Judge Mannheimer listens to oral arguments in Prof. Fortson's Advanced Litigation class

L-R standing: Max Delzer, Kara Stewart, Prof. Ryan Fortson,
Court of Appeals Judge David Mannheimer, Sabine Kraft, Kris Young, Joseph Mitzel
L-R kneeling: Colleen Abad, Jenny McCord

Judge David Mannheimer, Chief Judge of the Alaska Court of Appeals, listened to final oral arguments of students in Prof. Ryan Fortson's Advanced Trial and Litigation Processes class, (Legal 47), on Wednesday, Dec. 13. As part of their final project for class, students prepared memos opposing or in support of one of five different fictional scenarios developed by Prof. Fortson. Prof. Fortson invited Judge Mannheimer to give students the experience of presenting oral arguments on their memos in front of a sitting judge. Wednesday's oral arguments serve as the final exam for the class.

Students take sides in wrongful death mock trial

Mark Heinrichs gives his opening statement in mock trial.

Prof. Kristin Knudsen judges mock trial in Prof. Ryan Fortson's Trial and
Advanced Litigation Processes class (LEGL487).

Students in Prof. Ryan Fortson's Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes class recently participated in a mock trial. Students performed all elements of the civil wrongful death trial, including opening and closing statements, examination of witnesses, laying the foundation for expert witnesses, and making objections. Prof. Kristin Knudsen, Legal Studies faculty who has spent more than eight years as an administrative law judge, served as judge for the trial. Judge Knudsen found mostly for the defense, although did find for the plaintiff on a couple of points.

Prof. Fortson's LEGL 487 students present mock oral arguments to U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Kevin McCoy

Prior to oral argument (l to r): students Sondra Smith and Taylor Lane;
Prof. Fortson; Magistrate Judge McCoy; students  Jennifer Ham, Juita Johnson,
and Madeline Rafferty. Not pictured: student Josephine Davis

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 exam of the 2016 fall semester.

Students prepared written briefs and oral arguments for three hypothetical cases for simulated trial court motion practice. Their arguments were presented before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Kevin McCoy who rendered a decision after each case was presented.

L to r: Juita Johnson and Sondra Smith present their arguments to
Magistrate Judge McCoy while Prof. Fortson observes.

Prof. Fortson's LEGL 487 students present a simulated trial before Alaska Superior Court Judge Sen Tan (Ret.)

Students pose for a photo with Judge Tan and Prof. Fortson prior to the opening of the simulated trial. L to r: Mya Johnson, Jennifer Ham, Madeline Rafferty, Judge Tan, Prof. Fortson, Taylor Lane, Josie Davis, and Sondra Smith.

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., Justice Center Legal Studies faculty, held a simulated trial in his Legal 487 - Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes course in October.

Students prepared arguments for a hypothetical case. They examined and cross-examined witnesses, and gave opening statements and closing arguments before Alaska Superior Court Judge Sen Tan (Ret.).  Judge Tan rendered a decision after the case was presented.

Dr. Lepage recognized by two senior Seawolf women's basketball players for his support

Dr. Cory R. Lepage, Justice faculty, was one of over 20 UAA professors recognized on Faculty Appreciation Night 2016 by senior Seawolf women's basketball players.  Players invited faculty members to the event on February 11, 2016 at the Alaska Airlines Center to thank them "for their work in the classroom and their support of the Seawolves."

L to r: Dr. Lepage and Jessica Madison
on the court at the faculty appreciation
event.

Dr. Lepage was invited by Seawolf  players Jessica M. Madison and Dominique V. Brooks; both are Justice majors. As players and faculty stood on the court, the announcer read a brief statement of appreciation written by the students about each faculty member.  Here are excerpts from the comments about Dr. Lepage:

"Professor LePage was always understanding of my athletic travel schedule and was always willing to help me stay on track." (Jessica Madison)

L to r: Dominique Brooks and Dr. Lepage
on the court at the faculty appreciation
event.

