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DC Carolina Law Alumni Reception
November 28, 2023 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
UNC School of Law and The Law Alumni Association invite you to join us for Carolina Law Reception in D.C. with Professors Andy Hessick, Rick Simpson, and law students in the Supreme Court Program.
On November 28, the United States Supreme Court will hear argument in McElrath v. Georgia – a case filed by the UNC School of Law Supreme Court Program. The program provides an opportunity for Carolina law students to draft briefs and assist counsel in cases before the Supreme Court.
At issue in the McElrath case is whether the Double Jeopardy Clause prohibits retrying a defendant on a charge following an earlier acquittal. The defendant, Damien McElrath, was tried for malice murder, aggravated assault, and felony murder after he stabbed his foster mother. The jury found McElrath not guilty of malice murder by reason of insanity but convicted him of aggravated assault and felony murder. The Georgia Supreme Court concluded that those verdicts were impermissibly repugnant because they depended on conflicting findings about McElrath’s sanity. For that reason, the court vacated both the acquittal and convictions for retrial.
Working with the UNC Program, Professor Richard Simpson ’77, a Carolina Law alumnus and partner at Wiley Rein, along with co-counsel Professor Andy Hessick, represents McElrath before The Supreme Court. Their position is that double jeopardy precludes retrial of the acquittal. The case will be argued by Professor Simpson.
Join us at Charlie Palmer Steak from 5:30 – 7:30 to hear from Professors Simpson and Hessick. Remarks will begin at 6:15 p.m.
RSVP by Monday, November 27th, at noon. Questions? Contact Kelly Mann Rose, assistant director of alumni and donor relations, at mann@unc.edu.
