School of Law

Reappropriation — by which a group of people reclaims words or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group — can tame uncivil discourse, finds a new study by political scientists and a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Under principles of free speech, anyone — such as Chinese state television — is entitled to hold their view of anything, including the scope of freedom of speech, says Gregory Magarian, as Constitutional law expert at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.

The School of Law’s 22nd annual Public Interest Law & Policy Speakers Series fall lineup features leading lawyers, judges, academics and authors addressing high-profile issues such as free speech and racial justice.

Lawmakers in California have approved a bill that could pave the way for gig economy workers, such as Uber and Lyft drivers, to be reclassified as employees and not contract workers. If the bill becomes law, it will have broad implications for labor in America, says Pauline Kim, an employment law expert in the School of Law.

Gregory Magarian, professor of law, explains how the Supreme Court has turned the First Amendment on its head.

Bruce Goldstein, JD ’80, is president and executive director of Farmworker Justice, which fights for better working conditions and wages for the 2.4 million farm workers in the U.S.

Black St. Louisans are exposed to considerably greater environmental risks than white residents, contributing to stark racial disparities regarding health, economic, and quality of life burdens, finds a new report prepared by the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic (IEC) at Washington University School of Law.

The School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis has launched a new First Amendment Clinic, aimed at allowing students to gain experience by providing legal assistance to organizations, students, journalists and citizens.

Merton C. Bernstein, the Walter D. Coles Professor of Law Emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis, died at his home in Brewster, Mass., on Aug. 3, 2019. He was 96.

During the July 30 Democratic presidential debate, candidate Pete Buttigieg renewed his calls to “depoliticize the Supreme Court with structural reform.” Buttigieg has endorsed a Supreme Court reform proposal offered by Daniel Epps, associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.