Statement on Interim Grades

These grades should not, in my professional opinion, be coming out now. Many people are still actively revising their work, and I have not yet pushed into the wiki my editorial comments on work done or revised since the end of the term. Your collective engagement with this work remains high: I have been reading with great interest the writing that has been done here on summer work experience, the Supreme Court nomination, and other subjects. In my view, at least another three weeks of commenting and revision should now occur. They will occur, at least on my side, but some peoples' motivation will inevitably slacken once they have received what they consider either a "good enough" or an "unfairly bad" grade.

My professional judgment as your teacher is being overruled in the interests of the law review selection process. Later, at the appropriate time, I will be happy to explain more fully who has said what, and in what tone of voice I answered. For now, it's enough to say that the interests of students who have applied to be members of certain law reviews will be harmed more by my insistence on the right way of teaching than you will be harmed by receiving "interim grades." Or so it appears to me, after several conversations with relevant parties.

The grades you are receiving are likely to change. I don't mean that every grade will change. In many cases, the revisions you have done since I last reviewed your contributions to the wiki will not alter my calculations of your effort, commitment and improvement. But in many they will. I expect to submit a comprehensive round of grade changes reflecting all the work done in the wiki through July 10, on or by July 25. Work done after that point will be reflected in later individual adjustments.

All grades should be ignored. These grades should be even more ignored than most. I'm going to keep reading and commenting, and I hope you will keep thinking, reading and writing. Fools who keep score will do what they do, but it should concern us as little as possible.

-- EbenMoglen - 23 Jun 2010