Faculty in the News

2021

Faculty Notes

December 13 - "Brian Leiter's Law School Reports" noted a list compiled by Professor Scott Dodson (Hastings) of faculty under age 50 who have appeared on the "most-cited" lists for the period 2016 - 2020: Law schools with three or more faculty on the "under 50" list are: Chicago (7), Harvard (7), Yale (7), Georgetown (6), NYU (5), William & Mary (3). Read more.

September 23 - "Brian Leiter's Law School Reports" ranked William & Mary Law School 21st on its list of the top 25 law schools ranked by median scholarly impact. Read more.

Professor Elizabeth Andrews

December 7 -Virginia Governor Ralph Northam released the "Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan" to adapt and protect the state's coast. The press release announcing the plan quoted Professor Elizabeth Andrews, director of the Virginia Coastal Policy Center, who serves on the Virginia Coastal Resilience Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

February 24 - WHRO Public Media, Virginia, quoted Professor Elizabeth Andrews, director of the Virginia Coastal Policy Center, in a story titled "Virginians Could See Big Jumps in Flood Insurance Rates Soon."  Read the story.

Professor Jeffrey Bellin

December 21 - The American Law Institute elected Professor Jeffrey Bellin as a new member. Read the story.

December 20 - Time magazine quoted Professor Jeffrey Bellin and cited his 2018 scholarship ("The Silence Penalty") on why defendants exercise or do not exercise their right to testify in criminal trials in a story titled "From Ghislaine Maxwell to Kim Potter, It's the Risk Every Defendant Weighs." Read the story.

November 12 - The Wall Street Journal quoted Professor Jeffrey Bellin in the story "Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Nears End as Defense Gambles by Putting Teenager on the Stand." Bellin is author of "The Silence Penalty" 103 Iowa L. Rev. 395 (2018). SSRNRead the story.

October 19 - The Associated Press quoted Professor Jeffrey Bellin in a story titled "District Attorneys Refuse to Prosecute Some GOP-Led Laws." Read the story.

September 30 - "Brian Leiter's Law School Reports" noted that Professor Jeffrey Bellin was among the most highly cited scholars writing on evidence for 2016 - 2020.  Read the post.

March 25 - Professor Jeffrey Bellin’s commentary in "SCOTUSblog" about Torres v. Madrid - an important new Fourth Amendment case decided on March 25 by the Supreme Court.  Read the blog.

March 25 - NBC News quoted Professor Jeff Bellin in a story on the Torres v. Madrid opinion titled "Supreme Court Makes It Easier to Sue Big Companies and Police.  Read the story.

March 4 – Reuters quoted Professor Jeffrey Bellin in a story titled "Democrats Eye Three Progressive Prosecutors for U.S. Attorney Posts." Read the story.

January 29 -Professor Jeffrey Bellin quoted in Bloomberg Law story, "Prosecutors Weigh Pro-Trump Mob's Ideology in Sedition Probe." Read the story.

Professor Aaron-Andrew Bruhl

December 30 - A New Jersey state court cited “Remand Power and the Supreme Court’s Role” by Professor Aaron-Andrew Bruhl. See Getty Properties Corp. v. St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co., No. A-0182-19, 2021 WL 6139335 at *4 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Dec. 30, 2021).

November 9 - "Brian Leiter's Law School Reports" featured a post on the 10 most-cited legislation/statuatory interpretation law faculty in 2016 - 2020. Professor Bruhl is ranked as ninth. Read the post.

July 9 - Richmond Times-Dispatch quotes Professor Aaron-Andrew Bruhl in story, "Policing, race heating up the pages of opinions in Richmond-based federal appeals court." Read the story.

April 6 - Professor Aaron-Andrew Bruhl quoted in Law Week Colorado story about splits between 6th circuit and 10th circuit rulings in bump stock cases that have put Chevron deference on center stage. Read the story.

Professor Eric Chason

April 24 - Tom Huddleston, Jr. of CNBC "Make It" spoke to W&M Law Prof. Eric Chason about a convincing way that Craig Wright can prove he is the inventor of bitcoin. Read the story.

Professor Nancy Combs

June 22 - NBC News and Inside Climate News quoted Professor Nancy Combs in the story, "The Push to Make 'Ecocide' an International Crime Takes a Big Step Forward." NBC News  Inside Climate News

Professor Katherine Mims Crocker

December 14 - On the Divided Argument podcast: mention of an article by Professor Katherine Mims Crocker titled "Reconsidering Section 1983's Nonabrogation of Sovereign Immunity," 73 Florida Law Review 523 (2021). Listen to the podcast at about 01:02:36.

