Verdict On Dallas Law School: Headed For Dead
A bill creating a University of North Texas law school in downtown Dallas slipped just out of reach today, following almost a week of political maneuvering by area lawmakers hopeful they wouldn't have to wait until next session.
The measure, which was tacked on as a last-ditch effort to a divisive eminent domain bill, was derailed on a technicality late last night, amid all the theatrics of the speaker fiasco.
Today, Rep. Dan Branch, D-Dallas, said he saw no way to revive the law school – a key priority for North Texas lawmakers that also fell apart last legislative session.
“It’s not looking good,” said Rep. Branch, who rushed back to Austin from his son’s high school graduation in Highland Park. “But it’s not over until it’s over.”
Rumors circulated last night that Craddick was pushing hard to get Branch back in case of a vote on the speaker's fate. At one point we were told there "was a plane waiting for [Branch] on the tarmac" in Dallas.
Branch, however, says he's not advised -- he said he never got close to Love Field airport because of the bad weather, and instead watched the show on live-streaming over the Internet (talk about a nail-biter). He burst back into the chamber this morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Comments
The bill, HB 3057 was attempted to be brought up again a few minutes ago, but the standing point of order was called and is being reviewed. While that conversation was going on, someones voice could be heard (a female) near the speaker's podium stating that she wanted the bill to be concurred with amendments.
Posted by: EJ | May 26, 2007 5:01 PM
The last thing Dallas needs is a 4th tier law school downtown. There are too many lawyers in this State and city already. UT, Tech, Houston, and Texas Southern already provide ample opportunity for students that need to attend a state school, and TSU is a 4th tier school that certainly provides opportunity not found elsewhere. SMU and Wesleyan provide ample seats here in the metroplex.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 26, 2007 5:14 PM
SMU and Wesleyan provide "ample seats" for those who can afford it and not for those who would benefit most from a public law school in North Texas. If there are "ample seats" then why must Dallas recruit so many attorneys from outside the area and ouside of the state?
Posted by: EJ | May 26, 2007 6:03 PM
Dead now. Sad.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 26, 2007 6:24 PM
First, who says that Dallas has a shortage of new lawyers that have to be brought in from outside? The big firms seem full up, and people wait weeks to get an interview with the DA. There is no shortage. And if Dallas does draw from out of town, so what? That is really just a sign that there are too many seats at existing law schools, so the extras from Miss., LA, OK, ARK, etc. naturally gravitate to Houston and Dallas as the largest cities down here. A bunch of law grads from UNT that couldn't get into law school anywhere else aren't going to make a bit of difference to anyone.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 26, 2007 10:44 PM
Hey, Anonymous! Easy to criticize and belittle when you're "anonymous"!
Man Up, Girlfriend!
Posted by: No Name Required? | May 27, 2007 12:36 AM
You're funny. New law schools are always a political fight. Tech was "stolen" from El Paso, which region still thinks it needs a law school. South Texas thinks it deserves a law school. A&M wants a law school, but was denied in its attempt to take over a private law school in Houston. People here whined for years when SMU closed its night program. This push is a combination of UNT's desire to have a law school and Sen. West's desire to have a university in his district. The facts are that if you walk around Dallas, you will trip over lawyers who shouldn't be practicing at all or who jerk espresso 'cause there are no decent jobs. If anything, growth patters would show that UNT should have a law school at its flagship campus because the growth in our region is in Denton and Collin counties. Same for South Texas.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 27, 2007 9:18 AM
But UNT doesn't want anything at its "flagship" campus because UNT hates Denton. They've hiked tuition virtually every semester since they had free reign to do so, and they just keep spending the money everywhere BUT Denton. The basics like infrastructure maintenance (have you seen "Eagle Circle" lately?) and PARKING have gone unheeded while they pour money into southern Dallas so that they can become a "System" just like A&M or UT.
Posted by: wes m | May 27, 2007 7:06 PM