Marguerite A. Driessen, associate professor at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, received the Michigan State University Journal of Medicine and Law Award for Exceptional Writing in Medical Legal Scholarship.
Driessen received the award in recognition of her article, “Avoiding the Melissa Rowland Dilemma: Why Disobeying a Doctor Should Not Be a Crime,” which demonstrated “clarity of expression, innovative thought and reform-minded argumentation.”
Her article, addressing whether it is legally appropriate to impose criminal charges for disobeying doctors’ advice, especially regarding pregnant women, will appear in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Medicine and Law.
Born in West Germany, Driessen has traveled throughout Europe and the United States with her career army parents. She received her bachelor’s degree from BYU in political science, and her juris doctorate degree from Stanford University, where she was the associate managing editor of the Stanford Law Review.
After graduating from law school, Driessen worked with Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., an environmental law firm in Washington, D.C. She then accepted a position with the Office of General Counsel of the United States Sentencing Commission, where she provided legal analysis and support for the development of amendment proposals and agency policies and procedures.
In 1996, she accepted a faculty position at the BYU Law School, where she teaches evidence, advanced evidence, professional responsibility, criminal law and criminal sentencing.
Writer: Angela Fischer
