Chief Judge Roger L. Gregory of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit discusses the importance of diversity and accountability in the legal profession, then joins a conversation with Mark C. Jefferson, UVA Law’s assistant dean for diversity, equity and belonging. The event was part of the Breaking Grounds Speaker Series, sponsored by the Black Law Students Association as part of Black History Month. (University of Virginia School of Law, Feb. 6, 2023)

A Conversation With Chief Judge Roger L. Gregory

Two former White House officials on different sides of the political aisle, Melody Barnes and John Bridgeland ’87, talk about ways to strengthen democracy and work across differences.

S6 E4: A Prescription for Saving Democracy

In this special episode, Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 and her microphone venture outside the studio to give listeners a rare look inside UVA Law’s Admitted Students Open House. Through on-site interviews with admitted students, their guests, current law students, faculty and staff, this episode highlights the admissions cycle’s main event, which brings hundreds of people to Charlottesville each spring.

Season 4 Episode 6: Inside the Admitted Students Open House

A Way to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Help Ukraine?

There has been much chatter lately about a proposal from Lee Buchheit, Daleep Singh and Hugo Dixon to address concerns in Western nations about using frozen Russian assets to get Ukraine much needed war financing. One might ask why these nations are so concerned about confiscating Russian assets when they have already frozen the assets, seemingly in perpetuity. But apparently, the difference matters quite a lot. Our guests, Ingrid Brunk and Paul Stephan, are two of the most thoughtful and careful thinkers about international law and they help us understand the virtues and pitfalls of this new, and very creative, proposal.

Producer: Leanna Doty

Ep 132 ft. Ingrid Brunk & Paul Stephan

On this episode of Free Range, host Mike Livermore is joined by Adam Ortiz, the MidAtlantic regional administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency.

The conversation begins with a discussion of the role of a regional administrator at EPA. Ortiz emphasizes the importance of federal agencies working with local and state governments due to the complexity of environmental issues. He also discusses some of the specific challenges of the MidAtlantic: it is a coastal region with a rich industrial past; an agricultural region; and, a region where resource extraction has been prevalent. Taken together, the diversity of histories, industries, and geographies make the MidAtlantic a fascinating and challenging region for environmental governance. 

The topic switches to environmental justice-related work and an ongoing Superfund cleanup in the city of Baltimore clean-up. The two discuss the value of redeveloping areas that experienced environmental damage in the past, especially given the concentration of these sites along lines of race and class. Ortiz discusses EPA’s efforts to identify and clean up these sites to “plug them back into society.”  There is a large human component to this kind of work, and Ortiz emphasizes the importance of giving communities a voice and encouraging open, honest dialogue with residents. This is one of the main ways the EPA addresses the negative impacts of redevelopment, such as gentrification. They go on to discuss how EPA works with state and local actors on complex projects with many overlapping jurisdictions. (0:28-34:30)

The conversation shifts to the ways Ortiz’s department works to support indigenous tribes.  The EPA works with tribes to support their sovereignty, protect their land, and help facilitate their capacity for environmental governance.  Livermore then inquires about the Chesapeake Bay, a body of water that has been of great concern to the EPA in recent years.  Water quality has been improved overall, although progress hasn’t been linear, and EPA has only limited authority as a federal agency.  Because of this, pollution control falls heavily on nearby states, and Ortiz points to recent efforts by the states of Pennsylvania and Virginia. 

The conversation turns to the intersection of politics and environmental governance at the regional level.  Livermore asks whether regional governance faces less political polarization, and Ortiz observes that, compared to the national level, regional interactions are often less politicized. Ortiz praises a personal approach to solving complex issues, asserting the effectiveness of working with people directly and getting to know them personally.  Additionally, there is a local advantage when it comes to political support for environmental initiatives, because people tend to care about places they interact with, regardless of political affiliation.  (34:31-1:01:09)

S2E24: Adam Ortiz on Life as an EPA Regional Administrator

Lessons from the 1980s Debt Crisis

The 1980s debt crisis began in Mexico and engulfed countries around the world, leading, via the Brady Plan, to the revival of the bond markets. Beyond that, we confess to relatively little knowledge about this fundamental episode in sovereign debt history. For so many of the leading lights of the contemporary sovereign debt world, the Latin American debt crisis was where they cut their teeth. The lessons they took from that era shaped the choices they made over the succeeding decades. Our guest is Jerome Sgard (SciencePo), who joins us to talk about his book, The Debt Crisis of the 1980s, which taps into new archival material and draws on interviews with many of the key participants. We ask Jerome about this key decade in the evolution of the modern sovereign debt architecture.

Producer: Leanna Doty

Ep 133 ft. Jerome Sgard

UVA Law professors Cynthia Nicoletti and Joy Milligan join host Risa Goluboff for a discussion on how divergent approaches to digging into the past can reveal some surprising truths about law and history.

S6 E5: Digging Into Our Forgotten Legal History

Mike Spivey of The Spivey Consulting Group joins Dean Natalie Blazer ’08 to discuss the latest iteration of the U.S. News and World Report law school rankings.

Season 4 Episode 7: What To Make of the 2024 Law School Rankings

The Latest in the Argentine GDP Warrant Saga: Drafting Goof or Sneaky Drafting?

There are so many intriguing aspects of the latest installment of the Argentine GDP Warrant Saga. This time, from Judge Preska in the SDNY, Argentina scores a big, and for us, totally unexpected victory. Argentina’s lawyers, at a very late stage, discovered a magic bullet that no one seems to have realized was there. Mark doesn’t like to use the term “contractual landmine”, but he does here. Mitu applauds.

Producer: Leanna Doty

Ep 134 ft. Mitu & Mark

El Salvador’s Warrants: Bukele’s Folly?

El Salvador has issued a new bond, using part of the proceeds to buy back some bonds that mature in the relatively near term. The issuance includes a detachable warrant that pays up to an additional 4% if El Salvador does not get an IMF program in place soon (or achieve a higher credit rating). The issuance has been characterized as a way to convince investors that El Salvador really is serious about striking an IMF deal. But the whole thing strikes us as loony tunes. Which is it? We ask EM guru Ben Heller.

Producer: Leanna Doty

Ep 135 ft. Ben Heller

Doctor of Juridical Science Candidate Jeronimo Lau Alberdi discusses the sharing of global legal knowledge and techniques among in Latin American legal systems, including the roles of Supreme and constitutional courts and international human rights legal education.

Global Research Bytes: Judicial Diplomacy and Comparativism in Latin American Legal Systems

To request an audio transcript that is not at law.virginia.edu/news/videos-podcasts, please contact comm@law.virginia.edu. Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.

A Conversation With Chief Judge Roger L. Gregory

University of Virginia School of Law

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