University of Illinois College of Law

Why the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act Requires the Supreme Court to Invalidate President Trump's Birthright Citizenship Executive Order in Any Event UC Davis Law professor Vikram David Amar and Illinois Law professor Jason Mazzone discuss President Trump's Executive Order 14160, which seeks to deny birthright citizenship to U.S.-born children of non-citizen, non-permanent resident parents, and the Supreme Court case Trump v. Barbara challenging its validity.

Profs Jason Mazzone and Vikram Amar believe the executive order ending birthright citizenship violates the 14th Amendment, but in a new article at Justia Verdict they propose it is also violates separation of powers in the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act.

▶️ verdict.justia.com/2026/02/11/w...

DOJ has failed to secure indictments against some administration opponents The DOJ's failure to secure an indictment against six congressmembers is the latest setback in its push to prosecute the administration's perceived political opponents.

"This is pretty rare for a prosecutor to want an indictment and not get one," Prof Andrew Leipold told Good Morning America about the Trump administration's failure to convince a grand jury to indict 6 congress members. Read the full story from GMA.

▶️ www.goodmorningamerica.com/amp/news/sto...

Novo Nordisk's patent suit against Hims is the first between a sponsored drug manufacturer and a compounding pharmacy, Professor Jacob Sherkow told Bloomberg. Read more about this fascinating new legal challenge from Bloomberg's reporting.

▶️ www.bloomberglaw.com/product/blaw...

Paper: FDA-required drug labels shouldn't be treated as evidence of patent infringement CHAMPAIGN, Ill. ― Federal law requires every prescription drug to include a document describing dosing guidelines, contraindications, results from clinical trials and safety considerations. But a spate of recent court decisions has problematically treated that safety information in a drug's legally required package insert as key evidence in high-stakes patent cases against generic-drug manufacturers.

Should safety information be key evidence in drug patent cases? Prof Jacob Sherkow says no, and urges the Supreme Court to reverse cases that have done so in his latest paper. He explained his position to the Illinois News Bureau, which you can read online now.

▶️ news.illinois.edu/fda-required...

We're honored to announce that Prof Jason Mazzone is part of a team of Illinois faculty that has been awarded a Sawyer Seminar grant to study challenges to democracy and academic freedom confronting US universities.

Learn more about the grant on the LAS website.

▶️ las.illinois.edu/news/2026-02...

Coffee, cocktails, maybe even Benny the Bull: We have a great slate of events on tap for Alumni Week 2026.

Check out all that's in store and register to join us.

▶️ web.cvent.com/event/33b064...

Replacing animal testing for drug trials is promising, but Professor Sara Gerke believes caution is warranted before adopting change. She detailed her latest paper on the topic for the Illinois News Bureau.

▶️ news.illinois.edu/animal-testi...

Professor Robert Lawless recently joined the Ballard Spahr Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast to discuss his latest book, "Debt's Grip." Listen to the conversation with Lawless and his co-authors online.

▶️ www.ballardspahr.com/insights/blo...

Sticking with public transit, keeping faith in humanity after Purple Line scare A commuter gives thanks to strangers who helped when a knife-wielding man approached her on the Purple Line. Also, more frustration over country's unraveling, Alex Pretti's killing and Trump.

"This is not the moral and ethically driven America we studied and grew to admire in history classes," writes Professor Lauren Aronson in a passionate letter to the editor. Read more of her letter in the Chicago Sun-Times.

▶️ chicago.suntimes.com/letters-to-t...

The Plain-Meaning Fallacy | Boston College Law Review The leading justifications for originalism all commit the same fallacy: the plain-meaning fallacy. There are compelling reasons to enforce the Constitution's plain-as in indisputable-original meaning. But there is little to no reason to enforce the Constitution's less than plain original meaning.

There's a fallacy behind all justifications for originalism, and Professor Bill Watson digs into the issue in his latest paper: The Plain-Meaning Fallacy. Read it in the Boston College Law Review now.

▶️ bclawreview.bc.edu/articles/10....

US state lawmakers push to allow lawsuits against ICE agents Illinois last month became the first state to pass such a law.

The core premise of the Illinois law to create civil liability for federal agents who violate the Constitution is supported by Prof. Jason Mazzone and former dean Vikram Amar, and a Reuters article about lawsuits against ICE agents cites their work in this area

▶️ www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Democracy as a Determinant of Health poster with portrait of Dayna Bowen Matthew and David C. Baum Memorial Lecture on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights logo

Join us Thursday for "Democracy as a Determinant of Health," the 2026 David C. Baum Memorial Lecture on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights, presented by Dayna Bowen Matthew.

📅 Feb. 12
🕕 Noon
📍 Law Building
🌐 calendars.illinois.edu/detail/5714?...

We're hiring teaching assistant professor legal writing. Apply online by February 19.

We're looking for someone with excellent writing and analytical skills, an outstanding law school record, and legal practice experience to teach legal writing. If this sounds like you or someone you know, please share or apply by February 19.

▶️ illinois.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...

Rowell files regulatory comment, prompting change in regulation of nuclear safety - College of Law Working with an interdisciplinary team of nuclear engineers, Professor Arden Rowell coauthored a public comment submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in response to its proposed “Sunset Rule.” The rule had proposed “sunsetting” ten regulatory rules addressing nuclear safety. The comment addressed foundational administrative law issues, including statutory authority, the…

Working with a team of interdisciplinary researchers, Professor Arden Rowell recently co-authored a public comment on nuclear regulation that led to the withdrawal of a proposed rule. Read more about their democratic efforts on our website.

