Dean Mutua to participate in panel discussion on sexuality and intolerance in East Africa

Dean Makau Mutua, a preeminent human rights scholar, will participate in “Sexuality and Intolerance in East Africa: Perspectives from Human Rights Scholars & Activists,” a panel discussion being held on November 9 by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights. This prestigious event includes Frank Mugisha, 2011 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Laureate and Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and Sylvia Tamale, Dean in the Law Faculty at Makerere University, Uganda. The event will be moderated by Nicole Lee ‘02, President, TransAfrica.

Dean Mutua testifies on how UB Law helps provide access to civil legal services in New York

Dean Makau Mutua, of the University at Buffalo Law School, testified at the Appellate Division, Fourth Department’s hearing on access to civil legal services, before Chief Judge of the State of New York, Hon. Jonathan Lippman, on Thursday, Oct. 6. The hearing panel included Presiding Justice Henry J. Scudder, Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau and New York State Bar Association Past President Paul M. Hassett.

View video of Dean Mutua’s testimony (his testimony begins at the 1:44:10 marker)

In the fall of 2011, the Chief Judge conducted a series of four public hearings to evaluate the continuing unmet civil legal services needs in all parts of the state and to assess the level of resources necessary to meet those needs. Following the hearings, the Chief Judge will report to the Legislature on the information obtained at the hearings, as well as the continuing work of the Task Force to Expand Access to Civil Legal Services in New York, and will request State funding to meet these unmet needs. Dean Mutua’s testimony before the hearing panel describes what UB Law is doing to serve the citizens of New York.

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“First of all let me thank Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman for convening these important hearings. Together with Judge Feroleto, a pillar of the Western New York community, he has underscored the importance that civil legal services play in a democracy.

“Law schools have a crucial role to play in educating socially conscious lawyers.

“My own belief is that the law sits at the intersection of power and powerlessness, not in a vacuum. That’s why law schools have an obligation to imbue in law students empathy, social consciousness, and values that emphasize concern for the most vulnerable members of society.

“At UB Law, we educate lawyers with a social conscience – women and men who are ready on the first day to serve our diverse publics.

“Our faculty, students, and staff are involved in many initiatives and activities that provide “access to justice.” We are proud of these efforts. At the same time, we, like others can, and should, do more – and I am confident that we will – because the rule of law is the foundation of our society. Let me just highlight a few of our current efforts:

“But before I enumerate these efforts, let me state clearly what I think is a dire need for support (both political and financial) for programs and initiatives that enhance the ability of New Yorkers to have access to our courts and the legal services they need.

“Many New Yorkers cannot afford to pay for legal services. The consequences can be dire, and sometimes mean the difference between life and death. The ability of our democracy to function effectively and to give meaning to the lives of citizens depends on their ability to vindicate their rights. But those rights cannot be vindicated and protected if ordinary people have no access to legal services. That is why all of us – law schools, the bar and the bench, the legislature and executive must do everything possible to make sure that no one is denied justice because they are poor, or cannot afford legal services. Now let me briefly describe what we are doing at UB Law to play our part in serving our citizens.

“Our Clinical Legal Education program allows students to study law while providing needed, free legal services to individuals and organizations in western New York. Each clinical faculty member at UB has been teaching for over a decade, and together with students they serve needy clients each semester.

“The Women, Children & Social Justice Clinic places students in supervised community placements and projects. These include placements in governmental agencies, legal service agencies, law enforcement agencies, social service agencies, and community outreach programs throughout Western New York. In addition, the Domestic Violence Task Force has traditionally assisted with the on-site legal assistance program at Haven House, the largest local shelter for female victims of domestic violence and their children.

“The William and Mary Foster Elder Law Clinic provides services through a working agreement with the law firm Legal Services for the Elderly, Disabled, or Disadvantaged of Western New York. The clinic handles individual cases. Clinic student attorneys are responsible for all aspects of such cases, including client counseling, informal advocacy, and negotiation.

“We also have other clinical programs which serve low-income individuals and groups more systemically:

• The Affordable Housing Clinic works with local organizations to create desperately needed housing for elderly, disabled and homeless people.

• The Community Economic Development Clinic assists community development corporations and other non-profits with legal transactions, with particular emphases on child care policy and helping low-income families build assets.

• The Environmental Policy Clinic focuses on environmental policy issues that have direct impact upon the Western New York community – especially the proliferation of hazardous waste and solid waste landfills and formerly used and heavily polluted defense sites located within the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Region 9 (comprised of Niagara, Erie, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties).

• The Mediation Clinic works on cases referred by local courts or other mediation agencies, and enrolled students help resolve disputes in family law, small claims, and the community.