November 17 - "Legal Theory Blog" featured scholarship by Professor Katherine Mims Crocker:  The Supreme Court's Reticent Qualified Immunity Retreat (Essay, 71 Duke Law Journal Online 1 (2021)) on SSRN. Read the post.

June 23 - Professor Howard Wasserman reviewed new and forthcoming scholarship on entity liability by Professor Katherine Mims Crocker in Jotwell. Read it here. The review was also noted on PrawfsBlawg.

Professor Neal Devins

November 30 - USA Today quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story titled "Supreme Court's Decision in Abortion Case Will Affect Dozens of States Beyond Mississippi." Read the story.

November 30 - USA Today quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story titled 'They Could Overturn Roe': "Supreme Court to Hear Argument in Blockbuster Mississippi Abortion Case." Read the story (subscription required).

October 31 - USA Today quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story titled "As Supreme Court Hears Texas Abortion Cases, Questions Linger About Vitality of Roe v. Wade." Read the story (subscription required).

October 4 - An article in FiveThirtyEight about the Court's new term cited a 2019 book by Professor Lawrence Baum and Professor Neal Devins titled "The Company They Keep: How Partisan Divisions Came to the Supreme Court."  Read the articleLearn more about the book.

September 27 - Professor Neal Devins was quoted in a Bloomberg Law story titled "Midterm Fears Quicken Pace on Biden Judicial Nominations." Read the story.

September 10 - The Telegraph (U.K.) quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story, "U.S. Justice Department Sues Texas Over State's New Law Banning Abortion." Read the story (subscription required).

September 3 - The Richmond Times-Dispatch cited a forthcoming article, "Weaponinzing En Banc," by Professor Neal Devins and Professor Allison Orr Larsen, in a story about recent dissenting opinions on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Read the story, "Judges and Observers of Powerful Federal Appeals Court Express Concern on Partisanship."

September 3 - USA Today quoted Professor Neal Devins in the story titled "What is Roe v. Wade and How Could the Texas Abortion Law Affect It?"  Read the story.

September 2 - The Wall Street Journal quoted Professor Neal Devins in the story titled "Texas Ruling Raises Doubts on Chief Justice's Hold on the Roberts Court."  Read the story.

September 1 - National Law Journal quoted Professor Neal Devins in the story titled "Dissents in Denial of En Banc Reviews Fuel Concerns Judges Are Airing Partisan 'Dirty Laundry.'" Read the story (requires account).

August 27 - Bloomberg Radio host June Grasso talked with Professor Neal Devins about the Supreme Court's lifting of the Biden administration's eviction moratorium. Listen to the podcast.

August 24 - Poltico quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story titled "DOJ Forgoes Appeal of Order Blocking Money for Minority Farmers." Read the story.

August 3 - Politico quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story titled "Historic Debt Relief for Minority Farmers Faces Legal Juggernaut." Read the story.

July 19 - USA Today quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story titled "Division Among Supreme Court Conservatives Complicates Overturning Roe." Read the story (subscription required).

July 16 - Law.com quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story titled "Are Judicial Picks with Defender Pasts Unfairly Criticized? Yes, and It's Not New, Experts Say." Read the story.

July 1 - Law360 quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story titled "3 Discrimination Takeaways From the Latest High Court Term." Read the story. Read the story.

May 20 - The New York Times quoted Professor Neal Devins in a story titled "Breyer Worries Retiring Could Add to Polarization. Would It?" Read the story.

March 29 - The Wall Street Journal quoted Professor Neal Devins in story, "Biden Has First Shot at Judicial Vacancies."  Read the story.


March 23 - On the Bloomberg podcast with June Grasso, Professor Neal Devins discussed his study with Professor Allison Orr Larsen, "Weaponizing En Banc."  Listen.

March 1 -  The ABA Journal examined a new study by Professor Neal Devins and Professor Allison Orr Larsen in a story titled "Study finds 'Trump-Era Uptick' in Partisan Voting by En Banc Courts." Read the story.

February 22 – Adam Liptak of the New York Times featured research by Professor Neal Devins and Professor Allison Orr Larsen in a column titled “On Federal Appeals Court, a Spike in Partisanship.” Read the column. New York University Law Review will publish the professors’ research in a forthcoming volume. Read about the research on SSRN.

February 13 - "Legal Theory Blog" featured "Weaponizing En Banc" by Professor Neal Devins and Professor Allison Orr Larsen as Download of the Week.  Read the post.

