News 13 - College of Law

Is flag burning always protected? Amar and Mazzone consider supporting cases

An American flag flies over Memorial Stadium.

In the wake of an executive order asking the Department of Justice to prioritize enforcement of criminal and civil laws against desecration of the United States flag, Professors Vikram Amar and Jason Mazzone examine some relevant cases decided by the Supreme Court and others. Writing at Justia Verdict, they conclude “singling out flag desecration would remain problematic because flag destruction reflects a particular (albeit somewhat capacious) viewpoint that is undeniably critical of government policy and the status quo.”

Read their full article on Justia Verdict.

Straight Arrow News quotes Leipold on Grand Jury in social media case

A woman accused of threatening President Donald Trump on social media had her case heard and dismissed by a Washington D.C. grand jury in September, with the jury has declined to bring charges. Writing about the case, Straight Arrow News quoted Professor Andrew Leipold, who shared that this was a rarity, as grand juries rarely reject cases.

Read the full article online.

Sherkow delivers speech at Michigan Intellectual Property workshop

On October 27, Professor Jacob Sherkow will be speaking at the Intellectual Property Workshop at Michigan Law School. He will be presenting a paper on the law of inducement in the pharmaceutical patent infringement cases, which is forthcoming in the Stanford Law Review.

Event details are available from the University of Michigan Law School.

Lawless discusses new book with Illinois News Bureau

In his new book, Debt’s Grip: Risk and Consumer Bankruptcy, Professor Robert Lawless and co-authors Pamela Foohey and Deborah Thorne examine the stories and the data behind people who file for bankruptcy in the U.S., finding the human nuance in the bankruptcy system. “When we thought about writing this book, we asked ourselves, ‘What do we have from the data that we think people would want to read?’” Lawless told the Illinois News Burea. “We also wanted to write a book that had a broader reach, so we realized that we had to show both the data and the personal stories of the people who show up in bankruptcy court.”

Illinois Law is seeking Fellows for 2026-27

Fall view of Illini Union from north of Green Street.

The Illinois Academic Fellowship Program is now accepting applications for the 2026-2027 academic year. The program helps new legal academics obtain tenure-stream faculty positions at U.S. law schools. Fellows spend one or two years in residence at the College of Law researching and writing under the close mentorship of Illinois faculty, teaching one course per semester, and fully participating in the College’s famously rich intellectual environment. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their materials by January 1, 2026.

Learn more and apply online.

Amar and Mazzone weigh in on “cert. before judgment”

Ionic column at the Smith Memorial Hall.

Should the Supreme Court extend its practice of granting “cert. (or certiorari) before judgement,” in which it may rule on the merits after a decision by the district court, but without the benefit of review and judgment by the court of appeals? In a new article at Justia Verdict, Professors Vikram Amar and Jason Mazzone weigh in on the merits of this idea, put forward by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. They consider the possible benefits, as well as drawbacks, such as cutting out appeals courts and minimizing time for scholarly debate and other commentary.

Read the full article on Justia Verdict.

Aronson and Curtis selected for OpEd Project Public Voices Fellowship

Professors Lauren Aronson and Yulanda Curtis have been selected for the University of Illinois System OpEd Project/Public Voices Fellowship. The program is part of a national initiative to help faculty amplify their expertise in ways that can contribute to public conversations about pressing issues.

The 20 faculty members in the 2025-26 cohort will attend four sessions during the 2025-26 academic year and will be paired with a journalism mentor who provides one-on-one editing and coaching. Fellows will publish two or more op-ed pieces during the program.

Congratulations to all of the faculty who were selected for this year’s program:

Chicago

Veerasathpurush Allareddy, professor and department head of orthodontics, College of Dentistry
Daylan Dufelmeier, director, Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships
Giamila Fantuzzi, professor and associate head, department of kinesiology and nutrition, College of Applied Health Sciences
Jeni Hebert-Beirne, professor, Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health