“Our students also serve many organizations and individuals seeking justice through our extensive Externship and Judicial Clerkship program. Some recent examples of externship placements include: Empire Justice Center (Rochester), Legal Aid of Buffalo, Monroe County Public Defender, the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices.

“Through both fundraising (Buffalo Public Interest Law Program and our fundraising program generally), as well as money from our general budget, the Law School provides a number of fellowships and grants – typically at least 25 – for our students to pursue public interest work in the summer. This funding allows students to take unpaid internships at public interest law organizations throughout Western New York and the world.

“Finally, the Law School publicizes pro bono opportunities in a number of ways. It publicizes pro bono opportunities through email postings and information tables in the Law School lobby and panel presentations. For example, Law Students in Action Project, an Equal Justice Works program, holds informational sessions and tables in the lobby to promote its pro bono opportunities. Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP), a program of the Erie County Bar Association, places postings for assistance. Students also engage in pro bono work at Neighborhood Legal Services, and other legal services agencies.

“We believe these efforts make a contribution, however modest, to serve our needy citizens. But our efforts are a drop in the bucket because the need is great. That’s why I am here to urge all of us and the state government, in particular, to support programs and initiatives that provide legal services to the needy.”

Dean Mutua on the passing of Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai

Dean Makau Mutua:

“The world has lost one of the leading champions for environmental conservation, human rights, and peace. Very early on, Professor Maathai recognized the incredible impact that climate change would have on the world, especially on the poor. Her predictions of ecological disasters are now evident. I hope that her passing will spur more action to reverse the global destruction of the environment.”

[Read more on Professor Maathai]

SUNY Board of Trustees appoints Professors Guyora Binder and James Gardner to the rank of SUNY Distinguished Professor

A message from the Dean:

I am extremely pleased to let you know that the SUNY Board of Trustees yesterday appointed Professor Guyora Binder and Professor James Gardner to the rank of SUNY Distinguished Professor. This is the highest honor that the SUNY system can confer on a professor.

Guyora and Jim are preeminent intellectuals, recognized both nationally and internationally. Both have been leaders in defining and influencing their fields of inquiry. They are leading scholars, thinkers, and teachers. In addition, Guyora and Jim continue to serve the Law School and the University at Buffalo in countless and selfless ways.

Please join me in heartily congratulating them for this well deserved honor and recognition. See this link for the announcement.

Dean Mutua to speak against homophobia during week-long African trip

Release Date: February 12, 2010

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Internationally renowned human rights scholar and activist Makau W. Mutua, dean of the University at Buffalo Law School, will deliver public lectures on sexual orientation and human rights during a week-long trip to Africa. He will depart Saturday, Feb. 13, to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, Uganda. He will return to the U.S. on Saturday, Feb. 20.

A SUNY Distinguished Professor, Mutua said the lectures come at a critical time in the history of both African countries. “Kenya is rewriting its constitution and there is pressure to address gay rights,” he explained. “In Uganda, a bill pending in parliament proposes to impose the death penalty on gays. President Obama has called the Ugandan bill ‘odious’ and Secretary of State Clintion has denounced it. Passions are high on both sides of the issue in both countries.”

In Nairobi, Mutua’s lecture will take place at the University of Nairobi and will be titled “Sexual Orientation and Human Rights: Putting Homophobia on Trial.” It is being offered by Akiba Uhaki, a social justice organization. In Kampala, his lecture will take place at Makerere University and will be titled “Sexual Orientation and Human Rights: Interrogating Homophobia.”

Mutua also will meet with individuals and organizations working to protect gay rights in both countries. His lectures are sponsored by the Ford Foundation.

Mutua is a member of the executive council and executive committee of the American Society of International Law, the most prestigious and largest organization of international lawyers in the world. An influential voice on the world stage, he has conducted numerous human rights, diplomatic and rule-of-law missions in Africa, Latin America and Europe. He is chairman of the Kenya Human Rights Commission in his native country and sits on the boards of several international organizations.

Previously, Mutua served as director of the Africa Project at the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and was associate director of the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, from which he received a doctor of juridical science degree in 1987. A prolific writer, he is the author of “Human Rights: A Political and Cultural Critique”; “Kenya’s Quest for Democracy: Taming Leviathan”; and “Human Rights NGOs in East Africa: Political and Normative Tensions.” His writings also include scholarly articles, human rights reports for the United Nations and leading nongovernmental organizations, and articles for leading publications including the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Washington Post. His expertise and commentary on human rights has been cited by such prominent media as National Public Radio, the BBC and “News Hour with Jim Lehrer.”