January 31 - Professor Neal Devins quoted in story, "Trump Appointees Poised to Influence Legal Outcomes for Decades to Come." The story also referenced his new paper, co-authored with Professor Allison Orr Larsen, on courts using the en banc process.

Professor Adam Gershowitz

November 23 - On "Bad Bets":  Professor Adam Gershowitz joined Wall Street Journal reporter and podcast host John Emshwiller for a look back at the 2006 trial in Houston of Enron's former top executives. Professor Gershowitz attended much of the trial in person.   Click here to listen.

January 8 - ABC affiliate (Virginia) 13 News Now quoted Professor Adam Gershowitz about the criminal charges that can be brought against the rioters at the Capitol. Read and watch the story.

Professor Rebecca Green

December 30 - ​The Wall Street Journal quoted Professor Rebecca Green, co-director of the Election Law Program, in a story titled "Michigan's Citizen-Led Redistricting Draws a Lawsuit and Hope for a Fairer Process."  Read the story.

December 3 - Professor Rebecca Green, co-director of the Election Law Program, briefed media on redistricting in the United States as part of the Washington Foreign Press Center's Understanding America series. Video and transcript.

December 3 - Governing Magazine quoted Professor Rebecca Green, co-director of the Election Law Program, in a story titled "Redistricting Reform Is Easier Said Than Done." Read the story.

November 11 - Politico Magazine quoted Professor Rebecca Green, co-director of the Election Law Program, in a story titled "Welcome to a True American Bloodsport: Redistricting." Read the story.

March 26 - FactCheck.org turned to Professor Rebecca Green, co-director of the Election Law Program, for story titled "Three False Claims About the Voting Rights Bill.  Read the story.

March 5 – USA Today quoted Professor Rebecca Green, co-director of the Election Law Program, in a story titled “Challenges to Black Voting Rights Harken Back to Jim Crow Era.” Read the story.

Professor Kevin Haeberle

October 26 - The New York Times quoted Professor Kevin Haeberle in the story titled "Facebook Faces a Public Relations Crisis. What About a Legal One?" Read the story.

July 7 - Professor Kevin Haeberle quoted in Bloomberg Law story, "SEC Eyes Disclosures for 'Green' Funds to Back up Claims." Read the story.

February 3 - The Hill published an opinion essay by Professor Kevin Haeberle titled "Selling the Stock Market Short." Read the essay.

January 28 – Wired quoted Professor Kevin Haeberle in a story titled “Robinhood Restricts GameStop Trading- in a Bid to Save Itself.” Read the story.

Professor Erin Hendrickson

August 30 - WalletHub featured a Q&A with Professor Erin Hendrickson on issues facing U.S. workers, how government can improve workers' quality of life, and the gig economy in a feature exploring many facets of Labor Day. Read the Q&A.

Professor Laura Heymann

November 30 - Bloomberg Law quoted Professor Laura Heymann in a story titled, "Trade Dress Utility Stays on Supreme Court Menu After Pocky Punt." Read the story.

August 19 - Professor Laura Heymann was honored by the International Trademark Association (INTA) with the top honor (professional category) in the 2021 Ladas Memorial Award Competition. The annual writing competition is hosted by INTA and supported by Ladas & Parry LLP. Read the announcement.

Professor Eric Kades

October 5 - The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists spoke to Professor Eric Kades about the use of offshore trusts in story, "As Poisoned Town Sought Justice, Top Chemical Giant Executive Moved Millions to Tax Havens."  Professor Kades's interview appears at about 05.16 minutes into video. Watch it.

September 24 - Professor Eric Kades quoted for his expertise on tax law and 'dynastic trusts' in essay, "This Is How America’s Richest Families Stay That Way." Read the essay in The New York Times.

Professor Stacey Kern-Scheerer

October 27 - WYDaily, which covers news from southeast Virginia, quoted Professor Stacey Kern-Scheerer, director of the Immigration Clinic, in a story about the clinic's assistance to Afghan refugees. The story also featured clinic students Emilee Houghton and Yvonne He. Read the story.

Professor Allison Orr Larsen

December 13 - Professor Allison Orr Larsen, director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law described the Institute's mission and work in a story titled "Creating Opportunities for Conversation." Read the story.

November 16 - The Associated Press spoke to Professor Allison Orr Larsen for the story titled "GOP-Majority Court Chosen to Consider Biden Vaccine Mandate." Read the story. AP noted that she is the co-author, with Professor Neal Devins, of a study published by New York University Law Review titled "Weaponizing En Banc."

