The rock star in our midst

Every January, law professors from all over the country fly to one of America’s great cities and spend four or five days wandering around and bumping into each other at one of those giant corporate hotels that all look the same. This January we’re all going to a Marriott or a Hilton or a Grand Hyatt or something in New Orleans. (As I’ve said before, my being a team player doesn’t mean I’m not going to do everything my way. So, I’ll be staying at a nice little place nearby but not too nearby.) The conference is put on by the Association of American Law Schools, whose other big contribution to society is to stage annually what is called the “meat market”—a speed-dating-type event in Washington, D.C., at which law schools interview prospective law professors ad seriatim for about 15 minutes each to decide whether they should be flown to campus (just like on-campus interviews). The January event always has a theme that is abstract enough to be meaningless (this year’s is “Transformative Law”). The vagueness of purpose makes it possible to offer a packed schedule of pontification on anything the law professors want to lecture about.

I know, I know: you’re all set to book your ticket. Don’t bother. I’m afraid these events are not open to the public. Last year in San Diego, officious AALS dweebs tried to keep Reuben Camper Cahn, the Federal Defender of San Diego, from attending a lecture given by Professor Edwin S. Cahn, his very own father. Needless to say, the schoolmarms were unsuccessful in holding that particular line, but the fact remains that these are V.I.P. events with appropriately sophisticated crowd-control measures in place.

Now that you’ve been warned about trying to crash this party, you’re ready for the really big news, which is that the School of Law’s own rock star, Professor Francisco Valdes, is being honored in The Big Easy by the Society of American Law Teachers (yes, there are way more law-professor organizations than you thought strictly necessary) with their Great Teacher Award. SALT’s effusive press release may yet be an understatement regarding Professor Valdes’ work: “His self-styled ‘outsider jurisprudence’ is perhaps the most robust intervention in questions of racial justice, sexual self-determination, gender equity, and economic emancipation.” The School of Law, of course, bought a table and the Powers That Be have confirmed my seat at it. This is important because SALT reports that its dinner feting F. Valdes completely sold out about a month or so after the announcement. And, SALT reports, that is completely unprecedented and caught them somewhat by surprise. I told you he’s a rock star.