Prof. Fortson discusses the Sturgeon case on "Frontiers" - KTVA Channel 11 - Sunday, April 3

Prof. Fortson (l) and Rhonda McBride (r)
during the interview at the UAA/APU Consortium Library.

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, was recently interviewed by Rhonda McBride, KTVA Channel 11, about the Sturgeon v. Frost case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 22, 2016. The interview will air on the program "Frontiers" at 4:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 3.  The case involves questions of federal and state management of public lands.

Frontiers is a weekly half-hour public affairs show, a mix of a TV magazine-style format and interviews. The focus is on statewide, rural and Alaska Native issues.

Dr. Rivera and Prof. Brandeis appear in Seawolf Spotlight video airing at the Alaska Airlines Center

L to r: Rontina McCann of Denali Media interviews Prof. Jason Brandeis and
Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Center, at the UAA Alaska Airlines Center.

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice faculty, and Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, appear in the Seawolf Spotlight video that is aired during events at the UAA Alaska Airlines Center.

They were interviewed by Rontina McCann of Denali Media about Justice and Legal Studies program offerings. The video will be shown through the spring semester and is also broadcast on GCI.

Click here to view the video on the Justice Center YouTube channel.

Justice alumni spotlight: Simona Gerdts, '14 BA Justice, Legal Studies minor

Simona Gerdts

Simona Gerdts, ’14 B.A., Justice, minor in Legal Studies, has been living in Minot, N.D., where her husband was transferred with the U.S. Air Force.  She is working in the justice field full-time as the office manager/paralegal for a private law practice in Minot.  And Simona continues her advocacy for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault (DV/SA). Her long-time interest in DV/SA advocacy motivated her to initiate a number of campus and community projects while she was at UAA.

The “UAA Says NO MORE” campaign was launched by Simona and Kristen Speyerer, both Justice majors/Legal Studies minors, as part of their senior year capstone project in fall 2013. They worked to co-brand their efforts with the "NO MORE" national campaign  — a nationwide effort to increase greater awareness and action to end domestic violence and sexual assault— and made presentations and coordinated events to get the word out about this effort both on campus and in the community.

Another event was the “NO MORE Silence in the Dark” panel which Simona and Kristen organized and presented on campus in March 2014. The panel presentation included representatives from the Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police Department, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA), and faculty from the UAA School of Nursing and the Justice Center and drew a crowd of over 150 people. Simona and Dr. Ryan Fortson, Justice faculty, also made a presentation at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) to the Deputy Commander and other members of the USARAK Sexual Assault Review Board, about the “NO MORE at UAA” campaign.

L to r: Kristen Speyerer and
Simona Gerdts at a NO MORE
event on campus in 2014.

The culmination of the “UAA Says No More” campaign was a video PSA created in fall 2014  which features students, faculty, and staff. The "UAA says NO MORE" PSA, developed and coordinated by Simona and Kristen, was modeled on the national “NO MORE” PSA and has been highlighted on the national NO MORE website. (insert link) The video production and editing for the PSA were donated by Eric Baldwin, Media Technician, UAA Academic Innovations & ELearning.

Simona is now a certified victim advocate for the Minot Domestic Violence Crisis Center, having completed 30 hours of DV/SA advocacy training at the center.  She serves one week each month as the on-call crisis line responder where her duties include transporting survivors and their children to the Safe Home and responding to all DV/SA crisis calls received by the center during the evenings and weekends when the center is closed — which is approximately 120 hours of "alert" time.  She also provides support to victims during the sexual assault response team (SART) interview which is conducted by a forensic nurse examiner and an investigator from a law enforcement agency.

During her first SART interview with a victim, Simona relates how nervous she was. But this first encounter also helped confirm what direction her career would take. Simona recalls, “She [the victim] looked at me after about an hour and asked if I was a social worker, I replied, ‘I am not, but I hope to be one day,’ and then she said ‘Well you have made me feel so at ease from the very first moment that you walked into this room that I thought for sure you were a social worker.’… [T]hen she began to ask me questions pertaining to the protection order, how long the offender would have to spend in jail before being released on bail, preliminary hearing/arraignment...what do all these terms mean... and that's when I realized how beneficial my justice and legal studies knowledge is as it relates to my role as a victim's advocate. The hug that she gave me when I dropped her off at the Safe Home that night is a feeling that I won't soon forget.”

