Faculty in the News
2024
Professor Jeffrey Bellin
May 29 - Professor Jeffrey Bellin is quoted in Washington Post news analysis, "Why a Trump lawyer’s prison reference was so 'outrageous.'" Read the analysis.
April 14 - Professor Jeffrey Bellin is quoted in Washington Post story, "Trump’s hush money trial strategy: Deny, delay and denigrate." Read the story.
April 12 - On WHRO radio, Professor Jeffrey Bellin was featured in an interview, "W&M law professor says charges against school administrators become more common as number of school shootings rise." Read the interview/listen to the story.
March 14 - "Crime rates fluctuate based on innumerable factors, which the U.S. has seen throughout history, according to Professor Jeffrey Bellin, who is quoted in USA Today's "A new wave of 'tough-on-crime' laws aim to intimidate criminals. Experts are skeptical." Read the story.
January 24 - An article in Politico, "Lessons learned from Hunter Biden: Careful what you put in your memoir," quotes Professor Jeffrey Bellin on the problem of high-profile and political figures sharing too much as they tell their stories. Read the article.
January 23 - Professor Jeffrey Bellin was quoted on Fourth Amendment searches and seizures in Daily Progress story, "Cities and counties across Virginia say Airbnb is breaking the law." Read the story.
Professor Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl
July 12 - A tweet by Professor Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl on the semantics of the Chevron ruling and its effect on previous rulings was quoted in Forbes, "Energy After #SCOTUS Overturns Chevron Deference." Read the story.
July 2 – Politico quotes Professor Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl in “Splitting the Deference,” a story in which legal experts say the Supreme Court's scrapping of the Chevron deference will have ramifications for presidents of both parties. Read the story.
July 1 - In an op-ed in Bloomberg Law, Professor Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl writes that "Congress Needs to Take These Steps to Shore Up Chevron Response." Read the op-ed.
Professor Kami Chavis
September 17 - Professor Kami Chavis is quoted about the police code of silence in New York Times story, "Ex-Officer Testifies Against His Former Colleagues in Tyre Nichols’s Death." Read the story.
June 25 - In a Bloomberg Law op-ed, Professor Kami Chavis surveys the effects of SCOTUS's United States vs. Rahimi firearm ruling in "Narrow Gun Opinion Says Law Not in ‘Amber,’ But History Rules." Read the op-ed.
January 19 - Professor Kami Chavis's comments included in Washington Post article on the DOJ Uvalde report, “DOJ decried Uvalde shooting response. Will it have an impact?" Read the article.
Professor James Dwyer
November 20 - Professor James Dwyer is quoted about the rights of birth parents in USA Today, "This 'Teen Mom' couple’s adoption nightmare is sparking an important conversation." Read the story.
May 19 - Professor James Dwyer offered commentary for a Rhode Island PBS Weekly story on Rhode Islanders who began home schooling during the pandemic and who have stuck with it. Watch the video report.
Professor Adam M. Gershowitz
December 9 - Professor Adam Gershowitz was quoted in The Intercept article, "Trump Justice Department Appointee Oversaw 'Systemic' Misconduct in Previous Job." The piece also references Prof. Gershowitz's 2024 co-authored law review article, "The Brady Database," in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. Read the article.
August 15 - Professor Adam Gershowitz is quoted, and his research on doctors convicted of illegally prescribing opioids is referenced, in a USA Today story, "Amid Matthew Perry arrests, should doctors be blamed for overdose deaths?" Read the story.
July 16 - In The Hill, Professor Adam Gershowitz coauthors an op-ed, "Alec Baldwin’s tossed trial is a wake-up call," which examines violations of the Brady rule. Read the op-ed.
June 14 - Professor Adam Gershowitz's research on "The Prosecutor Vacancy Crisis" (see January 22 below) is cited in legal scholar and prosecutor Mark Osler's "Another thing America needs: More prosecutors," in the Waco Herald-Tribune. Read the article.
January 26 - Professor Adam Gershowitz’s research on the prosecutor hiring crisis in the United States and how it leads to problems for criminal defendants is the subject of a top news story in the ABA Journal. Read the article.
