University of Texas School of Law - Peregrinus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Opening — 5 ;om yc..«ns jon. fytw , f r».»v«h

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Improvement It was yet another year of improvement at the law school. A much-needed stairway was built on the weedy side of campus on 26th Street. Television sets were set up at various locations around the school and were used to display a daily calendar of events happening around Townes Hall. Painters gave the in terior of the school a fresher look w ith a new coat of paint. Such improvement did not happen nationally. The stock market suffered a record drop, a violent confrontation with Iran seemed inevitable and presidential hopefuls as well as TV evangelists were defeated by controversies surrounding their immoral behavior. Within the isolated confines of the law school, it was not surprising that most students were not too concerned with any of this. Exams were approaching, papers had to be written and interviews were a constant source of anxiety. Who had time to worry about national affairs.- 4 — Opening

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The UT Cork Debate President Reagan’s nomination of conservative Judge Robert Bork to replace Justice William Powell on the U.S. Supreme Court initiated controversy over not only the nomination but also over the role of presidential nominations. Senate approval and the Supreme Court. The nomination hearings of the Senate Judiciary Committee were aired several days on television and the public was invited into the inner workings of the government and was asked to think about such constitutional issues as the separation of powers, the right to privacy, the extent of the equal protection clause and the right of free speech. The Committee sent Bork's nomination to the Senate floor with a recommendation that he not be confirmed. The Senate agreed and voted 58 to 42 to strike down the nomination. The law school was very active in trying to influence the Senate Judiciary Committee. Student groups solicited signatures for petitions. organized letter writing campaigns and sold pro and anti-Bork buttons. Two groups raised money to buy ads in local newspapers that opposed the nomination. Barbara Jordan, former congresswoman and professor at the l.BJ School of Public Affairs, testified before the Committee against the Bork nomination. The culmination of the activities at the law school was a debate between Professor Michael Tigar, arguing against Bork, and Professor Lino Graglia, arguing lor Bork. Tigar attacked Bork's views on the right to privacy, free speech and the power of the president. Graglia criticized judicial activism and lauded Bork as a very qualified jurist who would exercise judicial restraint. 6 — Fe ium