So what’s up with “Res Gestae”? Looking Back, and Looking Forward

There’s perhaps no better time and place to reflect on the meaning of “res gestae” than in the relaunch of the Res Gestae newspaper.

From Latin — like everything else in our profession — res gestae means “things done” or “things transacted.”

In our profession, we most commonly see the concept of res gestae invoked as an identifier for actions committed over the whole life of a felony, and in a different context as an exception to ordinary rules of hearsay. In the former sense, the res gestae of a bank robbery could be when the robber first draws a weapon, and ends once he is apprehended by the police. In the latter sense, an exclamation at the scene of a crime that referred to the ongoing action—”the bank is being robbed!”, for instance—could be admissible as a res gestae exception.

No matter its context, res gestae refers to happenings, the goings-on of a time and place. That’s the same spirit that we hope to encapture in this newspaper. We’ll shine a light on news within the MLaw community, ranging from memorable events to remarkable community members, and things to lighten the mood … God knows law students need a joke every now and then.

For the historically inclined among us, note that this isn’t the first time that law students have valiantly tried to document the things happening. Res Gestae had its roots in 1950, when it was sponsored through LSSS’s precursor body, LSA. For those historically inclined to the point of nerdiness, you can even read all of the past issues of Res Gestae hidden deeply on MLaw’s website. Over the years, Res Gestae documented law school life throughout its sixty-three years, until folding in 2013.

Certainly, we can’t blame our predecessor students for letting Res Gestae wither: everything in the law school community has intensified since then. Applications open earlier, write-ons seem more intense than ever, and a broader-than-ever catalog of classes and clinics keep law students lasered in on academia til the wee hours of the night. Perhaps an eleven-year hiatus was the much-needed sabbatical that our hardy paper needed to rest and recharge, before finding a new generation of litigious Wolverines to serve.

Whatever the case may be, I am pleased to report that Res Gestae is back, and eager to serve you all. What makes our paper unique is its focus on MLaw, more precise than the Michigan Daily, Michigan Review, or other campuswide publications. We are an organization of law students, for law students, excited to report on the “things done” in our law school community. Perhaps one excerpt from the first edition of Res Gestae in 1950 describes our aims best:

“Our name sets the policies which will govern this publication. We shall on all matters speak frankly. We do not, however, intend to be a Don Quixote. Our first loyalty is always to our school and to the welfare of its students. Our expressions will always be in keeping with the dignity of the profession of law. We hope never to plead guilty to being sophomorish; nor to being so sophisticated as to be boring.”