Latest news with #MarquetteUniversityLawSchool
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What to know about Anthony Cotton, defense attorney for Maxwell Anderson
Waukesha defense lawyer Anthony Cotton is the man who will represent accused killer Maxwell Anderson at trial in Milwaukee. Anderson, 34, of Milwaukee, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse and arson in the death last April of Sade Carleena Robinson, 19. Trial for Anderson begins May 27. Education: Cotton was born and raised in Waukesha and went to Catholic Memorial High School before studying at University of Wisconsin in Madison. He graduated from Marquette University Law School in 2005. Experience: He joined the firm, Kuchler & Cotton S.C., in 2005. The firm, based in Waukesha, is run by his mother, Donna Kuchler, who represented Jessy Kurczewski in 2024 in what became known as the "Eye Drops homicide trial." 44 He represented Morgan Geyser, one of the defendants in the Slender Man case in Waukesha County. The 2014 case involved two 12-year-old girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, who stabbed their classmate and friend and left her for dead in a park. The girl survived the stabbing. Geyser and Weier were found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and ordered to a mental health institute for decades-long commitments in 2017. Weier was released in 2021, and Geyser, represented by Cotton, was approved for conditional release March 6, 2025. Cotton was also the lawyer for Dominic Black, who faced weapons charge in November 2020 for illegally giving a rifle to Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old later acquitted of killing two people during protests in Kenosha earlier that year. Black took plea deal in order to avoid criminal conviction. Cotton was hired by a Yale law professor during his second year of law school to investigate human rights abuses in Eritrea, East Africa. He traveled throughout Eritrea to interview civilians and prepare claims for people who had been victimized as a result of the Eritrean-Ethiopian war. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Anthony Cotton, attorney for Maxwell Anderson
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What to know about Judge Laura Crivello who is presiding Maxwell Anderson trial
A judge's role in any trial is to make sure the proceedings are fair and that lawyers stay on topic and aren't grandstanding in front of a jury. Circuit Court Judge Laura Crivello will be the one officiating Maxwell Anderson's homicide trial. Education: Crivello attended University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for her undergraduate degree and went to law school at Marquette University Law School and graduated in 1993. Work experience: Crivello worked 24 years as an assistant District Attorney in Milwaukee County. During that time, she prosecuted various felony and misdemeanor criminal cases, including those involving homicide, firearms, drugs, domestic violence, community prosecution, and child protection cases. 54 Crivello was appointed to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2018 by then-Gov. Scott Walker. She retained her seat in an uncontested 2019 judge race and again in 2025. The case against Anderson was transferred to Crivello in July as part of a judicial rotation schedule change in July ordered by Chief Judge Carl Ashley. The initially was assigned to Judge Mark Sanders. Sade Robinson, 19, was just weeks from graduating from Milwaukee Area Technical College when police say she was killed during a first date in April, and her body was dismembered. Anderson, 34, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and other felonies in connection with her death. He has pleaded not guilty. Crivello presided over the trial of Stephanie Rapkin, the Shorewood lawyer who was convicted of a misdemeanor for spitting on a Black teenager during a racial justice protest in 2020. Rapkin rejected the judge's sentence of a year of probation and 100 hours of community service, and chose instead to spend 60 days in the House of Correction as punishment. Crivello oversaw the trial of Antonius Trotter, who was convicted of killing 11-year-old Ta'Niyla Parker and wounding her younger sister in an October 2021 shooting that drew protests and demonstrations around the city. Trotter is serving a 60-year in prison sentence. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Judge Crivello, presiding Maxwell Anderson trial
Newsweek
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Majority of Americans Believe President Must Obey Court Rulings: New Poll
