Above The Law says this is the best term ever for Northwestern at the Supreme Court, with three alums clerking for three different judges: Kennedy, Stevens and Alito. This list is unofficial and should be taken with a grain of salt, but I think it's safe to be excited by this, given the small size of our school compared to the size of competitors with a similar number of placements.
Meanwhile, back in Charm City, the JHU poohbahs have climbed down from this crazy punishment for the so-called "ghetto" party invitation:
[Frat boy Justin] Park had been appealing a Student Conduct Board decision that suspended him from the university until January 2008, during which time he couldn't come onto campus. The punishment also required him to complete 300 hours of community service, read 12 books and write a paper on each, and attend a workshop on diversity.
Given that the offensive bits were statements about Baltimore's high HIV infection rates, exhortations to wear "ice grills" and "hoochie hoops" and an illustration of a skeleton on a noose around Haloween, it's hard to say unequivocally whether the content of the party invite was offensive or just dumb. Given that the school's reputation with the city is so awful, administrators felt pressure to bring the hammer on this guy, especially since the Black Student Union (small as it is, scandalously) showed Park no mercy. That being said, pressure isn't a good enough reason to ruin a guy's academic career for being a little less than completely tasteful.
On a side note, if Hopkins wants to improve community relations, they ought to stop tearing down affordable rowhouses to put up condos for DC commuters.
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