January 22 - Slate published an op-ed, "The Surprising Downside of a Criminal Justice Trend Reformers Might Think They Love," in which Professor Adam M. Gershowitz discusses and links to his latest research paper, "The Prosecutor Vacancy Crisis." Read Professor Gershowitz’s op-ed.
Professor Rebecca Green
November 1 - Professor Rebecca Green is quoted about same-day registration in a Richmond Times-Dispatch story, "'A SURPRISE TO ME': Virginia voter roll purge cuts nearly 300 in Richmond region." Read the story.
October 29 - The Voice of America interviewed Professor Rebecca Green about insights into how the legal process works in a contested election in "Americans concerned about the election and aftermath." Listen to the episode.
October 26 - Politifact quotes Professor Rebecca Green in "Fact-checking Donald Trump’s claims about the 2020 election during Joe Rogan interview." Read the story.
October 22 - Professor Rebecca Green quoted in Bloomberg Law, "Courts Prep for Resource, Security Challenges in Election Cases." Read the story.
October 20 - Time quotes Professor Rebecca Green in "Republicans and Democrats are both preparing for long legal battles over the 2024 election results." Read the story.
October 20 - Professor Rebecca Green quoted in AP story, "Republicans and Democrats are both preparing for long legal battles over the 2024 election results." Read the story.
October 16 - Professor Rebecca Green comments on the motives behind pre-election lawsuits in The Guardian's story, "Inside the Republican legal blitz to sow election doubt: ‘The claims are garbage’." Read the story.
October 15 - Professor Rebecca Green names three mechanisms that ensure noncitizens can’t cast ballots on Election Day in the Politifact story, "Trump said the DOJ is suing Virginia to allow noncitizens to vote. But that’s not the case. " Read the story.
October 15 - Professor Rebecca Green quoted in Bloomberg Law, "More Than 165 Lawsuits Shape the 2024 US Presidential Election." Read the story.
October 15 - 13 News Now quotes Professor Rebecca Green in "Virginia's House Speaker weighs in on federal DOJ lawsuit against state's elections department." Read the story.
October 14 - Professor Rebecca Green quoted in 13 News Now story, "Why the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Virginia elections officials, alleging violation of federal law." Read the story.
August 9 - Professor Rebecca Green quoted in Bloomberg story, "Election Legal Fights Loom With Trump Cases Still Stuck in Court." Read the story.
July 29 - Professor Rebecca Green is quoted in the Poynter Fact-Checking story in PolitiFact, "No, Democrats have not ‘pre-filled’ 100 million ballots with ‘wrong name.’" Read the story.
July 23 - Professor Rebecca Green is quoted in the Poynter Fact-Checking story, "Is replacing Joe Biden on the ticket ‘unlawful’? Election law experts say it’s not." Read the story.
July 19 - Professor Rebecca Green is quoted in an NBC News story, "Democrats rush to decide Biden’s political future before it plunges into murky legal territory." Read the story.
April 10 - Professor Rebecca Green is quoted in an article in Wired, "Election Workers Are Drowning in Records Requests. AI Chatbots Could Make It Worse." Read the article.
April 8 - Professor Rebecca Green is quoted in a Washington Post article, "Americans will find voting easier — or harder — depending where they live." Read the article.
Professor Vivian Hamilton
March 12 - Professor Vivian Hamilton was quoted in an Alabama Reflector story on "‘Parental rights’ amendment gets out of Alabama House committee." Read the story.
Professor Laura A. Heymann
July 30 - William & Mary Computer Science Ph.D. students Nathan Wintersgill and Trevor Stalnaker recently collaborated with William & Mary Law School’s Laura A. Heymann and two Computer Science colleagues to understand how open-source license compliance is performed from the perspective of legal practitioners. The resulting paper, “The Law Doesn’t Work Like a Computer: Exploring Software Licensing Issues Faced by Legal Practitioners," was honored with an ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award at the prestigious ACM International Conference on the Foundations of Software Engineering (FSE 2024). Read the story.
June 19 - Professor Laura A. Heymann's analysis in Bloomberg Law (6/18) quoted in an AlterNet story, "'This is a really stark break': SCOTUS conservatives split by 'raging' philosophical debate." Read the story.