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new Marquette University Law School Poll has revealed that 79 percent of Americans believe presidents must obey federal court rulings, with even stronger support—84 percent—for compliance with Supreme Court decisions. The national survey, conducted May 5-15, 2025, interviewed 1,004 adults with a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points. The poll gains heightened significance after President Donald Trump's Memorial Day attack on federal judges, whom he called "monsters" who want the United States "to go to hell." The poll also found that 70 percent of respondents oppose impeaching judges for ruling against presidential actions, despite escalating rhetoric from the Trump administration following a series of unfavorable court decisions on immigration policies. Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Monday for comment. Why It Matters These findings underscore broad public support for judicial independence at a critical moment as Trump's rhetoric against federal judges has reached new heights. On Memorial Day, the president posted on his Truth Social platform that judges suffer from "an ideology that is sick" and accused them of being "on a mission to keep murderers, drug dealers, rapists, gang members, and released prisoners from all over the world" in the country. Trump's attacks follow a series of court defeats, including a recent 7-2 Supreme Court ruling that found his administration violated due process rights of Venezuelan migrants during deportations. What To Know The survey reveals strong cross-partisan support for judicial compliance, with more than 70 percent of Republicans, Democrats, and independents agreeing presidents must follow court rulings. However, the data shows significant partisan variations on specific constitutional questions: Growing Democratic Opposition to Executive Overreach: Among Democrats, support for presidential compliance with Supreme Court rulings surged from 79 percent in December 2024 to 93 percent in May 2025—a 14-point increase that coincides with Trump's return to office. Republican Consistency Despite Tensions: Republican opinion remained remarkably stable, with 78 percent supporting compliance in May compared to 79 percent in December, even as Trump escalated his attacks on federal judges. Executive Power Boundaries: The poll reveals clear limits to public tolerance for expanded presidential authority. Some 62 percent say Trump's actions to freeze spending and close congressionally authorized agencies exceed presidential power, with sharp partisan divides: 88 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of independents oppose such actions, while 63 percent of Republicans support them. Legislative Authority Remains Sacred: An overwhelming 81 percent oppose allowing presidents to make laws unilaterally when Congress fails to act—up from 72 percent in 2020—with even 69 percent of Republicans rejecting such expanded executive power. Court Blocking Orders Viewed as Proper: When asked about federal courts temporarily blocking Trump administration executive actions, 64 percent call this a proper use of judicial authority. The response splits along partisan lines, with 87 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of independents supporting such judicial interventions, while 61 percent of Republicans oppose them. What People Are Saying The escalating tension between the Trump administration and federal judiciary has drawn sharp reactions from key figures: President Donald Trump's Memorial Day Truth Social message: "U.S. judges were on a mission to keep murderers, drug dealers, rapists, gang members, and released prisoners from all over the world, in our country so they can rob, murder, and rape again—all protected by these USA hating judges who suffer from an ideology that is sick." White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, of the Trump administration-ordered deportations: "Those are the terrorists that President Trump is finding and apprehending that our Democrat judges and Democrat activists are trying to keep on U.S. soil." The top White House adviser has said the Trump administration is actively exploring ways to expand its legal authority to deport undocumented migrants, including the potential suspension of habeas corpus rights. Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that Judge James Boasberg was "meddling in our government" and questioned "why is the judge trying to protect terrorists who invaded our country over American citizens?" In March, the president called for Boasberg, who had ordered a halt of the Trump administration's deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members, to be impeached, accusing him of being on the "radical left." Conservative former federal Judge J. Michael Luttig to MSNBC: "No, the judges are not deranged, Pam Bondi. They are simply enforcing their oath to the Constitution of the United States. The same oath that you, Madam Attorney General, took yourself." He added: "I don't know where this ends…but it appears that, in this moment, the president intends to prosecute this war against the federal judiciary and the rule of law to its catastrophic end." On recent Supreme Court cases, the poll shows mixed public reception. Sixty-seven percent favor the court's ruling requiring the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, erroneously deported to El Salvador, though 59 percent of Republicans oppose this decision. Similarly, 65 percent support the court's ruling on due process requirements for deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. U.S. President Donald Trump, left, greets Chief Justice John Roberts at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025, in Washington D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump, left, greets Chief Justice John Roberts at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025, in Washington Happens Next Trump's escalating conflict with the federal judiciary appears far from resolution, with the president showing no signs of moderating his rhetoric, despite suffering multiple legal defeats. The Marquette poll's findings suggest this strategy may face public resistance, with broad bipartisan support for judicial compliance and opposition to impeaching judges for unfavorable rulings. Even among Republicans who oppose recent Supreme Court immigration decisions, substantial majorities—75 percent to 79 percent—still say presidents must obey court rulings.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: The Voices We Don't Hear: Teachers Who Gave Up