In addition to Harvard Law School, Mutua was educated at the University of Nairobi, Kenya; and the University of Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Since its founding in 1887, the University at Buffalo Law School — the State University of New York system’s only law school — has established an excellent reputation and is widely regarded as a leader in legal education. Its cutting-edge curriculum provides both a strong theoretical foundation and the practical tools graduates need to succeed in a competitive marketplace, wherever they choose to practice. A special emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, public service and opportunities for hands-on clinical education makes UB Law unique among the nation’s premier public law schools.

Dean Mutua on the Loss of Senator Kennedy

Dean Makau Mutua with the late Senator Ted Kennedy and Dr. Ebua Lihau, the late Chief Justice of Zaire, taken in New York City at the Waldorf Astoria in 1990 at a human rights function.

Says Mutua of Senator Kennedy, “The world has lost one of the greatest humanitarians of our time. His love and interest in human rights around the world were deep and genuinely felt. I remember how in the 1980s and 1990s he helped us put pressure on repressive governments around the world by linking aid to human rights and pressing for multipartyism. Today is a sad day for America and the world.”

Dean Makau Mutua’s new book examines human rights NGO’s in East Africa

Dean Makau W. Mutua has released a new publication titled Human Rights NGOs in East Africa: Political and Normative Tensions. From the publisher’s website:

Human rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are by definition not part of the state. Rather, they are an element of civil society, the strands of the fabric of organized life in countries, and crucial to the prospect of political democracy. Civil society is a very recent phenomenon in East African nations, where authoritarian regimes have prevailed and human rights watchdogs have had a critical role to play. While the state remains one of the major challenges to human rights efforts in the countries of the region, other problems that are internal to the human rights movement are also of a serious nature, and they are many: What are the social bases of the human rights enterprise in transitional societies? What mandate can human rights NGOs claim, and in whose name do they operate?

Human Rights NGOs in East Africa critically explores the anatomy of the human rights movement in the East African region, examining its origins, challenges, and emergent themes in the context of political transitions. In particular, the book seeks to understand the political and normative challenges that face this young but vibrant civil society in the vortex of globalization. The book brings together the most celebrated human rights thinkers in East Africa, enriched by contributions from their colleagues in South Africa and the United States.

To date, very little has been written about the struggles and accomplishments of civil society in the nations of East Africa. This book will fill that gap and prove to be an invaluable tool for understanding and teaching about human rights in this complex and vital part of the world.

From Our Dean

On Friday, August 15, 2008, this message from Dean Mutua was sent to all Law students.

Dear UB Law School Community:

On May 7 this year, when I was appointed the 18th Dean of the University at Buffalo Law School, I accepted the challenge of leading this institution to renaissance and renewed ambitions. As I welcome you to the fall semester of UB Law in my first year as dean, I am cognizant of the hopes and aspirations that you carry for yourselves and loved ones. I know very well that you have high expectations for your legal education and career. That is why I want to assure you that UB Law is committed to providing you with the tools for success as a lawyer and public servant. The primary reason for our existence is academic excellence, and you are at the center of that purpose. You should know as you begin the year that you are the key constituency of UB Law.

As you know, UB Law is the only public law school in the State University of New York system, and therefore the state’s public law school. We take this distinction very seriously and do everything we can to fulfill our mission. UB Law has a long and storied history in legal academia. It has been a leader and innovator in legal education. We boast of an excellent faculty that is nationally and internationally renowned. I mention this fact because a star faculty sits at the center of academic excellence. The scholarship and teaching by our faculty are cutting-edge, and put us among the most distinguished legal academics in the country and beyond. I urge you to get to know your faculty so that you can forge the mentoring relationships that are so critical to your success in law school and the profession.

As you are no doubt aware, we have a rich array of curriculum offerings. The first and upper level courses give you a great opportunity to study the law in a multitude of subjects. We believe that the best lawyer is the one who is the most prepared to think at multiple levels. As a result, our courses combine a vast mix of theoretical, practical, and skills offerings. Our clinics give you an opportunity to acquire an exposure to actual lawyering skills. Outside the classroom, you will further hone your skills in moot courts and in the several journals published here. Take advantage of all these opportunities, and do so early.

We have a talented and dedicated staff that is geared to making your life here productive, inspiring, and helpful. Whether it is placement, registration and course selection, the various student needs, social life, and even the unexpected, you will find our staff ready, willing, and able to assist you. We pride ourselves with creating a humane environment, and I urge you to make this really a home away from home. I want you to have fond memories of your time at UB Law since it is such an important stage of your life. It is this bond that we develop today that will make you care for UB Law once you graduate.

I will find ways to communicate with you regularly in the course of the year. In the meantime, do not hesitate to approach me or any member of the faculty or staff if we can be helpful to you. Welcome!

Makau Mutua, Dean
SUNY Distinguished Professor
Floyd H. and Hilda L. Hurst Faculty Scholar