While in Minot, Simona and her husband and two sons stay busy remodeling their new home and taking care of their furry family members.

Dr. Rosay presented results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey at Choose Respect event in Fairbanks

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, presented results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey at the Choose Respect event in Fairbanks on Thursday, March 24.  The free community event was hosted by the Rotary Club of Fairbanks and the Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living.

Click here for his Powerpoint presentation.

Dr. Rosay discussed data from both the 2010 and 2015 statewide AVS, as well as data from the 2011 AVS regional survey for Fairbanks. The results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault  (CDVSA) show a decline in intimate partner and sexual violence in Alaska since 2010.  While the numbers are getting better, they remain unacceptably high. 
 

Prof. Brandeis interviewed on KTUU Channel 2 News about how marijuana legalization will affect the state

L to r: Prof. Brandeis; Brendan Babb, Code for Anchorage; and
Rebecca Palsha, KTUU.

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, was interviewed by KTUU Channel 2 News on Friday, March 18, about the impact of marijuana legalization on the state.

Prof. Brandeis noted that data on proposed locations for marijuana establishments are being updated frequently by the Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office, and that individual municipalities across the state are taking different approaches to implementing the state's marijuana regulations. Brendan Babb, Code for Anchorage, discussed the map he created showing the location of different types of marijuana establishments around the state.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on the American legal system, constitutional law, and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal topics. Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he advises clients on marijuana law and policy questions.  This law practice preceded this interview, and included providing legal services to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska. 

See the interview here:
"Where marijuana businesses have been proposed across Alaska." Interview by Rebecca Palsha. KTUU Channel 2 News. 18 Mar 2016.

March 24: Dr. Blumenstein is keynote speaker at Choose Respect March in Anchorage

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice Center faculty, will be the keynote speaker at the Choose Respect March on Thursday, March 24 in Anchorage.
 
Date: Thursday, March 24
Time: 12 noon
Place: Delaney Park Strip (north end by F Street)

The March begins at 12:00 noon and ends at Town Square Park where Dr. Blumenstein will give her keynote address.

Dr. Blumenstein's research areas include intimate partner violence, campus sexual assault, substance abuse, and criminological theory. The event is sponsored by the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA) and the Zonta Club of Anchorage.
 

Dr. Rivera is part of evaluation team for Recover Alaska

Dr.  Marny Rivera, Justice Center faculty, is part of the evaluation team for Recover Alaska, a statewide effort supported by the Rasmuson Foundation, The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Mat-Su Health Foundation, State of Alaska-Department of Health and Social Services, Southcentral Foundation, and other stakeholders to "reduce the harm caused by excessive consumption of alcohol in our state."

Dr. Rivera and Dr. David Tarcy with Alaska Research and Evaluation Services, submitted the winning proposal for the competitive evaluation contract for this project.  The focus of the evaluation is two-fold: 1) to provide constructive, ongoing information to inform and facilitate joint efforts to reduce the harm caused by excessive consumption of alcohol in Alaska, and  2) to assess both the process and outcomes of Recover Alaska at the state level. It is anticipated that this will be a multi-year evaluation project.

Recover Alaska recently launched the campaign, "Day 001 - Voices of Recovery." This video series is airing on television. They are asking for feedback about the series.  Click here to take the survey on Facebook.

Justice Center participates in 2016 Color of Justice program and hosts 40 rural high school students

The Justice Center participated in the 2016 Color of Justice program on February 25 and 26 in Anchorage. As part of this event for high school students, the Justice Center coordinated a half-day of presentations on campus and a campus tour for 40 rural high school students who had been selected to attend the event. The high school students from villages around the state were flown to Anchorage under the auspices of the Rural Student Initiative sponsored by all the regional Alaska Native corporations.

