Lawyer 2 Lawyer

On April 6th, 2023, ProPublica released a report titled, Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire, detailing Justice Clarence Thomas’ failure to report years of lavish trips paid for by Republican billionaire Harlan Crow. Justice Thomas’ actions led U.S. Senate Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin and other Senate Judiciary Committee Democratic members to send a letter to Chief Justice Roberts inviting him to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify at a public hearing regarding Supreme Court ethics reform. Chief Justice Roberts declined the invitation to appear. 

So are we looking at major judicial ethics violations here at the hands of a Supreme Court Justice? Or was Justice Thomas simply complying with established norms?In this episode, host Craig Williams joins guest Dean James J. Alfini, professor of law from South Texas College of Law Houston, to spotlight Justice Clarence Thomas, his recent ethics scandal, judicial ethics, the potential investigation into his actions, and calls for new ethics rules for SCOTUS.

Mentioned in this episode:

Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire by ProPublica

Judicial Ethics, Misconduct, and Reform

Back on Oct. 21, 1976, President Gerald Ford signed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) into law, highlighting that this law “provides sound state and local programs to deal with ever increasing amounts of municipal solid wastes generated in this country.” In this episode of our Environmental Law series, we spotlight the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act better known as RCRA. We discuss regulations, goals, importance, impact, and how far we have come.

Artificial Intelligence has become one of the most discussed topics of our day. With the introduction of sophisticated chatbots like OpenAIs ChatGPT 3.5 and ChatGPT 4, many have predicted that we're on the verge of a revolution in terms of how many industries operate, including the legal industry.

So what do firms and attorneys need to do to stay ahead of the incoming AI wave? In this episode, host Craig Williams joins guest John Villasenor, professor of electrical engineering, law, public policy, and management at UCLA, to discuss AI and the law, the impact, and what the future holds for the profession under this new AI revolution.

This year, we have created a new Environmental Law series on Lawyer 2 Lawyer, where wewill cover cradle to grave treatment of chemicals and our laws on environmental biology.

In this episode, host Craig Williams joins Mark Squillace from the University of Colorado Law School, to discuss the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), wetlands protection, and habitat conservation plans.

On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio starting a fire which spewed toxic fumes into the air, driving surrounding residents out of their homes. Since then, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a legally binding notice ordering Norfolk Southern to handle and pay for all necessary cleanup after this freight train derailment led to an intentional release of vinyl chloride.

So what could be the long-term impact on residents? What about the air, soil, and water? And what needs to change in our laws to prevent another environmental disaster like this from happening again on our railroads? In this episode, host Craig Williams joins guest David Raack to discuss the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio and the potential environmental legal issues that could stem from this disaster.

This year, we have created a new Environmental Law series on Lawyer 2 Lawyer, where we will cover cradle to grave treatment of chemicals and our laws on environmental biology.

In this episode, host Craig Williams joins LeRoy (Lee) C. Paddock, former associate dean for environmental law studies at George Washington University Law School, as they discuss the Pollution Prevention Act, the Clean Water Act, & the Clean Air Act, their intended impact on our environment, and a look ahead to future legislation.

Rule 8.4 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, dealing with Misconduct, is subtitled with the phrase “Maintaining the Integrity of the Profession”. When attorneys engage in unethical behavior, it is believed that their actions harm the industry. As such, disciplinary procedures are a key feature to maintaining the legitimacy of not only the profession, but the legal system as a whole. Usually, attorney disciplinary matters don’t enter the broader public discourse, but, in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, we have seen an increase in high-profile attorney disciplinary matters.

Attorneys like Rudy Giuliani and John Charles Eastman, and the disciplinary charges brought against them in DC and California respectively, have been featured prominently in the news of late, and so it’s time we turn our attention to the issue of attorney misconduct and discipline.

In this episode, host Craig Williams joins guest Leslie C. Levin, professor of law at University of Connecticut School of Law to take an overall look at prominent attorneys who have come under fire for their violation of the rule of law, measures taken to regulate attorney's actions, and the consequences that could stem from their actions.

This year, we have created a new Environmental Law series on Lawyer 2 Lawyer, where we will cover cradle to grave treatment of chemicals and our laws on environmental biology.

 In our first episode, we will spotlight the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) which addresses the manufacturing, processing, distribution, use, and disposal of commercial and industrial chemicals.

Host Craig Williams is joined by Managing Partner of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C, Lynn L. Bergeson who will give us an overview of the Toxic Substances Control Act, its history, impact, and the forecast for U.S. federal and international chemical regulatory policy.

As part of his bid to secure the position of Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has made a series of proposals in an effort to garner party support. One notable proposal calls for the gutting of the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent, non-partisan entity created in 2008 and tasked with reviewing allegations of misconduct against members, officers, and staff of the US House of Representatives.

In light of recent pressure to investigate some House Republicans in regards to January 6th, as well as recent high-profile allegations against incoming congressman George Santos, ethics has taken center stage. In this episode, host Craig Williams joins guest Richard W. Painter, former Chief White House ethics lawyer and the S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at University of Minnesota Law School, as they spotlight ethics and its role within Congress, SCOTUS, and the Executive branch.

Originalism is a type of judicial interpretation of a constitution (especially the U.S. Constitution) that aims to follow how it would have been understood or was intended to be understood at the time it was written. With the addition of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the High Court, there are now 4 avowed originalists on the Supreme Court including: Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh.

Originalism has been cited in recent landmark decisions including Dobbs & Bruen, but are these justices abiding by the true definition of the word? Are they truly originalists? Or are they picking and choosing their history based on their ideology?

In this episode, host Craig Williams joins guest David H. Gans, Director of the Human Rights, Civil Rights & Citizenship Program at the Constitutional Accountability Center to discuss SCOTUS' move toward originalism, the impact, and the conflict between Justice Thomas' and Justice Jackson's views.