Is Johnathan Perkins Going to Graduate From UVA Law? (2024)

UPDATE (10/3/2017): We now know much more about what happened to Johnathan Perkins back in 2011 than we did at the time, and it majorly changes how he and the situation should be viewed. See this new story, Was UVA Law Alum Johnathan Perkins Pressured By The FBI Into Recanting His Account Of Racial Profiling?

Today is Commencement at UVA Law School. Congratulations to all of the UVA students who will soon become UVA alumni. You’ve worked hard for your law degrees, and you deserve commendation.

(Hopefully you have jobs lined up. Or at least other talents that can help you make a living — and pay back your student loans.)

Is Johnathan Perkins, the 3L who famously (or infamously) admitted making up a story about how he was racially profiled and harassed by university police, going to receive a J.D. degree from UVA Law — today, or in the future?

Let’s discuss. We have some evidence….

Several UVA sources sent us this list (PDF), Candidates for the J.D. Degree – May 22, 2011. If you look for Johnathan Perkins’s name, you will look in vain.

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Some interpreted this as a sign that Perkins isn’t graduating:

  • “Here is the degree candidate list for UVA. Apparently Perkins didn’t make it.”
  • “.PDF of UVA Law degree candidates is attached, Johnathan Perkins name is not listed. Guess the school is taking the fake police story seriously after all.”

But there was some dissent. Here’s what another UVA source said:

FYI, Perkins wasn’t on the list of degree candidates released today. So:

1) The list is simply those actually participating, and he’s not because he chose not to or was told not to (as a result of honor committee? out of respect for the other graduates?); or

2) He’s not getting a degree.

Citing the email that accompanied the list (reprinted in full below), I pushed back a bit on this interpretation:

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The list is entitled “Candidates for the J.D. Degree.” It should therefore include everyone upon whom a degree will be conferred, whether or not they participate in the ceremony.

Also, note this language from the cover memo: “Graduates who do not participate in Commencement on Sunday should contact the University Registrar’s Office on Monday about receiving their diplomas.”

This seems to envision some degree candidates not participating in the Commencement ceremony. But everyone who is eligible for the J.D. should be on the list, it seems to me. Am I missing something?

The source responded:

That’s one reading of it, that he is not receiving a degree at all. But, as per [Dean Paul] Mahoney’s statement, his degree may simply be being withheld pending the outcome of the Honor investigation — thus he’s not a candidate right now for purposes of Sunday. The list is candidates approved by the law faculty, and he may simply not be approved at this time pending an investigation.

So, my reading of it all is that an honor investigation is confirmed. Whether it has actually been completed and adjudicated is unclear. If it hasn’t been completed, I guess it would stand to reason that he could be awarded a degree at a later date pending a favorable outcome. Either way, the faculty clearly wasn’t comfortable including him in the ceremony at this time, but this doesn’t confirm yet that he has been expelled or will never graduate, at least to the best of my understanding.

To refresh your recollection, here is Dean Mahoney’s statement, in pertinent part (or read it in full over here):

The Honor System is student-run and confidential, and of course includes procedural protections for the accused. There will be no public statement of the existence of an Honor investigation (or any other disciplinary proceeding) unless the subject of the investigation chooses to make one. In the event that an Honor proceeding or other disciplinary action is unresolved at the time of graduation, the subject is typically permitted to participate in the ceremony but does not actually receive a degree pending the outcome of the proceeding.

In an attempt to resolve the ambiguity, I made several inquiries into Perkins’s status. I reached out to a law school spokesperson, the outgoing Chairman of the Honor Committee, and Perkins himself. The outgoing Honor Committee chairman declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of the Committee’s work; Perkins did not get back to me.

The law school spokesperson declined to comment on Perkins specifically. I did ask, however, whether she could confirm the accuracy of the list of degree candidates, which I attached to my email. She responded: “The list is accurate. We have no further comment.”

We’re betting that Perkins will not appear at the UVA Law commencement ceremonies; his presence would be awkward, to say the least. But his absence from Grounds today would not be conclusive as to his degree status, since participation in the ceremonies is not required. As noted in the registrar’s email, “Graduates who do not participate in Commencement on Sunday should contact the University Registrar’s Office on Monday about receiving their diplomas.”

If you have concrete information about whether Perkins might receive a UVA Law degree, whether today or at some point in the future, please email us, subject line “Johnathan Perkins,” or text us, 646-820-8477 (646-820-TIPS). Thanks.

UPDATE (10/3/2017): We now know much more about what happened to Johnathan Perkins back in 2011 than we did at the time, and it majorly changes how he and the situation should be viewed. See this new story, Was UVA Law Alum Johnathan Perkins Pressured By The FBI Into Recanting His Account Of Racial Profiling?

Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of Johnathan Perkins

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF LAW — MEMORANDUM — GRADUATION

From: Registrar’s Office
Date: Tue, May 17, 2011 at 1:53 PM
Subject: Spring Grades for May Degree Candidates
To: Law Students3

Now that exams are over and you are enjoying beach week or some other leisure activity, I wanted to update you on the grading calendar and procedures.

Instructors must submit “preliminary grades” for May degree candidates by 10 a.m. this Thursday, May 19th, so we can confirm graduation. On Friday morning, the Law faculty will approve the degree list. Late Friday afternoon, the President and others approve the list. Once approved, we will post the list of degree candidates in the windows outside the Student Records Office and on LawWeb – typically this is done by about 4:30 p.m. on Friday. In the unlikely event that someone has a graduation issue, I will contact them via e-mail on Friday afternoon. Graduates who do not participate in Commencement on Sunday, should contact the University Registrar’s Office on Monday about receiving their diplomas.

All final spring grades are due no later than Wednesday, June 15th. The Student Records Office processes grades as received and, typically, grades are posted on SIS within 2-3 working days after grades are received. A few days after June 15th, degrees will be posted on transcripts for students who have received all their grades. You can monitor this process on SIS by viewing your unofficial transcript. Once your degree is posted, you are responsible for forwarding transcripts to bars, employers or whomever may require one.

Best wishes for memorable Commencement.

Cary Bennett

Topics

Bad Ideas, Commencement, Crime, Graduation, Johnathan Perkins, Law Schools, Law Students, Legal Ethics, Minority Issues, Paul G. Mahoney, Paul Mahoney, Police, Police Officers, Racial Profiling, Racism, University of Virginia School of Law, UVA, UVA Law, Virginia, Virginia Law Weekly

Is Johnathan Perkins Going to Graduate From UVA Law? (2024)

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How prestigious is UVA Law? ›

UVA's School of Law remains the country's No. 1 public law school and jumped four spots to No. 4 overall, in a tie with Duke University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. The School of Education and Human Development cracked the top 10 for the first time in more than two decades.

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Fidell, Linda Greenhouse, Sarah Haan, Aneil Kovvali, Zhuang (John) Liu, (bottom, left to right) John J. Martin, Helen Min, Karen Moran, Gerard Robinson and Christopher Williams are new faculty and scholars at UVA Law for 2023-24.

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Graduates at the University of Virginia School of Law lead the nation in obtaining elite jobs, according to new American Bar Association data.

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At nine months after graduation, when the ABA collects its data, 98.5% of UVA Law's 2022 graduates were employed and earning a median salary of $215,000.

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Notable alumni

Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Lowell Weicker, John Warner, David K.E. Bruce, Louis Auchincloss, DeMaurice Smith, Robert Mueller, Janet Napolitano and others. The school's alumni giving rate of more than 50 percent for the past 11 years is among the highest of the nation's law schools.

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The University of Virginia Law School Admissions

At the University of Virginia Law School, admissions are extremely competitive. While the average national acceptance rate for law schools is around 45%, it is much more difficult to get accepted into UVA Law.

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To be considered a competitive applicant, students that choose to write the LSAT should aim to score between 166-173. The UVA Law LSAT median is 171.

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J.D. Program Budget, 2023-24
VIRGINIA RESIDENTNONRESIDENT
Tuition and Fees:$71,200$74,200
Living Expenses (details below):$25,370$25,370
Books and Supplies:$1,800$1,800
Loan Fees:$216$216
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More than 7,000 people typically apply to UVA Law each year, and only about 680 will get in. Although the school's low acceptance rate might seem daunting, you should not be deterred if you have strong test scores and a solid GPA. In addition, knowing some key facts about the school can help enrich your application.

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Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.

Why is UVA so prestigious? ›

The University is an iconic public institution of higher education, boasting nationally ranked schools and programs, diverse and distinguished faculty, a major academic medical center and proud history as a renowned research university.

Is UVA law school hard to get into? ›

At the University of Virginia Law School, admissions are extremely competitive. While the average national acceptance rate for law schools is around 45%, it is much more difficult to get accepted into UVA Law.

Is UVA considered prestigious? ›

The US News college rankings place the University of Virginia ranking at #25 among all national universities. The University of Virginia ranking in US News is the same as that of NYU, the University of Michigan, and the University of Southern California—three other large, elite colleges.

What is the most prestigious university for law? ›

Harvard Law School

Does UVA Law rank students? ›

Class Rank. The Law School does not use or disclose class rank except for limited purposes, such as determination of specific academic awards.

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