In the afternoon, local Anchorage-area high school students joined the group to hear presentations on law school, meet with volunteer legal community and judiciary mentors, and participate in a mock trial at the Boney Courthouse.Over 70 high school students participated in the two-day event.

The Color of Justice program is designed to foster diversity in the legal profession and judiciary by encouraging youth from varied backgrounds and ethnicities to consider careers as lawyers and judges.
The Rural Student Initiative — sponsored by all the regional Alaska Native corporations — was a new component this year to the Color of Justice program. 

The Justice Center coordinated presentations about the Justice and Legal Studies programs at UAA, the UAA Multicultural Center, Native Student Services, and Alaska Native Studies. The half-day event included a tour of the campus, and lunch with  UAA students from the Pre-Law Society, Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP), and the Native Student Council.

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., and Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, serve on the "Color of Justice" organizing committee.  Prof.  Fortson, Prof. Periman, Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., and Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., participated in the mock trial and other presentations.

The Color of Justice program is presented by the National Association of Women Judges, the Alaska Bar Association, the Alaska Court System, Pacific Northwest law schools, and other sponsors.

See the photo gallery below:

L to r standing: Prof. Ryan Fortson, Justice Center, and Bruce Anders, CIRI, with the
 rural high school students at the opening of the program at the UAA Multicultural Center.

L to r standing: Dr. André Thorn, UAA Multicultural Center Director, and
Dr. Medeia Csoba DeHass, UAA Anthropology Dept. and Alaska Native Studies.
Dr. Thorn welcomed the students to the center, and Dr. DeHass gave examples
of the kinds of Native Studies projects that UAA students are involved in.

Tamika Dowdy, UAA Student Transition Advisor at the Multicultural Center,
explained the resources available to students coming to our campus.

Willy Templeton (center), Director, UAA Native Student Services,
and Sheila Randazzo (l), Transition Advisor for the program,
outlined the assistance their staff can provide students.

Prof. Willy Hensley, UAA College of Business and Public Policy Visiting Professor,
and an Alaska Native leader, encouraged students to learn about and become
active in Alaska Native issues on a local, state, and federal level.

Students visited ANSEP and heard from Michael Bourdukofsky (standing r),
Chief Operations Officer.

At ANSEP, Michael Ulroan (r), Acceleration Academy Regional Director, talked
about the programs available to students.

District Court Judge Pamela Washington (l) and Justice Center Prof. Jason Brandeis (r),
quizzed students about constitutional issues during "Constitutional Cranium" which
was held in the Alaska Supreme Courtroom.  Students were presented with cases
and asked to decide if the issue in question was protected by the Alaska Constitution.


 

In the Alaska Supreme Courtroom, volunteer attorneys met before helping
students prepare for the mock trial portion of the program.

Alaska Supreme Court Justice Dana Fabe (center) talked to students about being
a lawyer and a judge.  Students met with over a dozen volunteer lawyers and judges
during "Mentor-Jet: A Speed Mentoring Experience." Retired Alaska Supreme Court
Justice Walter Carpeneti can be seen to the right and behind  Justice Fabe.

The Color of Justice program received assistance from (l to r):
Pamela Orme, Anchorage School District; Rachel Batres, CIRI; and
Margaret Newman, Alaska Court System.
The February 25 afternoon program was hosted by CIRI
at their headquarters office.

Fairbanks, Thursday, March 24: Dr. Rosay presents results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, presents results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey at the Choose Respect event in Fairbanks on Thursday, March 24.  The event is hosted by the Rotary Club of Fairbanks and the Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living.

Date: Thursday, March 24, 2016
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Place: Westmark Gold Room, Fairbanks
Free community event - lunch is provided.

Join us Wednesday, March 23! Former APD Police Chief Mark Mew discusses police training and UN peacekeeping in Africa

March is National Criminal Justice Month.