June 18 - In Bloomberg Law, Professor Laura A. Heymann's "‘Trump Too Small’ Trademark Case Morphs Into Free Speech Debate," examines SCOTUS trademark case, Vidal v. Elster, and how the justices diverged on First Amendment analyses. Read more.
April 18 - Professor Laura A. Heymann's op-ed, "Think you can choose any name you want for your child in California? Nope,” was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. Read the essay (subscription required).
Professor Margaret Hu
September 24 - Professor Margaret Hu appeared on the ABA National Security Law Today Podcast, "Unchecked AI and the Exploitation of Personal Data: National Security Implications with Margaret Hu and Davi Ottenheimer (Part 2)." Listen to the podcast.
September 18 - Professor Margaret Hu appeared on the ABA National Security Law Today Podcast, "Unchecked AI and the Exploitation of Personal Data: National Security Implications with Margaret Hu and Davi Ottenheimer (Part 1)." Listen to the podcast.
June 4 - Professor Margaret Hu was interviewed by Ian Masters, host of "Background Briefing," on the Biden Executive Order issued on suspending asylum requests at the border. Listen to the interview.
January 26 - The Washington Monthly featured Professor Margaret Hu in an article on social media cases. Read the story.
December 29 - The Detroit Legal News wrote about Professor Margaret Hu moderating a panel on the impact of AI on national security at 33rd Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law conference in D.C., sponsored by ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security. Read the story.
November 3 - Professor Margaret Hu penned an op-ed, "Biden’s executive order puts civil rights in the middle of the AI regulation discussion," in The Conversation. Read the op-ed.
Professor Laura R. Killinger
March 1 - In conjunction with the opening of the Codi Bigsby trial, WHRO Public Radio spoke with former prosecutor and legal scholar Professor Laura R. Killinger about the history of “no body” murder cases in Virginia. Read the interview.
Professor Allison Orr Larsen
July 4 - Professor Allison Orr Larsen is quoted in a Washington Post story, "Justice Amy Coney Barrett is charting her own path on the bench." Read the story.
July 3 - Professor Allison Orr Larsen provides input for CBS News on “4 major takeaways from the Supreme Court's most consequential term in years.” Read the story.
June 28 – Professor Allison Orr Larsen is quoted in the Washington Post story, “Supreme Court curbs federal agency power, overturning Chevron precedent,” about the fallout of the Supreme Court overruling Chevron. Read the story.
June 28 – NPR’s “On the Media” in NYC interviewed Professor Allison Orr Larsen, who discussed her research on Supreme Court amicus briefs. Professor Larsen’s talk begins at 40:28 into the episode on “The Supreme Court’s Fact-Checking Problem.” Listen to the broadcast.
June 24 - Professor Allison Orr Larsen is quoted, and her scholarship on amicus briefs is referenced and cited, in Adam Liptak's New York Times story, "In Abortion Cases, Legions of ‘Friends’ Seek to Persuade Supreme Court." Read the story.
June 4 - Professor Allison Orr Larsen and others spoke with reporter Gabrielle Berbey on 99% Invisible's latest episode (#584), "Fact Checking the Supreme Court." Professor Larsen’s scholarship is featured throughout the episode and she first appears at 8:10 into the radio show/podcast. Listen to the podcast.
February 22 - In an episode of Making the Case, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) was joined by Professor Allison Orr Larsen for a discussion that sheds light on the US Supreme Court’s propensity for relying on extra-record – and often false – facts, and how those false facts help to deliver decisions that advantage partisan Republican or corporate special interests. Read the story. Listen to the podcast on Spotify. Listen to the podcast on Apple.
January 29 - Jeff Tollefson quotes Professor Allison Orr Larsen on the Chevron Doctrine in "Trump’s presidential push renews fears for US science," published in Nature. Read the story.
January 15 - Professor Allison Orr Larsen was quoted in a Washington Post article, "This humble fish may help the Supreme Court weaken the ‘administrative state’," about the case pending in the Supreme Court seeking to overrule Chevron. Read the article.
Professor Fredric Lederer
December 15 – As one of 65 experts featured, Professor Fredric Lederer, Chancellor Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Legal & Court Technology, offers “What to Expect in 2025: AI Legal Tech and Regulation” in the National Law Review. Read the predictions.
