BULLETIN
#15 Summer 1995

l CASH PRIZES AWARDED TO THREE LAW STUDENTS IN ESSAY CONTEST
l TAFOL CONTINUES FIGHT FOR FREEDOM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
l ROBERT S. GETMAN ELECTED TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS; MICHAEL
     MAZZONE ASSUMES PRESIDENCY

#15 Summer 1995 Page 1

CASH PRIZES AWARDED TO THREE LAW STUDENTS IN ESSAY CONTEST

The Association for Objective Law's first Essay Contest drew sixteen contestants from law schools in nine states, including the University of Southern California, Columbia University, Southern Methodist University, Syracuse University, Temple University, St. John's University, and the University of Houston. The purpose of the contest is to promote awareness of Ayn Rand's philosophy among law students. Students were asked to write an essay concerning the application of Ayn Rand's political philosophy to legal issues that the students might face in law school. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three entrants:

• Michael L. Sensor, winner of the $1,000 first prize, is a second-year student at the Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A 24-year-old native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Mr. Sensor intends to apply for post-graduation judicial clerkships and then become a sole practitioner in the Pittsburgh area. Mr. Sensor became interested in Ayn Rand when he was assigned to read it by a teacher at the Catholic high school he was attending. He met his wife, Donna, also an Objectivist, through the Internet, and they were married in October, 1993. He learned of the essay contest through a notice in The Intellectual Activist, but by the time he received a flyer, there were only one and one-half weeks left before the deadline. Originally, he wrote a traditional essay, but he decided at the last minute to recast it in the format of an actual judicial decision. The remarkable results of his efforts will be reprinted in the next issue of this Bulletin.

• Matthew S. McKeever, winner of the $700 second prize, is a second-year student at Brooklyn Law School in Brooklyn, New York. A 25-year-old native of Norfolk, Nebraska, Mr. McKeever is interested in pursuing a specialty in the law of international transactions. He learned of the essay contest through a flyer posted at his law school. He has prior familiarity with Ayn Rand's writings, which he has found especially helpful in his courses in constitutional law and the law of trusts. He says that he enjoyed writing his prize-winning essay and has since read more of Ayn Rand's works.

• Amy Rambach, who won the $300 third prize, is a 27-year-old first-year student at Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, California. Ms. Rambach learned about Objectivism through The Fountainhead essay contest in high school. Now, her career goal is to be a law professor and to teach constitutional law and the philosophy of law.

We extend congratulations to these winners and to all those who entered. Naturally, we hope that the number of participants will grow each year, as word of the contest spreads and as we improve our efforts at publicity. TAFOL welcomes donations for the cash prizes and operating expenses, which will include substantial sums for printing and mailing. TAFOL has § 501(c)(3) public charity status, and thus the Internal Revenue Service recognizes donations as tax deductible.

TAFOL CONTINUES FIGHT FOR FREEDOM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

In April, 1995, TAFOL filed an eighteen-page brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City, in the case of Daniel Immediato, et al. v. Rye Neck School District, et al. Like the previous case of Steirer v. Bethlehem Area School District, the Immediato case challenges the right of public school authorities to require service to the needy as a precondition for receiving a high school diploma. The brief includes quotations of relevant passages from Ayn Rand's essays and challenges the altruist ethical premise underlying mandatory student service, that individuals must justify their existence by service to others. The "Summary of Argument" section of the brief reads as follows:

     The Rye Neck School District Board of Education has established a morality
     test for graduating from high

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     school. No longer is it sufficient for students to demonstrate that they have
     mastered a certain body of knowledge. Now, students must also demonstrate
     that they have practiced a certain code of morality. Mandatory service to the
     needy accomplishes no legitimate pedagogical goal. Rather, its aim is merely
     to establish altruism as the official morality of the Rye Neck School District.
     By prescribing what shall be orthodox in this crucial matter of opinion, the
     Board of Education has impermissibly infringed upon the constitutionally
     protected liberties of its students.

Oral arguments in the Immediato case have not yet been scheduled.

In addition, Tom Bowden was the commencement speaker for the second annual alternative graduation ceremony for the Seniors of Liberty and Freedom ("Liberty" and "Freedom" are the names of the school district's two high schools). Each year, the program honors graduating seniors who have refused on principle to perform community service as required by the Bethlehem Area School District. This year, two such students were honored. The event was covered by the Allentown Morning Call, which noted: "The hour-long ceremony was part graduation and part anti-mandatory service rally. References to the objectivist, individualist philosophy of Ayn Rand abounded." The article quoted Tom Bowden as stating: "I've got a 3-year-old son at home. I don't want him to have to prove before he can graduate from high school that he'll serve others without reward. I don't want him to have to pass that morality test."

ROBERT S. GETMAN ELECTED TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS; MICHAEL MAZZONE ASSUMES PRESIDENCY

Robert S. Getman, a lawyer for Prudential Securities, Inc. and long-time Objectivist, has been elected to TAFOL's Board of Directors. A native and resident of New York City, Bob has studied Objectivism for more than thirty years. He has published his work in The Objectivist Forum and The Intellectual Activist as well as in legal journals. Bob will also serve as TAFOL's Vice President.

Michael Mazzone, a lawyer with [omitted] in Houston, has agreed to serve as TAFOL's President. Michael is familiar to TAFOL supporters for his energetic and cogent opposition to mandatory pro bono service for lawyers in Texas and to IOLTA (interest on lawyer trust accounts) plans that force clients to finance legal aid to the poor. Michael recently received welcome moral support in his efforts from a member of the Texas Court of Appeals. Justice Murray B. Cohen wrote a personal letter stating in part: "Thank you for the brief you filed in State Bar of Texas v. Gomez [the mandatory pro bono case]. It is extremely well written and persuasive . . . Thank you for the thought and passion you put into this work." The brief to which Justice Cohen referred is a manifesto for lawyers' freedom to practice their profession. It includes the following passage: "Forced labor of lawyers is forced altruism . . . Altruism is inconsistent with the organic law of the United States. As noted, the Declaration of Independence provides that we have the right to pursue happiness. 'One cannot combine the pursuit of happiness with the moral status of a sacrificial animal.' A. Rand, "Man's Rights," in The Virtue of Selfishness (1964)."
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Copyright © 1995 The Association for Objective Law. All rights reserved. The Association for Objective Law is a Missouri non-profit corporation whose purpose is to advance Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand, as the basis of a proper legal system.