From a face-to-face meeting between students and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the appointment of Professor Atinuke Adediran as a senior advisor on racial justice to the Environmental Protection Agency, 2023 was a remarkable year for the Fordham Law community. Articles on these stories and more notable Law School events, activities, and experiences were published throughout the year in the Fordham Law School Newsroom.
Read on for the top 10 most-clicked stories of the year, according to our readers:
1. Fordham Law School Welcomes Three New Faculty Members
Fordham Law began the 2023-2024 academic year by welcoming three new professors: Chinmayi Sharma, Aniket Kesari, and Harlan Grant Cohen. Sharma and Kesari focus on issues related to cybersecurity, while Cohen specializes in international law and trade.
Forty Fordham Law students traveled to Washington, D.C, where they met with FEC Chair Dara Lindenbaum, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and Associate Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. The students were part of the Law School’s Voting Rights and Democracy Project, led by Adjunct Professor Jerry Goldfeder, who described the event as “an experience of a lifetime.”
3. Center on Race, Law and Justice Names Three New Affiliated Faculty Members
Fordham Law’s Center on Race, Law and Justice welcomed three new affiliated faculty with expertise in subjects ranging from race and business to the economics of slavery and access to housing.
4. Professor Atinuke Adediran to Serve as EPA’s Senior Advisor On Racial Justice
In June, it was announced that Fordham Law Professor Atinuke Adediran would serve on a yearlong assignment as a senior advisor on racial justice to the Environmental Protection Agency .
5. Five Fordham Law Students Selected as 23-24 Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program National Scholars
Fordham Law students Lulu Alryati ’26, Safiat Bakare Korodo ’26, Jahneka Cassells ’26, Anika Choudhury ’26, and Jennifer Tiburcio ’26 were selected for the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program in 2023. Students are chosen based on academic merit, professional and personal background, and commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Out of the 25 law schools represented, Fordham Law had the largest number of scholars selected.
6. At Orientation, Incoming Students Begin Their Law School Journeys
The 2023 fall orientation welcomed 550 J.D., LL.M., M.S.L., and S.J.D. students to Fordham Law with a range of programming, from leadership development, wellness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion to informal events including a welcome barbecue and pizza party.
7. Panel Explores the Implications of Supreme Court Affirmative Action Ruling for Asian Americans
Fordham Law’s Center on Asian Americans and the Law sponsored a panel discussion of the Supreme Court’s decision to end race-conscious admissions policies in higher education. The panel featured Ryan Y. Park, solicitor general of North Carolina, who represented the University of North Carolina in the SCOTUS case, and Eduardo M. Peñalver, president of Seattle University.
This year also saw the launch of a new Fordham Law initiative called “Empowering Every Mind,” created to help students with learning differences and other challenges to succeed in legal and business fields. The initiative was made possible with support from Chris Torrente ’00 and his wife, Jill Torrente, GSS ’19.
9. Meet Tinatin Oboladze, LL.M. ‘24
Fordham Law’s #FutureFordhamLawyers series featured Tinatin Oboladze, LL.M. ’24, who came to Fordham Law from her home in Tbilisi, Georgia, to study international law and justice.
10. Feerick Center Awards Honor Public Service Leaders
This year’s Feerick Center Awards recognized Fordham Law alumni and community members for a range of service and social justice-oriented achievements. Among those honored were the late Maria L. Marcus, posthumously awarded the The Gail D. Hollister Dedication to Excellence Award, and Jennifer A. White-Reid ’98, who received The Honorable Deborah A. Batts Life of Commitment Award.