A version of this essay originally appeared on Robert Pondiscio's SubStack. Earlier this month, I was flattered to be invited to a conference at Marquette University Law School, sparked by an article I'd written making the case that education reform has misfired by prioritizing testing, measurement, accountability, and other structural reforms instead of trying to improve classroom practice. A highlight of the convening was the final panel of the day, featuring four teachers and administrators who acknowledged that many of the challenges I cited—poor preparation, chronic problems with student behavior and classroom management, and the overwhelming demands placed on teachers—were real and concerning. But they pushed back politely on my assertion that we have made teaching 'too hard for mere mortals.' I was particularly struck by remarks from Taylor Thompson, an earnest and winningly dedicated first-year fourth-grade teacher from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. '[Teaching is] not an impossible task. It's demanding. It's hard. Each day is not rainbows and singing and dancing,' she said, but it's not impossible 'if you are a collaborative person, work with your peers, and you have a community of coworkers and principals who don't allow you to silo into your own rooms and do your own thing. It can be a very, very empowering job.' Thompson brought with her materials from the Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum; having worked on CKLA's launch during my time at the Core Knowledge Foundation, I was heartened that it contributed to her success. That said, I couldn't help but wonder if her first-year experience would be different—if she'd even have had the time and energy to come to Marquette at all—had she not been given CKLA but an empty plan book, and expected to spend 10, 20, or more hours a week scouring Google, Share My Lesson, or Teachers Pay Teachers for lesson plans and materials? When it was my turn to respond, I told the audience that what they'd just heard didn't contradict my argument; it amplified it. I suggested to my hosts that what we really needed was one more panel: earnest, well-intended people who wanted to teach but grew overwhelmed and walked away from their classrooms. Their absence from the conversation—not a flaw of Marquette's thoughtful event but a field-wide oversight—limits our ability to address the issues driving nearly half of teachers to quit within five years. Those stories are legion. Related After leaving the classroom, I worked briefly at an outfit called Prep for Prep under Ed Boland, who later left the organization to teach in a New York City public high school armed with little more than idealism. His 2016 memoir, The Battle for Room 314, described the relentless student misbehavior, homophobic slurs, and physical fights he endured. He wasn't a minimally prepared Teach For America corps member or, like me, the product of an 'alt cert' teacher prep program. He had two years of graduate school and six months of student teaching that he described as 'a mix of folk wisdom, psycho-jargon, wishful thinking, and out-and-out bullshit.' After one freakishly difficult year, Boland returned to his old job. 'I had taken courses in lesson planning, evaluation, psychology, and research. Next to nothing was said about what a first-year teacher most needs to know: how to control a classroom,' he wrote. NPR's All Things Considered not long ago ran a story about Liz Stepansky, the daughter of two school teachers who wanted to follow in their footsteps, thinking teaching would be a path to a stable, meaningful life. But when she took a job teaching at a South Carolina middle school, she found that she 'had no idea' what she was in for. Her middle school students 'dialed 911, threw balloons filled with bleach and ink in hallways and constantly pulled the fire alarm.''I'd go home and sometimes I'd spend an hour grading papers. And then I'd go back the next day and do it all over again,' she told NPR. 'I remember my paycheck being $800 and something every two weeks.' She transferred to another school, faced similar frustrations and threw in the towel. She's now a speech pathologist. It's not hard to find stories of earnest, well-intended people who want to teach but find the job untenable. But I can't recall hearing from a single one at any of the education and policy conferences I've attended over the last twenty years. Inattention to abandoned careers and disappointed hopes allow false and misleading narratives to gain traction. Last summer, I was invited to give testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Senator Bernie Sanders was proposing a $60,000 minimum teacher salary to address teacher shortages. 'By all means, pay teachers more,' I testified. 