September 30 - CBS News quoted Professor Allison Orr Larsen in the story, "Abortion, Guns and Religious Liberty: Supreme Court Gears Up for New Term Filled with Contentious Disputes." Read the story.

September 3 - The Richmond Times-Dispatch cited a forthcoming article, "Weaponinzing En Banc," by Professor Neal Devins and Professor Allison Orr Larsen, in a story about recent dissenting opinions on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Read the story, "Judges and Observers of Powerful Federal Appeals Court Express Concern on Partisanship."

August 26 - The ABA Journal quoted Professor Allison Orr Larsen in a story titled "When the Supreme Court Cites Your Amicus Brief." The story also references her 2014 study on amicus briefs at the Court and her recent appearances before Congress and the Biden Administration's Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. Read the story.

July 2 - Professor Allison Orr Larsen was quoted in a New York Times story by Adam Liptak, "A Supreme Court Term Marked by a Conservative Majority in Flux." Read the story.

June 18 - Professor Allison Orr Larsen was quoted in a Bloomberg story, "Supreme Court's Conservatives Duck 'Big Waves' as Storms Loom." Read the story.

March 23- Listen: Professor Neal Devins discussed his study with Professor Allison Orr Larsen, "Weaponizing En Banc" with host June Grasso. Bloomberg Podcast

February 22 – Adam Liptak of the New York Times featured research by Professor Neal Devins and Professor Allison Orr Larsen in a column titled “On Federal Appeals Court, a Spike in Partisanship.” Read the column. New York University Law Review will publish the professors’ research in a forthcoming volume. Read about the research on SSRN.

Professor Paul Marcus

January 8 - The U.S. District Court in Colorado cited Professor Paul Marcus’s 1991 article “Limiting Disclosure of Rape Victims’ Identities.” See Ledezma v. Young Life, No. 20-CV-01896-NYW, 2021 WL 2823261 at *5 (Jan. 8, 2021).

Adjunct Professor Michael McAuliffe

June 30 - Washington Post reporters talked to Michael McAuliffe '89, former state attorney in Palm Beach County and an adjunct law professor at William & Mary Law School, about the role of a grand jury in the Surfside condominium collapse. Read the story.

Professor Thomas McSweeney

February 10: The Daily Press published an opinion essay by Professor Thomas McSweeney titled “William & Mary Stakes Claim as Oldest University in America.” Read the essay.

Professor Alan J. Meese

June 1 - "Legal Theory Blog" featured scholarship by Professor Alan J. Meese, “Requiem for a Lightweight: How NCAA Continues to Distort Antitrust Doctrine” (forthcoming, Wake Forest Law Review). Read the post.

Professor Nathan Oman

October 19 - Professor Nathan Oman was a guest on the Private Law Podcast and discussed his work on contract theory. The Private Law Podcast is hosted by Professor Felipe Jimenez, Assistant Professor of Law and Philosophy at USC Gould School of Law. Listen to the episode.

Dean A. Benjamin Spencer

October 5 - "Are Court Rules Important?" Professor Scott Dodson, host of the Litigation Briefs podcast, talked to Dean A. Benjamin Spencer, Trustee Professor and member of the Civil Rules Advisory Committee. Listen.

September 27 - "Brian Leiter's Law Schools " noted that Dean A. Benjamin Spencer was among the most highly cited legal scholars in civil procedure in the United States for 2016 - 2020. Read more.

August 29 - Virginia Business named Dean A. Benjamin Spencer to its 2021 list of Leaders in Law. Read more.

August 3 - Bloomberg Law published an op-ed by Dean A. Benjamin Spencer titled "Calls to Eliminate Bar Exams Are Premature." Read the op-ed.

July ​21 - An op-ed by Dean A. Benjamin Spencer was published by Bloomberg Law Insight. It was titled "Law Schools, Law Firms Must Share Responsibility for Diversity." Read the op-ed.

June 17 - Legal Innovators hosted a webinar titled "Diversity in Law Deans Is Changing the Approach to Legal Education."  Panelists included Dean Spencer, Dean Danielle Holley-Walker (Howard University School of Law), Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew (The George Washington University Law School) and Eboni S. Nelson (University of Connecticut School of Law). Watch it now.

Professor Cynthia Ward

November 13 - New York Times reporter Shaila Dewan quoted Professor Cynthia Ward in a story titled "Can Self-Defense Laws Stand Up to a Country Awash in Guns?"   Read the story.

