Samantha Medlin, a University of Houston Law Center 2024 graduate and Criminal Law Association President for the '23-'24 academic year
May 28, 2024 — Samantha Medlin, a University of Houston Law Center 2024 graduate and Criminal Law Association President for the '23-'24 academic year, was awarded the school’s Mark Vela Endowed Scholarship for her criminal law paper titled “Coty: A presumption of Falsity.”
For the paper on Coty, Medlin conducted an independent study under the guidance of UHLC Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson. In her research, Medlin examined the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision Ex parte Coty, analyzing its implications, the framework it established as a check on governmental actions in criminal matters, and its future applications.
Reflecting on the process, Medlin noted its value in shaping her legal skills.
“By being able to step back and look from a bird’s eye view, I believe I am better equipped to advocate for my future clients as a practicing attorney,” said Medlin.
In another writing project, Medlin and Professor Thompson are scheduled for publication in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology at Northwestern Law School for their work on the criminal justice jurisprudence of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg./p>
Assisting Thompson, Medlin contributed to a comprehensive review of Justice Ginsburg’s attitudes regarding criminal justice. The team took a novel approach to the study of a Supreme Court Justice’s judicial philosophy. They conducted an empirical study of the criminal cases in which Justice Ginsburg was in the majority in cases decided by only five votes, rather than focusing only on her written opinions./p>
“The resulting data shed new light on how Justice Ginsburg viewed particular criminal law issues, a subject which she is not generally known for her jurisprudence,” said Medlin.
“Samantha spent countless hours and showed genuine creativity in conducting the empirical study and creating comprehensive tables and charts for the article,” Thompson said. “She volunteered to work with me during the summer after her first year in law school,” Thompson added, “and we received the offer to publish the article as she was about to graduate!”
“Overall, these experiences helped me to view criminal law from a more macroscopic view rather than the day-to-day experiences that many criminal defense attorneys find themselves in,” Medlin said. “I am so thankful to Professor Thompson for providing me these opportunities and for being such an amazing mentor.”