Professor Thomas J. McSweeney
July 14 - Professor Thomas McSweeney was interviewed for the Ius Commune Podcast about Bracton and his book, Priests of the Law: Roman Law and the Making of the Common Law's First Professionals. Listen on Spotify. Listen on Apple Podcast. Listen on YouTube.
January 9 - Professsor Tom McSweeney's latest piece, on the discussions of appeals in Magna Carta, was published in the University of Chicago Law Review. Read the article.
Professor Nathan B. Oman
August 21 - Professor Nathan B. Oman is quoted in a Salt Lake Tribune story, "Why Hollywood’s fascination with LDS sex lives? Church says shows often distort and sensationalize the faith." Read the story.
Professor Daniel Shin
August 5 - Daniel Shin ’19, a cyber security researcher at the Center for Legal & Court Technology at William & Mary Law School, was interviewed by WAVY TV 10 about state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and its ability to create deepfakes that can create misleading political messaging and propaganda. Read more.
Dean A. Benjamin Spencer
September 26 - In a Bloomberg op-ed, "Law Students: Seek Common Ground When Engaging in Protests," Dean and Trustee Professor A. Benjamin Spencer says peaceful protesting can be constructive, but protesters must be prepared to accept consequences of actions. Read the op-ed.
Professor Cynthia V. Ward
January 22 - The First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals cited Professor Cynthia V. Ward's 2015 article, "Stand Your Ground and Self-Defense" (Estados Unidos Mexicanos v. Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., No. 22-1823, -- F.4th --, slip op. at 26 [1st Cir. Jan. 22, 2024]). Read the opinion.
Professor Christie Warren
July 19 - NPR's With Good Reason, a program that focuses on higher education and issues relating to the humanities, featured an interview ("Courts After Conflict") with Professor Christie Warren about the Khmer Rouge's genocide of the educated in Cambodia and how difficult it is to recover from such conflicts. Listen to the interview.
April 23 - In a World Focus column on "Raoul Wallenberg's Legacy" for the Virginia Gazette, journalist Frank Shatz interviewed Professor Christie Warren as she prepares to teach at Lund University and conduct research at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Sweden as part of her Fulbright-Lund Distinguished Chair in Public International Law for the 2024-2025 academic year. Read more.
Professor Jim Wheaton
May 24 - Commentary by Professor Jim Wheaton, "At Richneck, 6-year-old shooter exposes a broken system," was published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Read the commentary.
February 22 - PiPa News quoted Professor Jim Wheaton in "New York can seize Trump assets for $450M in penalties." Read the story.
February 21 - Professor Jim Wheaton was quoted in a USA Today story, "Was Trump's New York fraud case a victimless crime? Why that question is key to his appeal." Read the story.
February 21 - The Week quoted Professor Jim Wheaton in "New York may seize Trump's assets for $450M penalty." Read the story.
February 21 - Professor Jim Wheaton joined WGN's (Chicago) "Legal Face-Off" radio show, discussing "Wheaton on Trump NY Ruling." Listen to the show.
February 20 - NPR's Morning Edition featured an A. Martinez interview with Professor Jim Wheaton who discussed the effect of the Trump civil judgment on the Trump Organization finances. Listen to the interview. Read the transcript and listen on KNAU Arizona Public Radio.
February 17 - Professor Jim Wheaton, an expert on legal issues involving corporate entities, was quoted in a New York Times article, "A $450 Million Blow to Trump’s Finances, and His Identity." Read the article.
Professor Timothy Zick
June 12 - In a Bloomberg Law radio broadcast hosted by June Grasso, First Amendment expert Timothy Zick discusses the First Circuit ruling that a school can ban a student tee shirt that says, “There are only two genders.” Professor Zick's segment begins at 12:30 into the program. Listen to the broadcast.
May 6 - In Politifact, Professor Timothy Zick shared some thoughts on the “outside agitator” narrative in connection with protest movements: "What we know about the ‘outside agitators’ being blamed for campus protests." Read more.
March 10 - Professor Timothy Zick was quoted in Washington Post story, "Transgender activist risks jail to challenge law targeting protest." Read the story.