▶️ law.illinois.edu/rowell-files...

Professor Sara Gerke has a new article in the AMA Journal of Ethics examining ambient listening and transcription technologies powered by artificial intelligence in physicians' offices. Read the full text online.

▶️ journalofethics.ama-assn.org/sites/joedb/...

This month we welcomed 23 new grad students to the College of Law. These students represent Chile, China, Colombia, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, USA, Uzbekistan, and Tanzania. We're so excited to have you and see the great things you'll accomplish!

"Infringement by label spotlights the Federal Circuit’s misunderstanding of drug labeling at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," writes Professor Jacob Sherkow in his latest scholarly research. Read the full paper in the Stanford Law Review.

▶️ www.stanfordlawreview.org/print/articl...

Santa Is a Woman As Americans prep for the holidays and the time off from paid work, women and working moms need rest, and dads need to do emotional Christmas labor.  

The last 100 years have brought much progress, but the weight of society’s expectations of working moms on a normal day is crushing, Professor Lauren Aronson writes. Read her op-ed in Ms. Magazine about the burdens mothers still face.

▶️ msmagazine.com/2025/12/22/w...

Unity Gala scholarship recipient Amanda Malawski

Unity Gala scholarship recipient Alexandria Wilson

Congrats to Amanda Malawski (2L) and Alexandria Wilson (3L), on being selected as 2026 scholarship recipients from the Diversity Scholarship Foundation. They and the other honorees were celebrated at the annual Unity Award Gala in Chicago on January 22.

The AALS Section on Jurisprudence selected Professor Bill Watson for its Future Promise Award, which is given annually to a scholar whose work reflects future promise in both philosophy and law. Watson was honored at the AALS annual meeting in early January.

#IlliniPride

Big 10 | Experts offer predictions on Illini, Supreme Court, Durbin's Senate seat, Oscars and more "There may be no more challenging team to predict at this stage of the season than the Illini (men). And I don’t mean just in the Big Ten."

The executive order ending birthright citizenship "is plainly unconstitutional," Professor Jason Mazzone writes for the News-Gazette. Read more of his preview of Trump v. Barbara, which he says will have the biggest impact in this Supreme Court term.

▶️ www.news-gazette.com/news/local/u...

We're honored to be one of Law Crossing's top schools in terms of return on investment. Find out more about what went into these rankings on their website, and learn more about how Illinois Law can help you achieve your goals by visiting law.illinois.edu.

▶️ www.lawcrossing.com/law_school_r...

Jane Hays '79 (left) and Dave Downey '66 (right) with a student at the 2019 Scholarship Luncheon

A philanthropist and pillar of the community, Dave Downey was likely also the only Illinois Law student to ever turn down the NBA in order to earn a JD. We send our condolences to his family and friends.

Read more about Downey's remarkable life on our website.

▶️ law.illinois.edu/illinois-law...

In a new article published in The George Washington Law Review, Professor Suja Thomas compares the U.K.'s tribunal system to the U.S.'s jury trials in employment discrimination cases. Read the full article online now.

▶️ www.gwlr.org/employment-d...

Professor Meghan Brinson has a unique background, coming to the law after earning her MFA in creative writing. In the latest Illinois LawCast, she talked about her work with undergraduate students and her reading recommendations. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

▶️ rss.com/podcasts/ill...

Mercury News quotes Sherkow on California's generic insulin - College of Law To help residents with the high cost of insulin, a necessary drug for patients with diabetes, the state of California decided to develop its own generic brand of the medicine. The project will begin distributing "CalRx" insulin to consumers in January, and the San Jose Mercury News spoke to Professor…

California's own brand of insulin will begin distribution this month. The San Jose Mercury News spoke to Professor Jacob Sherkow about how this has affected insulin prices everywhere.

▶️ law.illinois.edu/mercury-news...

Support student orgs Illinois Law has opportunities for every type of student Help our students find their passion Donate to specific groups or the general fund

The season of giving is winding down, but our crowdfunding campaign for student organizations is going strong. If you would like to support a specific group or the general fund, donate today and help enrich the education of Illinois Law students.

▶️ www.givecampus.com/schools/Univ...

Grand Jury Declines To Reindict New York AG Letitia James Grand jury declines to reindict NY AG Letitia James. A federal grand jury in Norfolk, Virginia, declined Thursday to reindict New York Attorney General

Federal grand juries have twice declined to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, dealing the Trump administration a blow. Professor Andrew Leipold is quoted in a recent Harlem World article about the case.

▶️ www.harlemworldmagazine.com/grand-jury-d...

Can Illinois's Bivens Act survive constitutional scrutiny? Professors Jason Mazzonne and Vikram Amar dig into that question and more in a new Justia Verdict article.

▶️ verdict.justia.com/2025/11/14/t...

Support student orgs Illinois Law has opportunities for every type of student Help our students find their passion Donate to specific groups or the general fund

You can help our students pursue their passions within the law. Donate now to our crowdfunding campaign, give to a specific group or to the general fund to play a part in enriching the educational opportunities for Illinois Law students.

▶️ www.givecampus.com/schools/Univ...