Paul Litton co-authors research study on how past suffering can result in future praise

A team of researchers at Mizzou, including Paul Litton, the associate dean for faculty research and R. B. Price Professor of Law at Mizzou Law, have discovered that people tend to give more praise to someone for their good deeds as an adult after discovering that person has also had to overcome adversity or suffering earlier in life, such as abuse and neglect as a child. Litton collaborated with Philip Robbins, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy in the MU College of Arts and Science. They say these findings can help to narrow a knowledge gap…

Mizzou Law Professor Participates in Panel on Presidential Pardons

Frank Bowman, the Floyd R. Gibson Missouri Endowed Professor of Law at Mizzou Law, participated in a panel on the future of the presidential pardon power at Ohio State University in September. The panel: “Set the stage for the two subsequent panels about the future of presidential pardoning, by asking basic questions about the role of a regular pardon process and the result of its having been sidelined by Trump.” To learn more or to view a recording of the panel, visit: https://u.osu.edu/clemencyseries/panel-1/

Prof. David Mitchell Honored with the Spurgeon Smithson Award by the Missouri Bar Foundation

S. David Mitchell, the Ruth L. Hulston Professor of Law and co-director of the Michael A. Middleton Center for Race, Citizenship and Justice, was one of three people honored with the 2021 Spurgeon Smithson Award by the Missouri Bar Foundation. Established in 1976, the Spurgeon Smithson Awards recognize judges, law teachers, and/or lawyers who have provided outstanding services toward the increase and diffusion of justice. The Missouri Bar Foundation Board of Trustees selects the recipients, and each award recipient receives a $2,000 stipend. “I find the teaching of the law to be a privilege and am humbled and thankful to be able…

Prof. Lietzen named Best Lawyer in America in FDA and Biotechnology & Life Sciences Law

Professor Erika Lietzan has again been named a “Best Lawyer in America”  in both FDA Law and Biotechnology & Life Sciences.  This marks the eighth year in a row for FDA Law and the fourteenth year in a row for Biotechnology Law.  The Best Lawyers honor is meant to identify the top 5 percent of attorneys in the United States, and it is based on the judgment of one’s peers.  Professor Lietzan practiced law for 18 years prior to joining the University of Missouri in 2014, including eight years as a partner in the Food and Drug group of Covington…

Director of the Mizzou Law Innocence Clinic Earns Missouri Bar Award for Appellate Advocacy

Emily Danker-Feldman, the director of the Innocence Clinic at Mizzou Law, was one of three lawyers recognized with the 2021 David J. Dixon Appellate Advocacy Award. This award was created by The Missouri Bar Foundation to recognize outstanding achievement in appellate practice by young lawyers practicing in the state. From the Missouri Bar: “Danker-Feldman’s dedication to her work is evident in her love of words and deep empathy for individuals, especially those in the justice system. “I prefer to get people out of prison than to put them in,” she explains. Danker-Feldman received her bachelor’s degrees in economics and English…

Prof. Dennis Crouch and Mizzou Law student present at 2021 BYU symposium

On August 19, Professor Dennis Crouch and Dr. Homayoon Rafatijo (MU Law 3L) jointly presented their manuscript titled “States Can Infringe upon Your Intellectual Property Rights with Impunity in the Era of ‘New Federalism,” at the 2021 BYU Copyright and Trademark Symposium.  The article criticizes the Supreme Court’s 2020 sovereign immunity decision in Allen v. Cooper, looking primarily through a lens of Constitutional history.  They plan to publish the article later this year.

Professor-Emeritus Robert Jerry Publishes Article on Post-Pandemic Insurance

Mizzou Law Professor-Emeritus Robert Jerry published an article, “Insurance in a Post-Pandemic World,” in the ABA tort trial and insurance practice section publication The Brief‘s summer issue. In the article, Jerry discusses how the pandemic may change the insurance claim and litigation environment moving forward.

Professor-Emeritus Robert Jerry Publishes Op-Ed on Champlain Tower Collapse

Mizzou Law Professor-Emeritus Robert Jerry published an op-ed piece in the Tampa Bay Times on Aug. 2. In his article, Professor Jerry argues that the collapse of the Champlain Towers condominium collapse in Florida in June can be blamed on regulatory failure. To read Professor Jerry’s full article, visit: https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2021/08/02/the-surfside-condo-collapse-and-the-costs-of-not-regulating-column/.

Professor Bowman’s Impeachment Expertise Sought by National & International Media

Frank O. Bowman, III is a Floyd R. Gibson Missouri Endowed Professor of Law and an expert on the impeachment of the president and other federal officers. In his recent book, High Crimes and Misdemeanors: A History of Impeachment for the Age of Trump (Cambridge University Press), Professor Bowman offers unprecedented clarity to the question of impeachment, tracing its roots to medieval England through its adoption in the Constitution and 250 years of the American experience. By examining the human and political history of those who have faced impeachment, Bowman demonstrates that the Framers intended…

Reviewers: Prof. Conklin’s new book “Outstanding Academic Title of 2019”

CHOICE, a publishing unit of the Association of College & Research Libraries, which is a division of the American Library Association awarded Professor Carli Conklin’s latest book, The Pursuit of Happiness in the Founding Era: An Intellectual History (University of Missouri Press, 2019) with an “Outstanding Academic Title of 2019” award. In the CHOICE review, Conklin’s conclusions and nuanced treatment receive specific praise. “Conklin offers a deep and rich analysis that persuasively demonstrates that the pursuit of happiness was far more than a substitute for property. Ultimately, she concludes, the contemporaneous understanding of happiness encompassed a multi-layered array…