Law Professors

Only 2 women make list of most cited legal scholars

A list of the 50 most cited U.S. legal scholars of all time contains many well-known names but only two women.

Nov 11, 2021 1:29 PM CST

Lawyers and staffers at just 3 BigLaw firms gave more money to Trump than Biden

Lawyers and staff members at top law firms overwhelmingly favored President Joe Biden and Democratic Party organizations in campaign contributions than former President Donald Trump, according to a law professor’s analysis.

Nov 10, 2021 11:24 AM CST

Law grad’s petition blames software crash for bar exam failure, seeks law license

Represented by his former law professor, a graduate of Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law is seeking admission to the bar, despite a bar exam score that was five points too low.

Nov 9, 2021 10:51 AM CST

SCOTUS justices’ opinions regarding cert denials stoke partisan divide, op-ed contends

Opinions regarding cert denials by U.S. Supreme Court justices are “rife with problems and should be largely abandoned,” according to a recent op-ed in the New York Times by a professor at Pepperdine University’s Caruso School of Law.

Nov 5, 2021 11:38 AM CDT

When most of law school faculty were straight white men, how did those who were not bring change?

This month’s Asked and Answered podcast looks at how work environments have changed for female law school faculty.

Oct 25, 2021 9:04 AM CDT

When the law teacher becomes the student

If there’s one thing the pandemic taught us, it’s our need for nimble adaptation. Law has historically been slow to adapt to change and innovation. But the arrival of COVID-19 changed the way we conduct business, from navigating Zoom hearings and using VPNs to juggling child care and homeschooling for those with young children. Even turning off video filters proved challenging, as illustrated by the kitty cat lawyer Zoom hearing on YouTube.

Oct 20, 2021 9:11 AM CDT

Typo in 1928 Supreme Court opinion created ‘reign of error,’ law prof says

A tiny typographical error in a 1928 U.S. Supreme Court opinion had a big impact after it was picked up in subsequent opinions and used to bolster arguments for property rights, a law professor has found.

Oct 19, 2021 1:18 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Texas abortion clinics return to SCOTUS; law prof known for critical race theory work wins award

Texas abortion clinics seek SCOTUS review Abortion providers in Texas asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to consider whether their lawsuit challenging the state’s restrictive law can go forward. The Supreme Court had refused to block the law—which bans most abortions at about six weeks—in a Sept. 1 decision.…

Sep 24, 2021 3:50 PM CDT

Law prof’s memo told Pence he could give Trump election win as ‘ultimate arbiter’ in elector count

A conservative law professor wrote a memo telling then-Vice President Mike Pence how he could give then-President Donald Trump an election win when Congress counted Electoral College votes Jan. 6.

Sep 22, 2021 2:36 PM CDT

At some law schools, why are those who teach called ‘instructor’ rather than ‘professor’?

At Rutgers Law School, everyone who teaches law is called a professor, but that is not true at many other institutions, where faculty who teach topics including legal writing, academic success and clinical work are often given titles including “instructor” or “director.” They are usually paid less than tenure-track professors and sometimes have little if any job security.

Sep 13, 2021 8:57 AM CDT

Law school clinic wins reversal of 1993 conviction based on prosecutor’s remarks about ‘trickster lovers’

A prosecutor’s closing argument about sadomasochistic “trickster lovers” made a 1993 sexual assault trial so fundamentally unfair that the conviction should be reversed, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 10, 2021 10:04 AM CDT

State supreme court’s chief justice declares justice system emergency to increase pro bono representation

The Virginia Supreme Court’s chief justice has issued an emergency order to increase the pool of lawyers who can represent indigent tenants who are facing eviction and others in need of free legal help.

Aug 23, 2021 2:30 PM CDT

Law prof’s federal discrimination suit against University of Idaho allowed to go forward

A U.S. district judge last week denied the University of Idaho’s motion for summary judgment on gender and race discrimination claims brought by a Black female law professor who claims she was unfairly denied an associate dean position and a stipend.

Aug 11, 2021 2:12 PM CDT

Law professors Stephen and Barbara Gillers turn breakfast chats into legal ethics podcast

It all started with John Dean, Stephen Gillers tells me. In 1973, Dean, President Richard Nixon’s White House counsel, testified at the Senate Watergate hearings. He provided the committee investigating the scandal with a list of those likely to be indicted for their roles. Dean put asterisks next to those who were lawyers. There were 10.

Aug 10, 2021 8:58 AM CDT

A lawyer’s primer on loss: Grieving the death of a parent

“We are on borrowed time now.” That is what the manager at the assisted living facility where my father has lived for nearly four years gently tells me. A few weeks earlier, during a phone consult with my younger brother and me, my father’s physician introduces the word "hospice" into the conversation.

Jul 28, 2021 9:12 AM CDT