University of Michigan Law School

University of Michigan Law School
Name	University of Michigan Law School
Established	1859
Type	Public law school
Parent	University of Michigan
Dean	David A. Breach
City	Ann Arbor
State	Michigan
Country	United States
Website	https://www.law.umich.edu/

University of Michigan Law School

The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and has been a significant institution in the development of civil rights law and advocacy. Its faculty, alumni, and students have played pivotal roles in landmark Civil Rights Movement litigation, scholarship, and policy, influencing key legal battles over affirmative action, desegregation, and voting rights.

History and Founding

The University of Michigan Law School was established in 1859, making it one of the first law schools affiliated with a major public university. Its early commitment to a broad, theoretical legal education, as opposed to a purely apprenticeship model, set a precedent for modern legal training. The school's location in the Midwest and its public mission made legal education more accessible, a principle that would later intersect with civil rights ideals of equal opportunity. The construction of the iconic Law Quadrangle in the 1920s and 1930s, funded by William W. Cook, provided a permanent home that symbolized the school's growing stature. Throughout the 20th century, the law school evolved into a leading center for legal scholarship, attracting students and faculty engaged with the pressing social issues of the day, including the fight for racial equality.

Notable Alumni in Civil Rights

The law school boasts a distinguished roster of alumni who have been central figures in the Civil Rights Movement and subsequent legal advocacy. Thurgood Marshall, the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice and lead counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in Brown v. Board of Education, received an honorary LL.D. from Michigan in 1967. Other prominent alumni include Frank Murphy, a former Governor of Michigan and U.S. Supreme Court Justice known for his civil libertarian views; Damon Keith, a federal appellate judge renowned for rulings against government secrecy and for civil rights; and Vernon Jordan, a key advisor to President Bill Clinton and former president of the National Urban League. Contemporary figures like Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, also graduated from Michigan Law, continuing its legacy of public interest lawyering.

Civil Rights Law and Scholarship

Michigan Law has long been a hub for influential scholarship and teaching in civil rights law. The school helped pioneer the field of critical race theory through the work of scholars like Catherine A. MacKinnon, whose work on sexual harassment and gender equality has been transformative. The Michigan Journal of Race & Law, a leading student-edited journal, provides a forum for scholarly discourse on issues of race, law, and social change. Faculty members have authored seminal texts on constitutional law, employment discrimination, and housing discrimination, influencing both academic debate and legal practice. The law school's curriculum integrates civil rights history and theory, ensuring that students engage deeply with the legal foundations of equality and justice.

Affirmative Action Cases

The University of Michigan Law School was at the epicenter of the national debate on affirmative action in higher education. In the landmark 2003 case Grutter v. Bollinger, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law school's admissions policy, which considered race as one factor among many to achieve a diverse student body. The decision, written by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, affirmed the compelling state interest in student body diversity. This case was paired with Gratz v. Bollinger, which addressed the university's undergraduate admissions policy. The law school's defense, led by then-Dean Jeffrey Lehman and supported by numerous amicus curiae briefs from military and corporate leaders, argued that diversity was essential for training future lawyers. These cases solidified Michigan Law's role in defining the constitutional limits of race-conscious admissions.

Clinical Programs and Public Service

Michigan Law's commitment to civil rights is operationalized through its extensive clinical programs. The Michigan Clinical Law Program allows students to provide direct legal services under faculty supervision. Key clinics focused on civil rights include the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative, the Child Welfare Appellate Clinic, and the Human Trafficking Clinic. Students in these clinics work on real cases involving prisoners' rights, police misconduct, education law, and immigration law. The school also houses the Michigan Innocence Clinic, which works to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals, many of whom are from marginalized communities. These programs embody the school's public service mission and provide practical training in advocacy for justice.

Student Activism and Organizations

Student organizations at Michigan Law have historically been engines for civil rights activism and community engagement. The Black Law Students Association (BLSA), founded in the late 1960s, has been instrumental in advocating for increased diversity among students and faculty and supporting pipeline programs. The National Lawyers Guild chapter and the American Civil Liberties Union student group organize events on contemporary civil liberties issues. The Pro Bono Program coordinates thousands of hours of volunteer legal work by students each year. Activism has often focused on admissions policies, curriculum reform, and supporting university-wide initiatives for inclusion, reflecting the student body's ongoing engagement with social justice.

Influence on Civil Rights Legislation

Beyond litigation, Michigan Law alumni and faculty have directly shaped civil rights legislation and policy. Alumni have served in the United States Congress, such as former Senator Carl Levin, and in high-level positions within the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. Scholarship from Michigan professors has informed the drafting and interpretation of major statutes like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The school's Washington, D.C. semester program and its connection to the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy facilitate student engagement in policy-making. This legislative influence underscores the institution's broad impact on the legal framework of civil rights in the United States.