Notwithstanding federal judge Alex Kozinski’s recent quip that “the ten most terrifying words in the English language may be, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help you,'” we at the School of Government actually are here to help you. We’re glad to answer questions from, and offer opinions to, anyone who is part of the criminal justice system. Of course, the quality of the answers and opinions may depend on who you ask, so I thought it might be useful to list our principal criminal law faculty by expertise.
Generalists. John Rubin, Jessica Smith, and I try to keep up with most criminal law issues. Of course, we have specific research interests — John in mental health and defenses, Jessie in post-conviction proceedings and Crawford, me in search and seizure and the intersection of criminal law and technology, among others — but we more or less take all comers. And although we each gravitate towards specific “client” groups, with John serving defense attorneys, Jessie working with judges, and me helping prosecutors, we’re all available to anyone. So if you can’t reach Jessie, for example, feel free to try John or me.
Specialists. Jamie Markham is an expert in sentencing and corrections. He knows everything there is to know about probation, and has an incredible grasp of sex offender registration and monitoring. Shea Denning focuses on motor vehicle laws, including DWI, which makes her a particular favorite with district court folks. Michael Crowell works in the field of judicial administration, which means he knows about terms, sessions, sealing things, and other complicated and unusual procedural issues.
What about Bob? The legendary Bob Farb, although living in sunny Florida, is still working part time. He summarizes our appellate courts’ opinions and is available to answer questions by email. He is, of course, a wealth of knowledge, and he will be available at least until July 1, 2010.
Judge Kozinski stole the line with some mangling (but without any attribution) from our 40th President, Ronald Reagan. President Reagan said the following in a speech to the Future Farmers of America in Washington, DC, on July 28, 1988:
There seems to be an increasing awareness of something we Americans have known for some time: that the 10 most dangerous words in the English language are, “Hi, I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”