'But don't harbor any illusions that doing so will solve the problem.' Higher pay doesn't fix shoddy preparation, unruly classrooms, or the ever-escalating burdens we pile on teachers' plates as we treat schools as not just academic spaces but something akin to the social service agencies of last resort. 'We are asking teachers to do too many things to do any of them well at any salary,' I said. Teaching's aspirational nature attracts optimists, but crushing demands betray them. A RAND study I cited in my Senate testimony found 99% of elementary teachers create their own materials, stealing time from honing their craft and working more closely with children and their parents. A 2024 Pew survey showed only 36% of teachers feel adequately resourced; a 2022 NEA poll revealed nearly half plan to quit due to poor school climate. These are systemic failures, not personal ones. Related Teaching is among our most optimistic and aspirational professions, drawing idealists who believe education can transform lives. But celebrating only the successes—teachers who beat the odds, schools that defy demographics—distorts our vision. As I quipped at Marquette, it's like watching Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs and concluding, 'See? It can be done!' And it can—if you're Aaron Judge. Other fields learn from failure—medicine from misdiagnoses, aviation from crashes. I urged Marquette's audience to imagine a panel of teachers who quit—not to shame them, but to learn. What broke their optimism? What tools were missing? Thompson's success shows what's possible with support. But for every Thompson, countless idealists leave because they were overmatched, felt unprepared or betrayed by poor training or simply couldn't manage chaos. A few days later, Alan Borsuk, who organized and moderated the event at Marquette, told me about a conversation he'd had with a school administrator who was in attendance who disagreed with the notion that teachers who leave are failures. 'She said one of the best teachers they have whose students have done well for year after year is leaving after this year,' Alan said. That teacher, she insisted, was not a failure. Exactly! That teacher didn't fail. We failed that teacher. Education reform must weigh frustration alongside triumph. We need convenings where former teachers speak without judgment: their failures and frustration studied, not stigmatized. There's no magic wand that will make the job easy or friction-free, but when you connect with students and go home feeling successful, there's no job that compares to being a classroom teacher. You feel on top of the world. It's immensely satisfying work. The question ed reformers and policymakers need to ask now is what can we do to make more teachers feel successful and their jobs more doable.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Americans remain wary of Trump's handling of the economy, new poll shows
Americans' approval of President Donald Trump's economic stewardship remains low, new polling from Marquette University Law School shows, as the administration's shifting tariff policies sow uncertainty in global markets. Thirty-seven percent of Americans in a May survey reported approval of how Trump was handling tariff policies, compared with 63 percent who said they disapproved. Similarly, 34 percent said they approved of Trump's handling of inflation and the cost of living, while 66 percent said they disapproved. Overall, respondents gave a net -16 percentage point approval of the president's handling of the economy, with 42 percent of respondents reporting approval and 58 reporting disapproval. Trump's tariffs have dominated airwaves since their initial unveiling on 'Liberation Day' in April kicked off weeks of volatility amid a raging global trade war. The president then instituted a 90-day pause on most of the tariffs for every affected country except for China, promising that the move would have global trading partners lining up to make deals with his team. After a big rollout for a deal with the U.K., Trump last week announced that the U.S. will be unable to negotiate deals with over 50 trading partners and would instead unilaterally impose new tariff rates on the countries in the coming weeks. Successful steering of the economy was one of Trump's key campaign platforms and has been central to the political identity the longtime businessman has aimed to cultivate. But recent polling reflects Americans' consistently dim view of the president's economic policies during his second administration. But Americans were apprehensive about Trump's tariff plan even before he launched his sweeping policy in April. Fifty-eight percent of respondents to a March Marquette poll said they thought the tariffs would hurt the U.S. economy, compared with 28 percent who said that they would help it. In the same poll, 58 percent of adults said they thought Trump's economic policies would increase inflation, while 30 percent thought they would decrease it. Trump's overall approval also remains underwater, with 46 percent approval and 54 percent disapproval in May, which is unchanged since the March survey. The Marquette poll was conducted between May 5-15, based on interviews of 1,004 adults across the country. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points.