How the U.S. Supports Peacekeeping in Africa: Policing and Training

Mark Mew, Police Trainer and Former Chief, Anchorage Police Department, recently returned from Benin, West Africa, where he was providing police training in support of peacekeeping in that part of the world. He will be discussing his experiences there.

Moderator: Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Time: 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Admission: Free

Mark Mew has over 20 years of experience in police work and served as the chief of the Anchorage Police Department (APD). He also has worked as the Director of Security and Emergency Preparedness for the Anchorage School District. Mr. Mew recently returned from Benin, West Africa, where he was providing police training in support of peacekeeping in that part of the world.  Bering Straits Native Corporation is the entity through which Mr. Mew provided the training.

This event is sponsored by the Justice Center, the Pre-Law Society, and the Justice Club.

 In 2009 the United States Congress established March as National Criminal Justice Month. The purpose of National Criminal Justice Month is to promote societal awareness regarding the causes and consequences of crime, as well as strategies for preventing and responding to crime.

Prof. Brandeis publishes article on marijuana legalization in Alaska Bar Association quarterly - The Bar Rag

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center,  published an article in the recent issue of the Alaska Bar Rag, the official publication of the Alaska Bar Association. Prof. Brandeis provides an overview of the final regulations and the licensing timeline for starting a marijuana business.

He notes, "This article provides a snapshot of the current landscape of legal marijuana in Alaska. Despite the brevity, it illustrates the complexity of birthing an industry from scratch, of crafting a regulatory framework and of moving the product from a black market to a legal market."

"Marijuana legalization: Read before you grow, sell, toke" by Jason Brandeis. Alaska Bar Rag, Vol. 40, No. 1, January - March 2016.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on the American legal system, constitutional law, and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal topics. Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he advises clients on marijuana law and policy questions.  This law practice preceded the writing and publication of this article, and included providing legal services to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Video now available of the "Fairbanks 4: Lessons Learned from Alaska's First Exoneration" - a National Criminal Justice Month program

The video of "The Fairbanks 4: Lessons Learned from Alaska's First Exoneration" is now available.  The live program was held March 9, 2016 at the UAA/APU Consortium Library.

The Alaska Innocence Project and the Office of Public Advocacy spearheaded the effort to exonerate the Fairbanks 4. Two of the lawyers involved in the case, as well as a forensic scientist who provided expert testimony, were panelists for this program.

Panelists:
Rick Allen, Director, Office of Public Advocacy
Lesley Hammer, Forensic Scientist, Hammer Forensics
Bill Oberly, Executive Director, Alaska Innocence Project
Moderator: Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center

This program is part of 2016 National Criminal Justice Month. This event was sponsored by the Justice Center, the Pre-Law Society, the Justice Club, and the Alaska Innocence Project.

Dr. Blumenstein is keynote speaker at Choose Respect March on March 24 in Anchorage

Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, Justice Center faculty, will be the keynote speaker at the Choose Respect March on Thursday, March 24 in Anchorage. The event is sponsored by the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA) and the Zonta Club of Anchorage.

The March begins at 12:00 noon and ends at Town Square Park where Dr. Blumenstein will give her keynote address.

Dr. Rosay's presentation March 14 to Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee has been cancelled due to budget discussions

The presentation about the statewide 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) by Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, to the Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee, has been cancelled due to state budget discussions.  Lauree Morton, Executive Director, Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault was to co-present with Dr. Rosay.

Dr. Rosay and Ms. Morton were to discuss data from both the 2010 and 2015 statewide AVS.  The results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault  (CDVSA) show a decline in intimate partner and sexual violence in Alaska since 2010.  While the numbers are getting better, they remain unacceptably high.

Prof. Fortson coordinates 2016 Alaska high school mock trial competition

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, is the State Coordinator for the Alaska High School Mock Trial Competition.


At this year's annual competition held March 3-5, he was one of numerous judges, lawyers, and non-lawyer volunteers for the event held in Anchorage at the Boney Courthouse.  The competition is sponsored by the Young Lawyers Section of the Anchorage Bar Association and the Alaska Court System.

