Law School

Discussing Dobbs: Scholars on both sides of abortion debate discuss new Supreme Court ruling

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 16:05:16 +0000

Discussing Dobbs: Scholars on both sides of abortion debate discuss new Supreme Court ruling Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 07/07/2022 - 12:05

Learn more about Scalia Law

On the heels of the landmark Supreme Court decision involving abortion, ��AV’s Antonin Scalia Law School will host a webinar on the opinions in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and their legal impact on Thursday, July 21, at 7 p.m.

Helen Alvaré will moderate a discussion on Dobbs v. Jackson at the law school on July 21.

The webinar, moderated by Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Helen Alvaré, will feature Kathryn (Kitty) Kolbert, a pro-choice attorney who argued on behalf of Planned Parenthood in the Casey case, which affirmed Roe’s holding about a constitutional right to legal abortion, and Erika Bachiochi, a pro-life attorney and author of numerous books and articles on pro-life feminism.

“This is a national legal conversation of great importance,” Alvaré said. “We [at Mason and the law school] are regularly part of such conversations and we pride ourselves on giving students very high-level tools for participating in all sides of a question.”

Students, faculty, staff, and the broader community are welcome to register. After the panelists speak and query each other on the Dobbs decision, its legal impact and what comes next, participants will have the opportunity to ask the panelists questions.

“There will be an opportunity to discuss not only the majority opinion, but super interesting concurrences and a dissent,” Alvaré said. “Each of them, if you’re a lawyer in this arena, is worth the price of admission.”

Pro-life attorney Erika Bachiochi is one of the event panelists.

If attendees took one thing away from this event, what would you hope for that to be?

“Acknowledging the substantial and best arguments on both sides,” Alvaré said. “Clearly, there are good arguments on both sides of this debate or it would not have persisted—not just for 49 years, but in the years before Roe.

“We want [the panelists] to get at the best legal arguments on both sides and to convey them in a way that the audience will understand that they’re substantial, and nobody can take a position without intelligently grappling with the arguments on the other side.”

What excites you about the panelists?

“Kitty argued the Casey decision, and I watched her argue it,” Alvaré said. “Frankly, she won that case. She lost some pieces—Roe was altered. But she preserved a constitutional right to abortion, and she was the far superior advocate. She’s formidable.”

“Erika is a sophisticated and prolific legal scholar who has occupied her time writing in-depth books and academic articles,” Alvaré said. “Her most recent book concerns the feminism of Mary Wollstonecraft. Erika is marvelous at maintaining dialogue with people who could not differ more on the subject. She’s funny, she’s quick. Kitty, too. Both of them are such marvelous, positive, intelligent and fun personalities.”

What are the panelists looking forward to?

Pro-choice attorney Kathryn (Kitty) Kolbert will speak at the Antonin Scalia Law School on July 21.

“[I’m looking forward to] a thoughtful conversation about the impact of Dobbs on women’s health and autonomy and its effect on the institutional integrity of the Supreme Court,” Kolbert said.

“I’m eager to discuss how pro-choice and pro-life feminists can work together for the sake of poor women and their children,” Bachiochi added.

How does this event speak to Mason’s values?

The goal, as with all discussions at Mason, is to provide a space for a civilized and substantive discussion where both sides are being heard and discussed rationally and deeply, Alvaré said.

“One of our contributions here is the effort to bring peace and civility,” Alvaré said. “We take great pride in the fact that we not only allow, but encourage and foment the full airing of both sides of an argument.”

“It’s the service we offer our students, our alums, and the community,” she said.

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Antonin Scalia Law School

From Egypt to Texas to Law School, With a Little Help

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 16:31:14 +0000

From Egypt to Texas to Law School, With a Little Help Andrew J Schappert Wed, 04/13/2022 - 12:31

Phillip Mink, director of the Patriot Pre-Law program, and John Marin Elias.

Arriving at ��AV in fall 2018 as a freshman, John Marin Elias had already faced—and overcome—a myriad of challenges for one so young.

His family emigrated from Egypt to the U.S. in 2013 in order for his older brother to receive medical treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The Eliases were uprooted from their new home in Houston in August 2017 after Hurricane Harvey decimated the southeast region of the Lone Star State.

Once the family resettled in Virginia, Elias worked furiously to make up more than a month of schoolwork, reschedule his crucial scholastic aptitude test, and apply to several colleges, including Mason and the University of Virginia.

“That was a very tough transition,” he said. “Thankfully, things worked out.”

While Elias was accepted to every school to which he applied another obstacle arose. Language barriers at his mother’s job proved too great to overcome, forcing a relocation back to Texas.

Rather than return with the family and perhaps be a burden on finances, Elias chose to enroll at Mason, which, as it happened, offered him a full scholarship.

“I’m very thankful I did” enroll at Mason, he said. “It alleviated a lot of financial strain on my family. It was a great opportunity and from there I became a part of the Patriot community.”

Once at Mason, Elias, an economics major, immersed himself in his studies and thrived. He joined Phi Alpha Delta, the professional pre-law fraternity, and met Phillip Mink, an assistant professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government and the School of Business, who also serves as director of the Patriot Pre-Law program.

“Professor Mink showed me a glimpse about law school,” Elias said. “He gave me an idea about expectations and how all my metrics needed to rise to the level of my ambitions. He was there for me all along the way.”

More than a mentor, Elias calls Mink his “American father.”

“He was the guiding light to help me maneuver through this foreign country,” Elias said. “A lot of people learn things from their parents and their connections and their networks and I just didn’t have any of that here. So thankfully, Professor Mink was there to guide me along this path.”

While Mink is flattered by Elias’s compliment, he feels certain the senior would have excelled with or without his assistance.

“John is one of the most focused students I have seen in my 15 years in higher education,” he said. “He would have done well in whatever he chose to do. I’m just glad that I could be of some help to him.”

To assist with the LSAT, the often-burdensome test required for most law school admissions, Elias earned one of eight $500 awards from the Schar School Pre-Law LSAT Scholarship Fund. He used the money to purchase books and subscription-based courses to help prepare for the exam.

It paid off. Elias is now weighing law school acceptances from the University of Virginia, Georgetown, George Washington University, and the University of Texas, all high-profile universities with renowned law schools.

As a future lawyer, Elias hopes to use his personal experience to provide guidance to immigrants entering the U.S.

“Hopefully, through a successful legal career I’ll be able to alleviate some of the pain and unfortunate circumstances that minorities and disenfranchised people around the world have to go through.”

For his part, Mink looks forward to following Elias and watch where his career takes him.

“Coming from a country where the rule of law is tenuous at best, John has a deep understanding of how important it is to have a functioning legal system,” he said. “He is going to be extraordinarily sensitive to individuals who might be outcasts in society. It will be a real pleasure to see his career unfold.”

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Schar School News April 2022