"He was always willing and determined to help his students any way he could.  Dr. LePage has been very understanding of our travel schedules." (Dominique Brooks)

Students in Prof. Knudsen's Civil Procedure class present mock oral arguments before Administrative Law Judge Andrew Hemenway

Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., M.L.S., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, recently held mock oral arguments in her Legal 367 - Civil Procedure and PreTrial Practice course   Students were given an actual pending U.S. Supreme Court case which they then researched to determine what issues arose at the U.S. District Court level that prompted the appeal of the denial of class decertification. Their mock oral arguments replicated the proceedings at the U.S. District Court.

Students presented their arguments before long-time Juneau Administrative Law Judge Andrew Hemenway, who now serves as the Chair of the Alaska Workers' Compensation Appeals Commission.

Students pose with Judge Hemenway and Prof. Knudsen prior to mock oral arguments. L to r: Jennifer Ham, Kara Stewart,Kyla Kosednar, Sheila Morrison, Josephine Davis, Judge Hemenway, Prof. Knudsen, Judi Hegerberg, Merri Foreman, and Taylor Lane. Not pictured Kara Blanton, Rachel El Naggar, Raquel Granados, and Joseph Mitzel.

U.S. District Court Chief Magistrate Judge Deborah Smith speaks to Dr. Lepage's class about reentry courts

Chief Magistrate Judge Deborah Smith of the U.S. District Court for Alaska spoke to Dr. Cory Lepage's JUST 490 Alternative Methods of Adjudication students on March 10. Chief  Magistrate Judge Smith discussed the federal reentry court, the Alaska Hope Court, which was established in 2015.

Alaska Hope Court participants are selected and invited to join the program; these individuals are federal offenders who are on supervised release from prison, many of whom have substance abuse problems. Reentry courts offer assistance to released offenders and have been shown to impact recidivism.

The launch of this first federal reentry court in Alaska was spearheaded by Chief Magistrate Judge Smith; Rich Curtner, Federal Defender; Karen Loeffler, U.S. Attorney; and Matthew Jedrosko, Chief of the U.S. Probation Office.

U.S. District Court Chief Magistrate Judge Deborah Smith speaks to students about reentry courts.

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.

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.

Dr. Lepage's JUST 374 Courts class participates in exercise on mock jury selection

Dr. Cory R. Lepage, Justice Center faculty, recently assigned his JUST 374 class, The Courts, to participate in a mock jury selection.  Students playing the role of prosecutors and defense attorneys practiced voir dire - asking questions of potential jurors -  during class.  Students from JUST 110 and JUST 330 classes taught by Dr. Allan Barnes, from JUST 490 taught by Dr. Lindsey Blumenstein, and from JUST 200 and JUST 201 classes taught by Dr. Lepage, volunteered to play the role of prospective jurors.

Student Dominick Eubank (r) plays the role of  prosecutor
as he questions prospective volunteer student jurors.

Students who were playing the role of lawyers were given an actual criminal case that had been decided in Alaska and had to prepare legally permissible questions to ask of each juror.

In this class exercise to demonstrate the voir dire process, attorneys for the prosecution and defense questioned potential jurors, and could request that a potential juror be removed from consideration as a juror for the case.  The questioning of the potential jurors continued until the required number of jurors was selected. Dr. Lepage acted as the judge in the mock jury selection.

Dr. Lepage (center) explains the process of voir dire before the mock jury
selection begins.

Prof. Fortson's LEGL 487 students present mock oral arguments to U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin McCoy

Students take a moment before mock proceedings begin to pose for a photo with Prof. Fortson (center) and
U.S. Magistrate Judge McCoy (to right of Prof. Fortson) - students (l to r) Erin Leaders, Nathael Sims, Case Mohr, James Schindler,
Kimberly Allely. Students not pictured: Dawn Harrison, Elizabeth Blanas, Tina Isbell, Brandon Clark.

