Chastek Blawg

Today is Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It is a holiday that commemorates the issuance of General Order No. 3 in Texas by the Union Army: "The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes    that between employer and free laborer." https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth

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I’m often asked for advice about taking the bar exam, usually in the spring semester when students start thinking about the marathon that awaits for them after graduation.   Here are some of the tips I have offered students over the past few years, and I hope that you find something useful in it for your own bar prep.   For reference, I took the bar exam (and passed) in 2013, the first year the UBE was offered in Washington State. Before Bar Prep Should I take my law school bar prep course? Photo by  Green Chameleon  on  Unsplash Students often wonder whether they should take the bar prep course offered by their law school during their 3L year.   My answer is – “maybe.”   It depends what you are hoping to get out of it.   I took the one offered by my law school in the spring of my third year, and there were a few things I found helpful*: 1)     It will give you a preview of what to expect on the exam   ...

Chastek Library will be undergoing major construction on the first and second floor of the library this summer. Due to these projects, we will be closed to the general public beginning May 12 until August 26. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. For those seeking subject-specific resources, some Washington quicklinks may be found here: http://libguides.law.gonzaga.edu/public Students, staff, and faculty may use the library during this time but must scan in with their GU ID cards. Local attorneys may request an Affiliate Access Card from the Chastek Library. More information on that process may be found here: http://libguides.law.gonzaga.edu/libraryinformation/attorney# . Due to the construction, there is no guarantee that you will find a quiet space in the first two floors of the library. Bar prep students may wish to check out the third floors at Chastek and/or Foley Libraries for quiet study spaces . Furthermore, many of our first floor collections, including ou...

UPDATE (6/21/2019): " "The Supreme Court on Friday reaffirmed its strict prohibition against racial bias in jury selection, voting 7-2 to overturn a black defendant’s murder conviction by a Mississippi court after a prosecutor dismissed 41 of 43 African Americans over the course of six trials for the same killings." https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-reaffirms-rule-against-racial-bias-in-jury-selection-11561129358?mod=hp_lead_pos6 Peremptory challenges are commonplace as citizen jurors are removed from the jury pool without necessitating a reason. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has been hearing testimony surrounding whether racial bias was present during jury selection for the Curtis Flowers murder trials of 1997, 2004, and 2010. [1] In the Flowers’ case, it is being argued that the prosecutor knowingly removed prospective jurors due to race and/or ethnicity in order to tip the balance of the trial. Flowers has been tried six times for four murde...

Iowa’s AG’s office is taking legal action to shut down a ‘puppy laundering’ ring that has been selling puppy mill puppies as rescue animals, circumventing the state’s puppy mill ban. [1] While not having an outright ban on puppy mills, Washington State has attempted to severely restrict the ability of puppy mills to exist through increased regulations on dog breeding facilities. These regulations include a limitation on the number of intact, unfixed dogs at a single location, specific space and enclosure requirements, housing facilities with strict sanitary requirements, and mandatory food and water access. [2]   But, puppy mills have continued to thrive in the wake of increased regulations. Just in the latter half of 2018, two illegal Chihuahua puppy mills were shut down in Stevens County and some 250+ dogs were taken to local rescue shelters. [3] Recently, in an effort to further restrict the sale of puppy mill puppies statewide, House Bill 1640 was introduced in the Wa...