Over 50 students from high schools in Southcentral, Southeast, and Interior Alaska participated. Sitka  High School, Team 1, won this year's competition; West Anchorage High School, Team 1, was the runner-up.

Each team participated in four preliminary rounds, followed by a semi-finals round for the top four teams. The finals were held before a panel of five Alaska Court System judges from all levels of the judiciary.

District Court Judge Jennifer Stuart Henderson swears in witnesses at 2014 event.

Dr. Rosay presents to the Alaska Senate Judiciary about the Alaska Victimization Survey results on Monday, March 14

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, has been invited to present data from the statewide 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) to a meeting of the Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, March 14, 2016,at 1:30 p.m. in the Capitol Building, Juneau. Lauree Morton, Executive Director, Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault will be co-presenting with Dr. Rosay.

They will be discussing data from both the 2010 and 2015 statewide AVS.  The results from the 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault  (CDVSA) show a decline in intimate partner and sexual violence in Alaska since 2010.  While the numbers are getting better, they remain unacceptably high.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Standing Committee are Senators McGuire (Chair), Coghill (Vice-Chair), Costello, Micciche, and Wielechowski.

Join us March 9 - don't miss "The Fairbanks 4: Lessons Learned from Alaska's First Exoneration"

March is National Criminal Justice Month. 

 The Fairbanks 4:

 Lessons Learned from 

Alaska's First Exoneration

The Alaska Innocence Project and the Office of Public Advocacy spearheaded the effort to exonerate the Fairbanks 4. Join us to hear two of the lawyers involved in the case, as well as a forensic scientist who provided expert testimony.

Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307
Admission: Free

Panelists:
Rick Allen, Director, Office of Public Advocacy
Lesley Hammer, Forensic Scientist, Hammer Forensics
Bill Oberly, Executive Director, Alaska Innocence Project

Moderator: Dr. Troy Payne, Justice Center

This event is sponsored by the Justice Center, the Pre-Law Society, the Justice Club, and the Alaska Innocence Project.

In 2009 the United States Congress established March as National Criminal Justice Month. The purpose of National Criminal Justice Month is to promote societal awareness regarding the causes and consequences of crime, as well as strategies for preventing and responding to crime.

Prof. Fortson's LEGL 487 students present mock oral arguments to Alaska Court of Appeals Judge Douglas Kossler

Students pose for a photo with Judge Douglas Kossler and Prof. Ryan Fortson (back row) prior to mock oral arguments. 
L to r front row: April Stone, Patrice Frank, Stephanie Smith, Rachel Gulanes, Erica Lee, Ixia Lopez, Robin Stepetin, and Megan MacDonald. L to r back row: Michael Notti, Marcus Phang, Ramadhani Greer, Bryan Steward, Judge Kossler,
Camilla Hussein, Prof. Fortson, Ruth Hanson, Michael McGuffin, Caroline Sauerbrey.

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., Justice Center Legal Studies faculty, held mock oral arguments in his Legal 487 - Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes course as the final project of the 2016 spring semester.  Students participated in a  moot court  - a mock court proceeding which involves the presentation of oral argument before a judge or a panel of judges.

Students prepared arguments for two hypothetical cases. Their arguments were presented before Alaska Court of Appeals Judge Douglas Kossler who rendered a decision after each case was presented. The previous week students were coached on oral argument by lawyer Laura Farley with the law firm of Farley and Graves.

Prior to the oral arguments, students prepared written memoranda on their cases and submitted them to their opposing counsel and to Prof. Fortson and Judge Kossler. Later in the semester, the students will participate in a simulated trial, conducting opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments.

Justice faculty participate in Quality Matters (QM) online teaching workshop

Dr. Sharon Chamard and Dr. Ron Everett, Justice faculty, and Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator in the Justice Center, recently participated in a Quality Matters (QM) workshop about teaching online presented by UAA Academic Innovations and eLearning.

Quality Matters (QM) is described as a faculty-centered approach to improving the design of online and blended courses. A key feature of QM is peer review of course design and delivery.