Summer 2003 – Issue 66 - Stanford Lawyer - Stanford University

LETTERS5STANFORDLAWY ERevents from aremove, but occasionalreUlrn visits(often highlightedby relaxing stayswith Sian and herhusband, Hugh Fletcher) have revealedtheir significance. As New Zealand losesits "More England than England" ch'lracter,it seems more self-confident,though perhaps less of a curiosity to outsiders.\Vhat appears retained, however,is a sense of fairness and a willingness toexperiment with bold new ideas, such asradical tort law reform and proportionalrepresentation.Both as an advocate and a judge, theChiefJustice has helped build the frameworkaround which many changes-especiallythose affecting Maori-have developedin ew Zealand law. Like Canada,New Zealand has started to recognize thecustoms of its indigenous populationswithin its legal system. This will be along and complex process, but not animpossible one if both sides realize theoverall g'ains to be achieved in so doin o'".The article's author, Todd \iVoody,who interviewed me last year for thepiece, may overstate my activist credentials,but he does a superb job of capUlringthe spirit of Sian Elias, a womanwhose intellect is matched only by hersense of humor and style.Bob Pateno71, .JSM '72A Word to the Younghere is the old tune that goes:"California here I come, right backwhere I started from; California I've beenblue, since I've been away from you."SubstiUlte the word "Stanford" for"California," and well, you all will get thepoint.It is the end of April, and tomorrowI am headed south from my home onWhidbey Island in 'Washington, viaMesquite, Nevada, to Stanford. Oncethere, I will look up Linda Wilson, thecoordinator for class notes, who is theonly person I still know on campus 62years after my graduating. I look forwardto the visit, as it will stir many memories.As my father used to say, "\Vhen youare young, you think you have all thetime in the world to accomplish life'smiracles, but you don't." As I walk thecampus, I will think about one classmatewho was terminally ill but insisted oncontinuing with his law sUldies only topass on during his second year. I also willremember John Haffner, who finishedlaw school with honors, but lost his lifeduring \iVorid War II while operating atank.May I pass on to the current fUUlrelawyers, now studying at Stanford LawSchool, the above advice of my father, inparaphrased form: Make good use of allyour time.Elster Haile '41EDITOR'S NOTESChris Wright '80, a partner at Harris,Wiltshire & Grannis in Washington,D.C., should be added to the list ofStanford lawyers involved in theSupreme Court case on the constitutionalityof the University of Michigan'sadmissions policies ("Cardinal Argumentson University of MichiganAdmissions Policy," Spring 2003, p. 7).Wright was counsel of record for theMichigan Black Law Alumni Societyand filed an amicus curiae brief onthe group's behalf supporting theuniversity in Grutter v. Bollinger.A brief about Stanford Law ProfessorJohn Donohue's and Yale Law ProfessorIan Ayres's new findings that lawspermitting people to carry concealedweapons are not likely to cause adecrease in crime ("Ready, Aim,Calculate," Spring 2003, p. 5) inaccuratelyattributed the source of a quotefrom John Lott, Jr., the scholar whoseconclusions Donohue and Ayres dispute.LoU's remark dismissing theDonohue-Ayres critique appears in apaper that he coauthored with FlorenzPlassman and John Whitley that wasposted in January 2003 on the SocialScience Research Network website.The quote is not from the April issue ofStanford Law Review, which includes asimilar comment in an article creditedto Plassman and Whitley but not Lott.Stanford Lawyer welcomes letters from readers. Letters may be editedfor length and clarity. Send submissions to Editor, Stanford Lawyer,Stanford Law School, Crown Quadrangle, 559 Nathan Abbott Way,Stanford, CA 94305·8610, or bye-mail to jrabin@stanford.edu.The Law School rolled out a newlydesigned website in April. If you havenot already visited, please check outwww.law.stanford.edu for the latestnews about faculty, students, alumni,and events. Along with streamingvideo of recent conferences, listingsof new jobs, and links to Law Schoolpublications, it also offers the exacttemperature on campus!