WE HAVE OUR WINNERS....

Message from Acting Chancellor and Dean David Faigman

I am proud to announce that we have our winners in the First Annual Chancellor & Dean’s Essay Contest, “Scalia Dissents.”

All of the entries were excellent and I thank the students who obviously spent considerable time tapping into their inner Scalias.

Three essays stood out.

All four judges agreed that the winning entry was submitted by Debashish Bakshi (click here to read). It was an excellent channeling of the Scalia spirit, warning that the majority’s opinion was a “flat-out flimflam.” The dissent mocked the majority, stating that “Our Rulers have spoken: guns make us feel icky, so your inalienable rights are now expendable privileges.” Debashish wins the grand prize of $500 and dinner with the Dean for up to four people.

Although the judges unanimously concurred regarding which two entries should receive second and third places, they did not agree as to which should place where. Indeed, the judges were evenly split in their recommendations. I therefore exercised the privilege of having come up with the idea and decided to declare a tie. Tied for second are the entry submitted by Addison DiSesa (click here to read) and the entry submitted by Deepa Sharma and Jeanette Acosta (click here to read). Addison declared that his dissent would “be brief in my befuddlement, but my brevity herein is inversely proportional to the gravity of the mistaken hoopdie-doodle that the majority offers.” Deepa and Jeanette complained that “the Court has unfurled the welcome mat for the flowerchildren of San Francisco in their never-ending quest to serve as the arbiter of our constitutional rights.” Addison and Deepa & Jeanette will share the prizes for second and third places, with each entry earning $150 for its author(s). The authors will have a choice of either lunch or breakfast with the Dean for up to four people.

Finally, I thank the judges who gave generously of their time to read the entries. Thank you to Dean Reuel Schiller and Professors Radhika Rao and Zachary Price.

Kind regards,
David L. Faigman