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 2015 fall 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 U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin McCoy with the U.S. District Court for the State of Alaska who rendered a decision after each case was presented.

Prior to the oral arguments, students prepared written memoranda on their cases and submitted them to their opposing counsel and to Prof. Fortson and the judge. Earlier in the semester, the students also participated in a simulated trial, conducting opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments.

Students in Profs. Fortson's and Knudsen's classes practice mock opening statements before Judge Sen Tan and deposition skills

Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., M.J.S., and Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., coordinated a joint project with their students in LEGL 487 Trial and Advanced Litigation Practice and LEGL 380 Torts, Workers' Compensation & Insurance to develop pre-trial and trial skills using a common set of case materials that Prof. Knudsen and Prof. Fortson created.

In Prof. Knudsen's class, students were videotaped as they interviewed witnesses during a mock deposition. Eric Baldwin, videographer with Academic Innovations and eLearning, a former professional legal videographer, assisted students in understanding the technical side of what is needed to videotape a depostion that will be used as evidence, while Prof. Knudsen evaluated the performance of each team.

L: Videographer Eric Baldwin. L to r far side of table: students Casey Gilmore and Jory Knott.
L to r near side of the table: student Estellita Chiles and Leroy Latta, J.D., volunteer witness.

L to r far side of table: studentsCasey Gilmore and Jory Knott.
L to r near side of table: student Estellita Chiles and
Leroy Latta, J.D., volunteer witness

In Prof. Fortson's class, students presented mock opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments. Alaska Superior Court Judge Sen Tan (ret.) presided over the hearings.

Prof. Fortson's class l to r: Erin Leaders, Nathel Sims, Case Mohr, Kimberly Allely, James Schindler, Judge Sen Tan,
Prof. Ryan Fortson, Liz Blanas, and Tina Isbell. Not pictured: Brandon Clark and Dawn Harrison.

Explore a Justice course and get 3 GER credits this fall semester!

Dr. Marny Rivera and students in a Justice course

It's not too late to register for a Justice course and get 3 GER credits for fall 2015!

JUST 110 - Introduction to Justice
Tuesday and T/R sections are open.
      T/R 11:30 am - 12:45 pm (CRN71900)
      T/R 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm (CRN71898)
      T 5:30 pm - 8:15 pm (CRN71899)

• How the justice system affects your life every day in unexpected ways
• Justice processes that impact crime and society
• Theories and methods for controlling crime

JUST 251 -  Crime & Delinquency
T/R sections are open.
       T/R 10 am - 11:15 am (CRN73242)
       T/R 11:30 am - 12:45 pm (CRN71910)

• How different are we from the people in jail?
• Causes and consequences of crime and delinquency
• Ways of controlling crime and delinquency
• Looking at crime rates and crime trends

Register here for the above courses.

Faculty promotions in Justice Center

The Justice Center congratulates our faculty on receiving the following promotions effective July 1, 2015:


Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator in the Justice Center, was recently promoted to Professor of Justice.  Professor Periman is also the Legal Studies Program Coordinator.  Her areas of focus are legal writing, regulation of nonlawyer professionals and unauthorized practice of law, and collateral consequences of criminal convictions/offender reentry.

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, recently received promotion  to Associate Professor of Justice with tenure. His areas of focus are civil liberties, constitutional law, legal education, and marijuana law and policy.

Prof. Fortson's students present mock oral arguments before District Court Judge Jennifer Stuart Henderson

Judge Henderson (center standing) speaks to students before their arguments as Prof. Fortson (standing right) listens.

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 2015 spring semester.  Students participated in a  moot court  - a mock appellate 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  
Anchorage District Court Judge Jennifer Stuart Henderson who rendered a decision after each case was presented.

