News featuring a faculty member
Many recent changes in rules and regulations surrounding nuclear power reactors have been enacted with the goal of expanding the use of nuclear technology, but the shifts also run the risk of overwhelming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and threatening the industry. In a new editorial published by Nuclear Newswire, Professor Arden Rowell and a team […]
What is really being debated when individuals debate legal interpretation? This is the central question in a new paper written by Professor Bill Watson published in the latest issue of the Boston University Law Review. The “meta-interpretive” question “is key to making progress,” according to Watson. “We should be wary of monolithic interpretive theories that […]
In October, the Illinois Legislature passed the Bivens Act, which provides new state-level protections for individuals interacting with Illinois courts, hospitals, schools, and child-care centers during civil immigration enforcement activities. Writing at Justia Verdict, Professors Jason Mazzone and Vikram Amar praise the law as “an important and innovative law in keeping with the proudest tradition of federalism”; […]
In addition to her JD from the University of North Carolina, Meghan Brinson also holds an MFA in creative writing from Arizona State University, which made her an ideal guest for the Cornered podcast’s episode on literature and the law. Speaking on the show, produced by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Brinson discussed […]
Professor Jacob Sherkow has co-authored a new paper with Laura Valtere (University of Copenhagen – CeBIL) and Timo Minssen (University of Copenhagen – CeBIL) titled “Intellectual Property, New Genomic Technologies And Plant Innovation: Clearing Innovation Pathways.” The abstract follows: New genomic technologies (NGTs), such as genome editing-the modification of DNA in living cells-promises to revolutionize […]
Professor Robert Lawless, along with co-authors Pamela Foohey and Deborah Thorne, recently sat down with Law360 for an in-depth interview on their book “Debt’s Grip: Risk and Consumer Bankruptcy.” The book is the latest to come out of the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, a long-term interdisciplinary research project on consumer bankruptcies in the U.S. that began […]
Professor Jennifer Pahre recently published “A Comparison of Inadequate Doctrines: The Canadian “honour of the Crown” and the U.S. Federal Trust Responsibility” in the Texas A&M Journal of Property Law. The paper, written as a result of a grant from the Indigenous Politics Program at the American Political Science Association, compares key policies of the […]
Although it was ultimately not included in the recently approved Chicago area transit bailout measure, Professor Jason Mazzone told the Cook County Record in late October that the proposed “billionaire’s tax” would face a stiff uphill battle in court. “The sponsors of the (legislation), which would impose a tax on unrealized gains on assets owned […]
Professor Richard Ross was recently a featured guest on the Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness podcast. He and fellow guest Professor Steven Wilf (UConn) discussed the creation of the legal concept of the people with the right to overthrow their government. The podcast is created by the Amerikazentrum research center in Germany, highlighting […]
On November 11, 2025, Jacob S. Sherkow was invested as the Richard W. and Marie L. Corman Professor of Law in a ceremony honoring his commitment to scholarship, teaching, and public engagement. In remarks shared at the ceremony, Dean Jamelle Sharpe said, “Professor Sherkow’s achievements—and the real-world impact of his work—represent the very best of […]