Surprisingly, there is little controversy as to the opinions expressed by BC Law’s two constitutional law groups, the American Constitutional Society (ACS) and the Federalist Society, which often hold diametrically opposite views.

In fact, both of the organization’s leaders offered praise for Justice Scalia’s majority (5-4) opinion.  ACS President Austin Evers ‘09 noted “Justice Scalia’s opinion is a fine, plausible exercise in constitutional interpretation,” while Federalist Society President Guillaume Buell ‘09 was a bit more effusive in his praise, calling the opinion “brilliantly written, brilliantly reasoned.”

Both leaders also expressed a need for gun control, with Buell applauding “the Court’s recognition of the need for reasonable restrictions on gun ownership - such as keeping them out of the hands of felons.” Evers agreed, noting that “it will be a challenge to craft laws that are able to limit gun ownership to its newly minted constitutional bounds, but it is incumbent upon us to find a way.”

To read the Court’s opinion, click here.  To hear the oral arguments, including Justice Scalia’s invocation of Blackstone, click here. 

This year, I was asked by a student whom I did not know well to write a letter of recommendation to BC. I met him and heard his story and could not wait to help him. He was not the son of an alumnus or a politician or a wealthy business leader. He was a veteran who had served his country and luckily returned, albeit disabled, with a renewed sense of place and interest in studying law after being in a world where there was no rule of law.

This experience changed him. He improved his grades, took the LSATs and applied to law schools. He was accepted at nearly every school he applied to except BC. In fact, BC Law, the school that spoke comfortably from Chestnut Hill about public service and lawyers who made a difference, did not even wait-list him.

When I inquired about his application, I was told that BC does not “track” veterans or even know how many of its class are veterans. The school certainly doesn’t know how many of its applicants or admits are disabled veterans.

I’ve been wondering why Kerry went to Boston College Law School. Since he was rich, it can’t have been the lure of a free ride. You would think, with his anti-war activism, he would have been a very attractive candidate for admission to Harvard (or another top-ranked law school) if only his LSAT and GPA were at all within range. No offense to Boston College, of course. I think it’s similar to attending my school, the University of Wisconsin Law School. And the point is, he had an extremely admirable personal story and record of activism, as well as the ability to pay his way, so he could have gotten into Boston College with numbers well below those of the average students.

Now, Thomas Lipscomb at the Huffington Post takes his shot at BC Law four years late in an attempt to offer meaningful commentary on the current presidential election.

Why had a Boston snob like John Kerry gone to a subway law school like Boston College? A source who had been on the Harvard Law School admissions board revealed that with Kerry’s bad military record he was turned down for admission though clearly qualified because they didn’t want to admit someone who they thought would be unable to pass the bar.

Specifically, Lipscomb infers that there were concerns that Kerry would be unable to pass the character and fitness requirement of the bar. 

[A] former Secretary of the Navy told me that Kerry had asked him to expunge the disciplinary action the Navy had taken against him for what the Navy regarded as treasonous activities supporting the enemy in a time of war so he could be admitted to a law school and get on with his career. The Secretary refused. So it appears that Kerry went to Father Drinan, the former dean of the Boston College Law School. Kerry had decided not to run against Drinan for an open Congressional seat Drinan then occupied. Kerry asked him for help. The disciplinary action disappeared from Kerry’s official records with the general Jimmy Carter amnesty for Vietnam veterans with bad service records, the first bill Carter initiated after his inauguration.

While most 2Ls are working hard for their stipends (and freaking out about grades coming out… sort of) and 3Ls are enjoying Red Sox games from their firms’ luxury boxes, the New Student Liaison Committee is gearing up for the new crop of 1Ls and transfer students arriving in August.  Duck tours are being scheduled, field day equipment gathered, and most importantly right now, current student mentors are being recruited.  Each year, all of the incoming students are paired with a rising 2L or 3L who has volunteered to serve as a mentor.  These students serve as invaluable resources to their mentees, sharing outlines and advice, experiences and cautions.  And if the intrinsic rewards were not enough, you get a free BBQ in Sept. out of the deal too.

Pairings will be made throughout the summer as the admissions lists are finalized, and both mentors and mentees will receive their assignments via email in late summer.

Any current student who is interested in serving as a mentor should send an email to Lauren Graber at lgraber1@gmail.com with his/her undergraduate school and year of graduation.

Don’t ask Attorney General Michael Mukasey to speak at a graduation ceremony if you want a milquetoast speech extolling the virtues of community service, sun screen, or calls to your mother. He came to Boston College Law School, where I teach, last Friday and offered a substantive, and deeply troubling, message to our graduates.