aust
Switching Employers in a Working World: American Immigrants and the Revocation Notice Problem (pdf)

Nicholas Karp
This We’ll Defend: Expanding UCMJ Article 2 Subject Matter Jurisdiction as a Response to Nonconsensual Distribution of Illicit Photographs (pdf)

Volume 52, Issue 1 Fall 2018

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Articles

Jeffrey Abramson
Jury Selection in the Weeds: Whither the Democratic Shore? (pdf)

Kevin K. Washburn
Agency Pragmatism in Addressing Law’s Failure: The Curious Case of Federal “Deemed Approvals” of Tribal-State Gaming Compacts (pdf)

Andrew N. Vollmer
Accusers as Adjudicators in Agency Enforcement Proceedings (pdf)

Nicole Stelle Garnett
Post-Accountability Accountability (pdf)

Notes

Meredith D. McPhail
Ensuring That Punishment Does, in Fact, Fit the Crime (pdf)

Micah Telegen
You Can’t Say That!: Public Forum Doctrine and Viewpoint Discrimination in the Social Media Era (pdf)

Volume 51, Issue 4 Summer 2018

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ARTICLES

Elizabeth Geltman
Environmental Health Regulation in the Trump Era: How President Trump’s Two-for-One Regulatory Plan Impacts Environmental Regulation (pdf)

Erum Sattar, Jason Robison, and Daniel McCool
Evolution of Water Institutions in the Indus River Basin: Reflections from the Law of the Colorado River (pdf)

Justin Fisch
The Case for Effective Environmental Politics: Federalist or Unitary State? Comparing the Cases of Canada, the United States of America, and the People’s Republic of China (pdf)

Announcing JLR’s Fall 2018 Symposium: “Alt-Association: The Role of Law in Combatting Extremism”

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The Michigan Journal of Law Reform is pleased to announce that its Fall 2018 Symposium, “Alt-Association: The Role of Law in Combatting Extremism” will take place on November 17, 2018, with a spring-board conversation on Monday November 12, and a introductory talk on Countering Extremist Violence on Friday, November 16 with panel participant Prof. Khaled Beydoun.

All events will be held at the University of Michigan Law School
Hutchins Hall — 625 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
South Hall — 701 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
(The two buildings are across the street from each other, separated by Monroe Street.) 

Pre-Symposium Conversation & Presentation

Monday, November 12, 2018
Springboard Conversation
11:55 AM – 12:55 PM | Hutchins B60A (Robert B. Aikens Lower Commons Skadden Study)

  • Stephanie Sanders, Lecturer & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Ford School of Public Policy
  • Nora Krinitsky, Michigan Mellon Fellow, LSA History of Art

Please join us for a conversation focusing on the intersections of race, creed, orientation, politics, identity, and labeling in the study and impact of “extremism.” We will also examine the assumptions, premises, problems, feelings, and conclusions generated by the Symposium panel prompts: (1) what is “extremism” and (2) how can the law combat it? Concepts and comments from this session will be provided to JLR‘s Symposium panelists and moderators for incorporation into the events on Nov. 17th.

Friday, November 16, 2018
Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Grant Discussion
10:00 – 11:30 AM | Hutchins 116

Symposium speaker Professor Khaled Beydoun will give a 20 minute presentation on Countering Violent Extremism grants and their impact on immigrant and Muslim communities, followed by Q&A.

Symposium Schedule

Saturday, November 17, 2018
Registration & Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00 AM | South Hall

Introduction & Alt-Association 101
9:00 – 10:00 AM | South Hall 1025

Defining Extremism
10:15 – 11:30 AM | South Hall 1225

  • David Dinielli, Deputy Legal Director, LGBTQ Rights and Special Litigation, Southern Poverty Law Center
  • Yazier Henry, Lecturer in Public Policy, Ford School of Public Policy
  • Rana Elmir, Deputy Director, ACLU of Michigan
  • Javed Ali, Towsley Policymaker in Residence, Ford School of Public Policy
  • Moderator: Don Herzog, Edson R. Sunderland Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School

Lunch & Keynote Address
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM | South Hall 1225

  • Speaker: Sammy Rangel, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Life After Hate

The Role of Law in Responding to Extremism
1:00 PM – 2:15 PM | South Hall 1225

  • George Selim, Senior Vice President, Programs, Anti-Defamation League
  • Kimberly Buddin-Crawford, Policy Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan
  • Khaled Beydoun, Associate Professor, University of Detroit Mercy Law School
  • Alex Kirshner, Associate Professor of Political Science, Duke University
  • Phyllis Gerstenfeld, Professor of Criminal Justice, California State University, Stanislaus
  • Moderator: Len Niehoff, Professor from Practice, University of Michigan Law School

Design Jam: Combating Extremism in Our Communities
2:30 – 5:30 PM | Robert B. Aikens Lower Commons

Reception
5:30 – 6:30 PM | Robert B. Aikens Lower Commons

Post-Symposium Debrief Conversation 

Monday, November 19, 2018
Debrief Conversation
11:50 AM – 12:50 PM | Hutchins B60A (Robert B. Aikens Lower Commons Skadden Study)

 

More information on the speakers, and the location of the events, may be found on the Symposium’s website 

For more information, comments, or questions, please contact the Symposium office at JLRSymposium52@umich.edu