The first Secretary of Homeland Security, two-term governor of Pennsylvania and Dickinson School of Law alumnus Tom Ridge will speak at this year's Penn State Law graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 15. Commencement will be held outdoors in Carlisle, Pa. Receptions will be held for family and friends on Friday evening at University Park and Carlisle.

For a few days in White Plains, New York, the world revolved around a PTA fundraiser gone awry that left an environmental mess and, of course, a three-party federal lawsuit. It was a fictitious creation to test advocacy skills at the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition hosted by Pace Law School.

Valerie Potell '11 and Christopher Jason '11 represented Penn State and went toe-to-toe with opponents from New York, Michigan, Vermont, California, New Jersey, and Florida. They were thrilled to advance to the quarterfinals and ultimately finish the competition within the top one-third of 84 registered teams.

Whether used to clinch a guilty verdict or predict the end of a "CSI" episode, DNA evidence has given millions of people a sense of certainty -- but the outcomes of using DNA evidence have often been far from certain, according to David Kaye, Distinguished Professor of Law at Penn State. In his new book, "The Double Helix and the Law of Evidence" (Harvard University Press), Kaye focuses on the intersection of science and law, and emphasizes that DNA evidence is merely information.

Penn State undergrads heading into their junior and senior years are invited to apply for a weeklong "Explore Law" program at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. The program is designed to give participants a feel for what it's like to study law, from learning how to brief a case and analyze a statute to making an argument in court.

On Jan. 23, Penn State's Dickinson School of Law appointed U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones III and James L. Patton Jr., chairman of Delaware law firm Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, to its board of counselors.

Last May, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Ashcroft v. Iqbal, which on its face appeared to be a case about national security issues. So why has the decision caused so much discussion among civil rights advocates? The decision means that certain kinds of lawsuits can be dismissed even before a plaintiff has the opportunity to access evidence to prove his or her claim. Civil rights advocates are especially worried that courts will use the case as an excuse to keep marginalized groups from being able to access the nation's courts.

On March 26, Penn State Law Review will hold a symposium titled "Reflections on Iqbal -- Discerning its Rule, Grappling With its Implications," comprised of three panels of academics and two members of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, addressing various aspects of the decision. In addition, Judge Lee H. Rosenthal, U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, and chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on the Rules of Practice and Procedure that advises the Supreme Court on its rules, will be the keynote speaker.