School of Law

The 18th annual Public Interest Law & Policy Speakers Series kicks off its spring series Jan. 21. Ten lectures this semester will focus on civil rights, national security, art, the Second Amendment and more.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Jan. 19 to hear United States v. Texas, the challenge brought by 26 states to President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration. The stakes could not be larger, and they are not limited to immigration, said immigration law expert Stephen Legomsky.

Two Missouri legislators have proposed a bill that would require public universities and colleges to revoke scholarships held by student-athletes who refuse to play, or incite, support or participate in a strike. The proposed law violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, says an expert on freedom of speech at Washington University in St. Louis.

Karen Tokarz, JD, the Charles Nagel Professor of Public Interest Law & Public Service, director of the Civil Rights & Community Justice Clinic and of the Negotiation & Dispute Resolution Program and professor of African and African-American Studies in Arts & Sciences, and Kimberly Norwood, JD, professor of law and of African and African-American Studies, attended events at the Department of Justice and at the White House on “A Cycle of Incarceration: Prison, Debt, and Bail Practices.”

It’s a response made all too often by politicians in the wake of a mass shooting or violent act of terrorism: Keeping all in “thoughts and prayers.” This week, in the wake of the Dec. 2 shooting incident in San Bernardino, Calif., that sentiment seemed to reached a breaking point and shed light on the wide political and rhetorical chasm dividing the country, said John Inazu, JD, an expert on law and religion at Washington University in St. Louis.

U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Nov. 23 a record-breaking $160 billion merger with Irish firm Allergan, the biggest merger to date involving the controversial strategy of tax inversion. The move marks the beginning of the end of the ability to stop corporate tax inversions under current tax rules, said Adam Rosenzweig, JD, professor of law and an expert on international tax law at Washington University in St. Louis.

How do we get back to forming meaningful relationships that can move toward common ground, despite our deep ideological differences? The answer lies in a confident pluralism, said John Inazu, an expert on law and religion.

At least two dozen American governors have expressed concern over allowing Syrian refugees to relocate in their states. While state governments often do play a small role in helping to resettle refugees, the governors don’t have much choice in this case, said immigration expert Stephen Legomsky.

The wave of recent student protests on college campuses has revived a long-standing debate about the tension between free speech and policies of diversity and inclusion. That tension is vastly overstated, said free speech expert Greg Magarian.

While much of the Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Program is shrouded in secrecy, a new report sheds some light, said Kathleen Clark, a leading expert on legal ethics.