Faculty News 8 - College of Law

Mazzone part of Sawyer Seminar grant team

Susan Koshy, Jason Mazzone, David Sepkoski, and Rosalyn LaPier

For the first time in the 30-year history of the Sawyer Seminar Program, a team of Illinois faculty researchers have been awarded the prestigious grant, including College of Law Professor Jason Mazzone. The grant is given through Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to groups studying the challenges to democracy and academic freedom confronting US universities now. The Illinois initiative includes Susan Koshy (Asian American Studies and English), Rosalyn LaPier (History and American Indian Studies), Jason Mazzone (Law), and David Sepkoski (History).

The group’s work will examine risk and academic freedom through a series of case studies done in conjunction with a larger team of contributors from around the university. The Sawyer Seminar’s activities will span a two-year period, beginning in the spring of 2026.

Learn more about the Sawyer Seminar Program in the LAS news release.

Discover events and news about the Illinois initiative, A Risk U.

Murphy talks to Illinois International about her role in helping the university fulfill its mission of global engagement

In addition to her role as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Law, Professor Colleen Murphy has also been appointed as Interim Associate Chancellor and Vice Provost for Global Affairs & Strategies Designate. She recently spoke with Illinois International about the role, her vision for global engagement at the University, how she hopes to facilitate global research collaborations, and areas of opportunity in the coming year.

Read the full interview.

R. Ross publishes new essay in The Cambridge History of the American Revolution

A stack of rare books at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Professor Richard Ross recently published an essay about how the Patriots’ use of law facilitated political mobilization for the American Revolution. The essay, “Legal Orders,” was co-authored with Steven Wilf, and appears in Cambridge History of the American Revolution, Volume 1: Revolutionary Contexts, ed. Marjoleine Kars, Michael A. McDonnell, and Andrew M. Schocket (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2026), I, 513-33.

Learn more about the book series.

Lawless discusses bankruptcy, the student debt crisis, and more on The UIUC Talkshow

An audio recording studio with microphone and chair

Leading bankruptcy law expert and professor Bob Lawless recently sat down with the students behind the independent, student-run production The UIUC Talkshow. Lawless discussed the student debt crisis, the history of bankruptcy law, and some proposed solutions.

View the full conversation on youtube.com.

Gerke publishes article in AMA Journal of Ethics

As artificial intelligence technology becomes more commonplace, questions about its ethical use are of more salience. In the AMA Journal of Ethics, Professor Sara Gerke examines one area of interest in this field: how ambient listening and transcription technology influences medical doctors’ documentation practices and clinical encounters. In her article, Gerke and her co-author seek to answer questions and provide best-practice recommendations for informed consent processes and patient-clinician relationships.

Read the full article online.

Sherkow publishes new paper in Stanford Law Review

Main Library at the University of Illinois in early fall.

“Infringement by label” is when a court treats drug labels as if they were patent claims, assessing whether their text merely “contains” a patented method of use, and it is also the subject of the latest scholarly research from Professor Jacob Sherkow. Writing in the Stanford Law Review, Sherkow explains how infringement by label threatens the ability of generic drugs to enter the market and how this creates a lack of clarity in the about patent infringement.

Read the full text online.

Aronson pens op-ed for Ms. Magazine

Professor Lauren Aronson teaches a class.

“The weight of society’s expectations of working moms on a normal day is crushing,” Professor Lauren Aronson writes in a new editorial published by Ms. Magazine. “With the added obligation that moms ensure our families experience a quintessential holiday season, this weight feels insurmountable.” From her role as an immigration lawyer as well as a mother of two, Aronson examines the obligations and expectations of mothers during the holiday season and concludes that every mom truly deserves a day off.

Read her full editorial online.

Watson honored with AALS Future Promise Award

Association of American Law Schools’ (AALS) Section on Jurisprudence has selected Professor Bill Watson as the 2026 recipient of its Future Promise Award. The award is given annually to recognize the research accomplishments of junior scholars working in the area of jurisprudence whose work reflects future promise in both philosophy and law. Watson was be honored at the AALS annual meeting in early January. The College of Law offers its sincere congratulations to Professor Watson for this honor.

Trump v. Barbara is biggest case of term, Mazzone writes

Professor Jason Mazzone speaks during a panel

In terms of impact, the biggest case before the United States Supreme Court in its current term is Trump v. Barbara, Professor Jason Mazzone predicted in the News-Gazette. The case, which will consider the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s executive order denying birthright citizenship to individuals born in the United States, is “plainly unconstitutional,” he states. “I expect that when the court rules in Trump v. Barbara, it will issue a strongly originalist decision that deploys constitutional text, structure and history to reject the president’s attempt to evade the plain words of the Fourteenth Amendment. That will be a fitting outcome in the year in which we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,” he concludes.

Read the full article on the News-Gazette website.

Thomas authors article on UK and US juries

Writing in The George Washington Law Review, Professor Suja Thomas contrasts the ways in which employment cases are adjudicated in United Kingdom and the United States. Though the United States modeled its system on that of the United Kingdom, “the U.K. has more heavily circumscribed the right to a jury trial in both criminal and civil cases,” she writes. One main difference, Thomas concludes, is that the U.S. is more prone to dismissal of employment discrimination cases, whereas U.K. is wary of such outcomes.

Read the full text online.