Amicus Briefs February 2021

Black History Month :: Law Dawgs of the Month - Piper & Griffin Georgia Legislature Update :: Remembering R. Perry Sentell, Jr.

AMICUS BRIEFS

February 2021

Alexander Campbell King Law Library

From the Collection: Black History Month Spotlighted with Documentaries, Social Justice Resources, and More

By Rachel Evans and Geraldine Kalim The Law Library is excited to share the current display of items from the collection along with social justice resources selected in collaboration with the Davenport-Benham Black Law Students Association.

Books from the Law Library, Main Library & Online Several titles in our exhibit were pulled from the ALA Reading for Change: Booklist-Recommended Antiracism Titles and Ibram X. Kendi’s “An Antiracism Reading List” in the NYT along with additional titles recommended as they relate to racism, classism, policing, and more. These titles are available through either our Law Library or UGA’s Main Library catalogs. View our full list of reading recommendations by visiting the Social Justice Resource Guide.

Law School, Local and Online Resources List A sign with a QR code in our physical display will take students and other library visitors to our resource guide. The guide includes a selection of local resources with more information about the Athens area, School of Law clinics with missions that align with achieving social justice, and an extensive list of links to other library resource guides on similar topics. Members of the library recently undertook a 21-day Racial Equity Habit Building exercise which can be done anytime, for free, and either as an individual or a group challenge.

Check out DVDs or Stream Documentaries online!

A selection of documentaries on topics including the civil rights movement, slavery in the south, race and discrimination, and gentrification are available as part of this item display. A few of the titles are also available to stream online, including John Lewis: Get in the Way and Slavery By Another Name. We also recommend streaming the short 10 minute documentary If We So Choose, about the the people in Athens, Georgia who organized a demonstration at local lingo laden restaurant, The Varsity.

Law Dawgs of the Month: Piper & Griffin

By Anne Burnett

February’s Law Dawgs are Piper and Griffin who share their home with 1L Jonah Griego. Piper and Griffin are the terrible terriers of their apartment complex. They are loved by their parents and support their dad while he is in law school. Griffin is an 8-year-old rescue Jack Russell terrier who is full of energy. Piper is an 11-yearold chihuahua who hates everyone but her mom.

All members of the Law School Community (students, faculty, and staff) are invited to submit a photo for possible selection as the Law Dawg. The featured entry for each issue will be selected at random from all entries received. Please note that honorary Law Dawgs (i.e. those of the feline, equine, porcine, avian, reptilian, etc. persuasion) are eligible as well. Please send your Law Dawg photo(s) to aburnett@uga.edu.

February 2021

Alexander Campbell King Law Library

Featured Scholar: R. Perry Sentell, Jr.

By Rachel Evans

R. Perry Sentell Jr., Marion and W. Colquitt Carter Chair in Tort and Insurance Law Emeritus, passed away on January 28, 2021. Sentell was a 1958 law school alumnus, and retired on July 1, 2004 after over 46 years of teaching and service to the University of Georgia. A prolific scholar, and a titan in the legal academy, Sentell was also a demanding instructor who set high expectations but with a warm heart for his students. Sentell published nearly 30 books over the course of his career. Among his law school honors are a bust in the Alexander Campbell King Law Library, the law school’s Distinguished Service Scroll Award and an endowed scholarship fund named in his honor. Several generations of lawyers and policymakers in Georgia have looked to Sentell for guidance on matters pertaining to local government law and torts. He has been honored by the Georgia House of Representatives, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Georgia Municipal Association for distinguished service to the advancement of legal education. Graduates have selected Sentell 11 times as their class marshal, a distinction given to the law school faculty or staff member whom they most respect.

Sentell bust, 2005, located in the Law Library's Reading Room

In honor of Sentell’s accomplishments, the Law Library has digitized one of Sentell's lectures. This digitized lecture was originally captured to cassette tape on a handheld recorder and delivered in 1975. Sentell’s annual lecture on Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co. (248 N.Y. 339, 162 N.E. 99 (1928)) as part of the 1L Torts curriculum was considered an event each year, attracting students from throughout the Law School.

The recording and more resources featuring Sentell can be found in our recent blog post at https://ugalawlibrary.wordpress.com/2021/02/02/featured-scholar-r-perrysentell-jr/.

The Georgia Legislature Is In Session

By Amy Taylor 2021 is the first year of the 2021-2022 Regular Session. The first of Georgia’s 40 legislative session days began on Monday, January 11, 2021. Here is a list of the bills prefiled before the beginning of the session. You can also read daily reports from the House.

There are a couple of options for bill tracking. The Georgia General Assembly provides bill searching by member, committee, keywords, bill type, bill number, and bill status.

You can also view the House and Senate calendars, House and Senate votes, and House and Senate composite charts for current bill status. The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Legislative Navigator highlights their picks for bills worth watching. You can also search their Member page for information on each legislator’s top contributors, sponsored bills, recent votes, and committee memberships.