Springfield

Akash Belsare, assistant professor, department of English and modern languages

Urbana-Champaign

Luvell Anderson, professor, department of philosophy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Lauren Aronson, clinical professor, director of Immigration Law Clinic, College of Law
Jose Atiles, assistant professor, department of sociology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Maria Bonn, associate professor and director, master of science in library and information science, School of Information Sciences
Yulanda Curtis, clinical professor, College of Law
Verena Erlenbusch-Anderson, associate professor, department of philosophy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Rachel Hoopsick, assistant professor, department of health and kinesiology, College of Applied Health Sciences
Kathryn Huff, associate professor, department of nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering, and director of advanced reactors and fuel cycles group, The Grainger College of Engineering
Fatima Husain, professor, department of speech and hearing science, and associate dean, College of Applied Health Sciences
Martin Persson, assistant professor, department of accountancy, Gies College of Business
Mary Phillips, associate professor, department of African American studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Koustuv Saha, assistant professor, department of computer science, Siebel School of Computing and Data Science
Bobby Smith II, associate professor, department of African American studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Haileleol Tibebu, assistant professor, School of Information Sciences
Travis Wagner, assistant professor, School of Information Sciences

Illinois LawCast: Discussing Debt’s Grip with Professor Robert Lawless

Illinois LawCast artwork with portrait of Robert Lawless

We kick off season two with an engrossing conversation with Professor Robert Lawless about his new book, Debt’s Grip: Risk and Consumer Bankruptcy. The book explores financial precarity in the United States and utilizes original data from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, including the words of bankruptcy filers themselves to shed light on their situations. Professor Lawless shared insight into how he began his work on this project, how the book came about, and how the research has helped him as a teacher at Illinois Law.

For more information about Debt’s Grip, including ways to purchase the book, please visit the publisher’s website: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/debts-grip/paper

Listen online.
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If you have comments or suggestions for the podcast, please contact podcast@law.illinois.edu.

Illinois Law welcomes the Class of 2028 and new graduate students

The College of Law welcomed our newest JD, LLM, MSL, JSD, and study abroad students at new student orientation beginning Wednesday, August 20. The program offered a chance to hear from professors, staff, alumni, and fellow students, welcoming them to law school and preparing them for the challenge that awaits.

On August 21, Dean Jamelle Sharpe offered his welcome and perspectives on law school in the Peer and Sarah Pedersen Pavilion, followed by Colleen Murphy, associate dean for academic affairs, who presented an introduction to expectations for law students.

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White, a 1993 graduate of the College of Law, led our new students in the Pledge of Professionalism before sending them off for photographs, a mock class, and other orientation activities.

The orientation program provided a platform to help equip our students for success and also inspire a positive attitude about the exciting journey that lies ahead.

“Your attendance here today signifies your accomplishment, intelligence, and potential for influencing the legal profession, both here and abroad,” Dean Sharpe told the assembled students. “You will soon discover that law school is a transformative experience, one that is as challenging as it is rewarding.”

The incoming class listens intently during Dean Jamelle Sharpe's remarks at Orientation

The incoming JD Class of 2028 includes 189 students from 26 different states and 8 foreign countries. The states most represented among new students include Illinois, California, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; the class comprises 57% non-Illinois residents and 43% Illinois residents. Students also hail from five countries outside the United States.

Students in the Class of 2028 went to 106 different undergraduate institutions; undergraduate schools with the most students represented include University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Loyola University Chicago, New York University, University of Florida, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. New JD students had 44 different majors and a median LSAT of 166 and GPA of 3.81. In terms of demographics, 47% of the class identifies as female, 46% identifies as male, 3% identifies as gender queer/gender fluid, trans or nonbinary, and 4% did not disclose a gender identity. Thirty-six percent of the students come from racial/ethnic backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in the legal profession. The average age of our new students is 24, 66% have work experience, and 19% are first generation college graduates.

The College of Law also welcomed 114 new graduate students, including 83 LLM students, 6 MSL students, 2 JSD students, and 23 study abroad students. Six of our new LLM students are Fulbright recipients. Overall, our graduate and international students represent 24 countries.

We are grateful to all those who helped make orientation a success and look forward to continuing to support our students on their path to becoming Illinois Law graduates.

*JD Class of 2028 profile is accurate as of the 10th day of classes and graduate student numbers are accurate as of the first day of classes.

New article from Sherkow analyzes second CRISPR patent decision

Professor Jacob Sherkow has published “A ‘Bare Hope of A Result’: The Second CRISPR Patent Appeal” in The CRISPR Journal. In the article, Sherkow provides an overview of the dispute to date, reviews the Federal Circuit’s recent opinion, and provides a critique of its analysis.

Read the full article.