Class of 2007 Commencement

Georgia Supreme Court Presiding Justice Carol W. Hunstein delivered the keynote address at the University of Georgia School of Law\u27s commencement Saturday, May 19. Hunstein\u27s 1984 election to the Superior Court of DeKalb County made her the first woman ever to sit on the superior court bench in that county and one of the few female superior court judges in the state at the time. In 1992, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia by Gov. Zell Miller, making her the second woman in history to serve as a permanent member of that court. Prior to serving on the bench, Hunstein was in private practice and has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 1976. She received her law degree in 1976 from Stetson University College of Law, after earning her bachelor\u27s degree from Florida Atlantic University and her associate\u27s degree from Miami-Dade Junior College. In 1999, the American Bar Association\u27s Commission on Women in the Profession presented Hunstein with the Margaret Brent Award for her achievements. In January 2006, she received the Commitment to Equality Award from the State Bar\u27s Commission on Women and Minorities in the Profession

670 nm laser light and EGCG complementarily reduce amyloid-β aggregates in human neuroblastoma cells: basis for treatment of Alzheimer's disease?

Objective: The aim of the present study is to present the results of in vitro experiments with possible relevance in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Background Data: Despite intensive research efforts, there is no treatment for AD. One root cause of AD is the extra- and intracellular deposition of amyloid-beta (A{beta}) fibrils in the brain. Recently, it was shown that extracellular A{beta} can enter brain cells, resulting in neurotoxicity. Methods: After internalization of A{beta}(42) into human neuroblastoma (SH-EP) cells, they were irradiated with moderately intense 670-nm laser light (1000 Wm(-2)) and/or treated with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Results: In irradiated cells, A{beta}(42) aggregate amounts were significantly lower than in nonirradiated cells. Likewise, in EGCG-treated cells, A{beta}(42) aggregate amounts were significantly lower than in non-EGCG-treated cells. Except for the cells simultaneously laden with A{beta}(42) and EGCG, there was a significant increase in cell numbers in response to laser irradiation. EGCG alone had no effect on cell proliferation. Laser irradiation significantly increased ATP levels in A{beta}(42)-free cells, when compared to nonirradiated cells. Laser-induced clearance of Aβ(42) aggregates occurred at the expense of cellular ATP. Conclusions: Irradiation with moderate levels of 670-nm light and EGCG supplementation complementarily reduces A{beta} aggregates in SH-EP cells. Transcranial penetration of moderate levels of red to near-infrared (NIR) light has already been amply exploited in the treatment of patients with acute stroke; the blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration of EGCG has been demonstrated in animals. We hope that our approach will inspire a practical therapy for AD

Women and the Law: We\u27ve Come a Long Way ... Maybe

Athens, Ga. - Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice Carol W. Hunstein delivered the 29th Edith House Lecture at the University of Georgia School of Law on March 9 at 3:30 p.m. The event took place in the Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom of Hirsch Hall. Hunstein shared her insights on being a woman in the judiciary and, more generally, on being a woman in the field of law during her presentation titled Women and the Law: We\u27ve Come a Long Way ... Maybe. Featured in the July 2010 ABA Journal article Tipping the Scales: How Southern Women are Remaking the Face of Justice, Hunstein was appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1992, becoming the second woman in history to serve as a permanent member of this court. Prior to this appointment, she served on the Georgia Superior Court of DeKalb County, where she was the first female president of the Council of Superior Court Judges and chaired the Georgia Commission on Gender Bias in the Judicial System. Additionally, she was district director for the National Association of Women Judges, has chaired multiple state commissions on child support guidelines, and has been a member of the Justice Center of Atlanta and the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention advisory boards. She also is the former chair of the Georgia Commission on Access and Fairness in the Courts. In the course of her career, Hunstein has received many honors. Some of these include a commendation for outstanding service from the Georgia General Assembly, the Margaret Brent Award from the American Bar Association\u27s Commission on Women in the Profession, and the Commitment to Equality Award from the State Bar of Georgia\u27s Committee on Women and Minorities in the Profession. She was also named a Rosalynn Carter Honorary Fellow in Public Policy by Emory University\u27s Department of Women\u27s Studies. The Edith House Lecture Series is hosted annually by the Women Law Students Association in honor of one of the first female graduates of Georgia Law. House, a native of Winder, Ga., was co-valedictorian of the law class of 1925, the first class to graduate women

Funding the Fight Against Domestic Violence

Last October, the City Council in Topeka, Kansas, adopted a radical approach to managing the cots of prosecuting domestic violence— the city repealed its domestic violence law. The move was political brinksmanship, intended to force the county to pick up the tab for prosecutions, but it nonetheless sent a significant message about state and local funding priorities. Across the nation, declining returns on escrow accounts funding legal services, government funding cutbacks, and reduced giving has left more people at risk of serious harm and death from domestic violence. Panelists will discuss the effects of austerity on prosecutions, preventative services, and aid, as well as opportunities for increased funding and collaborative reform