Prior to the oral arguments, students prepared briefs on their cases and submitted them to their opposing counsel team and to Prof. Fortson. Earlier in the semester, the students also participated in a simulated trial, conducting opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments.

L to r front row: Students Emily Beaudoin, Casey Gilmore, Judge Henderson, Prof. Fortson,
students Jessica Pahkala, and Brianna Elias. Back row: student Chase McCavit

Prof. Fortson coordinates 2015 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 26 - 28, 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 60 students from high schools in Southcentral, Southeast, and Interior Alaska participated. South High School won this year's competition; West Anchorage High School was the runner-up.

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

Dr. Lepage's JUST 374 Courts class participates in exercise on mock jury selection

Dr. Lepage (by door) looks on during class as students in the role of lawyers (at podium) ask questions of the prospective jurors.

Dr. Cory R. Lepage's JUST 374 class, The Courts, recently participated in a mock jury selection.  Students playing the role of prosecutors and defense attorneys practiced voir dire - asking questions of potential jurors -  during class.  Students from JUST 110 and JUST 330 classes taught by Dr. Allan Barnes, and from JUST 200 and JUST 201 classes taught by Dr. Lepage, volunteered to play the role of prospective jurors.

Students who were playing the role of lawyers were given an actual criminal case that had been decided in Alaska and had to prepare legally permissible questions to ask of each juror.  In this class exercise to demonstrate the voir dire process, attorneys for the prosecution and defense questioned potential jurors, and could request that a potential juror be removed from consideration as a juror for the case.  The questioning of the potential jurors continued until the required number of jurors was selected. Dr. Lepage acted as the judge in the mock jury selection.

Students in Prof. Knudsen's Civil Procedure class present mock oral arguments before Judge Kennedy

Judge Kennedy (far right) listens to student Rachel Gulanes (at podium) present her case.

Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., M.L.S., Justice Center Legal Studies faculty, recently held mock oral arguments in her Legal 367 - Civil Procedure and PreTrial Practice course   Students were given an actual pending U.S. Supreme Court case which they then researched to determine what issues arose at the U.S. District Court level that prompted an appeal. Their mock oral arguments replicated the proceedings at the U.S. District Court.

Students presented their arguments before Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge Christopher Kennedy of the Alaska Office of Administrative Hearings. Judge Kennedy commented on the presentations, but stated he would take the arguments "under advisement."

Prior to the oral arguments, students heard a presentation on oral argument preparation from attorneys Martha Tansik with the law firm Burr, Pease & Kurtz, and Adam Sadoski with the law firm of Holmes Weddle & Barcott. The attorneys discussed how to structure an oral argument, how to present the information, and courtroom etiquette.

Front row l to r: students I. Lopez, A. Lena, S. Smith, R. Gulanes, K. Alleley, Prof. Knudsen,
students E. Blanas, A. Preuit, and S. Ham.
Back row l to r: students D. Harrison, P. Frank, J. Schindler, R. Greer, Judge Kennedy,
students M. Notti, B. Steward, N. Sims, and K. Liss

Justice major to present at 6th Annual UAA Community Engagement Forum on April 24

Daniel Reinhard, Justice major, is presenting at the 6th Annual UAA Community Engagement Forum sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement and Learning (CCEL) on April 24.  Daniel will be discussing his research project, "Crime and Disorder at Town Square Park," which is related to the research he has been doing with Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, in collaboration with the Anchorage Police Department and the Anchorage Downtown Partnership.

Daniel also presented a paper about his project at the recent Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences annual conference in March in Orlando.

Community Engagement Forum schedule on Friday, April 24:
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 pm Poster session
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Luncheon program
UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307

The poster session is an opportunity to talk to Community Engaged Student Assistants about their faculty-community partner projects.  The Community Engagement Forum features awards to students and faculty and highlights of our community partnerships, including the presentation of the 2015 Selkregg Community Engagement & Service Learning Award and Dr. Alex Hills Engineering & Civic Engagement Award.