We're committed to our alumni and friends and proud to offer a variety of programming opportunities throughout the academic year. Our Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs allows Nebraska Law faculty and distinguished guests to share their efforts to address current legal issues through legal research and scholarship.
Some of our programming opportunities are offered in person, remotely via Zoom, and/or both.
Please refer to each program separately for the ways in which you can attend.
January 23rd, 2025 | 12:00-1:00p.m. | Auditorium
Attorneys General Rule of Law
The Attorney General Jon Bruning Lecture was established to provide an opportunity for students to focus on the significance of dedicating all or a portion of one’s career to public service. Bruning served as attorney general of Nebraska from 2003-2015 and as a state senator from 1997-2002. Bruning graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with high distinction and graduated with distinction from the Nebraska College of Law in 1994.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a career state and federal prosecutor, has served at every level of the criminal justice system—beginning as a front-line violent crimes prosecutor in a small rural community, advancing to senior advisor in President Obama’s Department of Justice, and leading as the District Attorney for the Albuquerque Metro area. Throughout his career, he has been steadfast in his dedication to protecting families and advocating for vulnerable populations, especially children.
A graduate of Harvard University, the London School of Economics, and Stanford Law School, Attorney General Torrez resides in Albuquerque with his wife Nasha and their two children.
Information regarding talk title and description will be updated as available.
This program has been approved for 1.0 continuing education credit in Nebraska.
January 28, 2025 | 12:00-1:15 P.M. | RM 111
Intersection of MLK and Thurgood Marshall—A Legal Perspective
This interactive lecture highlights the intersecting legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall, focusing on their contributions to legal and civil rights advancements. Dr. Williams will discuss the unique ways each leader reshaped the American legal and social landscape and how law students can carry their vision forward.
Dr. Harry L. Williams serves as President & CEO of Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the nation’s foremost organization exclusively representing the Black College Community.
This program has been approved for 1.0 continuing education credit in Nebraska.
RegisterFebruary 18, 2025 | 12:00 P.M. | Auditorium
People v. The Court: The Next Revolution in Constitutional Law
Please join us for this Law & Democracy Series Lecture with David Sloss, Professor of Law, Santa Clara University.
David L. Sloss is writing a book called “People v. The Court: The Next Revolution in Constitutional Law” and he will host a talk on the upcoming book.
The book presents a normative theory of judicial review that builds on John Hart Ely’s theory. Current constitutional doctrine is at odds with core constitutional values. We divide Con Law into rights issues and structural issues. Structural Con Law focuses on the division of power among government actors. That framing omits a key structural feature of the Constitution: the division of power between We The People and our government. Constitutional rights doctrine focuses on negative, individual rights. Accordingly, constitutional doctrine ignores one crucial right: the affirmative, collective right of We the People to control our government. My theory divides constitutional issues into three baskets: rights, structure, and democratic self-government.
The theory relies on a distinction between strong, weak, and deferential judicial review. In a system of strong review, judicial decisions applying the Constitution are not subject to legislative override. In a system of weak review, judicial decisions are subject to legislative override. With deferential review, courts generally defer to legislative judgments.
This event has been approved for 1.0 continuing education credit in Nebraska.
Friday, February 7, 2025 | 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Immigration Considerations for Lawyers
This session will review Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and other immigration considerations impacting undocumented youth in rural Nebraska, including an overview of the immigration matters attorneys must consider in order to fulfill their professional responsibility to their immigrant clients. Speakers include Prof. Kevin Ruser, Richard and Margaret Larson Professor of Law and M.S. Hevelone Professor of Law at Nebraska Law, and senior certified immigration clinic students, Kalie Saunders & Abigail Quintana.
This event will take place at the Columbus Public Library (2500 14th Street, Columbus, NE 68601) and will be available via Zoom.
This has been approved for two hours (1.5 regular, .5 ethics) of continuing education credits in Nebraska.