Professor Timothy Zick

December 17 - The New York Times quoted Professor Timothy Zick in story, "A Judge Dismisses Fox News's Request to Dismiss Dominion's Defamation Suit." Read the story.

December 16 - Business Insider quoted Professor Timothy Zick in story, "Dominion and Smartmatic Are Seeking Texts and Emails from the Murdocks to See if They Shared the Pro-Trump Voting Machine Conspiracy Theories Fox News Aired." Read the story.

December 10 - Professor Timothy Zick was profiled in a story titled "William & Mary Law's Timothy Zick Clarifies the Laws Behind the Headlines." Read the story.

November 9 - Professor Timothy Zick was quoted in a Reuters Investigative Report titled "Reuters Unmasks Trump Supporters Who Terrified U.S. Election Officials." Read the story.

October 27 - The Atlantic published an essay by Professor Timothy Zick and Diana Palmer, "The Second Amendment Has Become a Threat to the First: How Firearms Are Having a Documented Chilling Effect on Free Speech."  Read the essay

October 27 - On "All In with Chris Hayes" (MSNBC) Professor Timothy Zick discussed his new essay in The Atlantic (with Diana Palmer) on how firearms are having a documented chilling effect on free speech.  Listen on Audacity.

October 21 - Professor Timothy Zick quoted in Newsweek story, "Donald Trump Can Be Arrested Over Jan. 6 Subpoenas - Here's Why He Won't Be." Read the story.

September 17: The Associated Press quoted Professor Timothy Zick in a story titled "Fake Headline Falsely Suggests Cursing the President Is Illegal." Read the story.

August 10 - Professor Timothy Zick quoted in story, "California Legislature Considers Law Limiting Protest Activity Near Vaccine Sites" First Amendment Watch

July 26 – A U.S. District Court in Maryland cited and quoted an article by Professor Timothy Zick titled “Recovering the Assembly Clause.” See Beahn v. Gayles, No. GJH-20-2239, 2021 WL 3172272 at *10 n.13 (D. Maryland July 26, 2021).

July 7 - Mashable quoted Professor Timothy Zick in the story titled "Trump's Baseless Big Tech Lawsuit Is All About Fundraising." Read the story.

July 6 - Professor Timothy Zick was quoted in an article in the (Louisville) Courier Post titled "Why Most Protesters Arrested by Louisville Police Will Never Be Convicted of a Crime." Read the article.

June 16 - The Boston Globe quoted Professor Timothy Zick quoted in a story titled "Newton's (Massachusetts) Proposed Gun Store Could Invite Second Amendment Court Challenge, Experts Say." Read the story.

May 18 - FiveThirtyEight quoted Professor Timothy Zick in the  story, "Militias Pose a Serious Threat. So Why Is It So Hard To Stop Them?" Read the story.

March 25 - The New York Times quoted Professor Tim Zick in the story, "Fox News Faces Second Defamation Suit Over Election Coverage.  Read the story.

March 25 - Senior Correspondent Louis Jacobson of Politico spoke to Professor Timothy Zick for the story, "Could Jan. 6 Rioters Face Sedition Charges? And What Would That Mean?" Read the story.

February 13: PolitiFact quoted Professor Timothy Zick in the story, “How Solid Is Donald Trump’s First Amendment Impeachment Defense.” Professor Zick’s books include is "The First Amendment in the Trump Era” (Oxford University Press). Read the story.

February 8 - The New York Times talked to Professor Timothy Zick about the concept of "neutral reportage" for story, "Fox Files Motion to Dismiss Smartmatic's $2.7 Billion Defamation Suit." Read the story.

February 4: The New York Times quoted First Amendment expert Timothy Zick in the story “Fox News Is Sued by Election Technology Company for $2.7 Billion.” Read the story.

January 30 - The Virginian-Pilot quoted Professor Timothy Zick in the story, "Large, profane Virginia Beach sign shocked neighbors, but it is 100% legal." Read the story.

January 28 – The Center for International Security at Fordham Law School published a Q&A with Professor Timothy Zick titled “Protesting in America.”  Read the Q&A.

January 15 - Professor Timothy Zick, nationally recognized free speech expert and John Marshall Professor of Government and Citizenship, weighed in on recent recent events in a Q&A. Read “The First Amendment: Limitations and Freedoms.”

January 15 - The New York Times quoted Professor Tim  Zick in a story titled “Fear Spreads in Minnesota Town as “Extremist Group’ Moves to Open Church.”  Read the story.