Dec. 20, 2024

Associate Dean Sperino files amicus brief with U.S. Supreme Court

Professor Sandra Sperino co-authored an amicus brief in the case of Ames v. Ohio Dep’t of Youth Services. The brief argues that the statutory text of Title VII should govern the question of whether a plaintiff can prevail on a discrimination claim. Through the McDonnell Douglas framework, some courts have required plaintiffs to prove more than the statutory text demands to proceed on a discrimination claim. The brief is available on the Supreme Court’s docket here: https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-1039.html…

Dec. 19, 2024

Professor Woods publishes book review

Professor Jayne Woods, an associate teaching professor of law at Mizzou Law, has published a new book review, “Process, not Product” in the Fall 2024 Journal of the Association of Legal Writing Directors:  Legal Communication & Rhetoric. Professor Woods reviews John Warner’s book on writing education, “Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-ParagraphEssay and Other Necessities,” (Johns Hopkins University Press 2018). To read the full review, visit: https://www.alwd.org/lcr-archives/jalwd-blog/92-fall-2024-volume-21/782-process-not-product…

Dec. 17, 2024

Professor Wechsler’s research aims to elevate the voices of intimate partner violence survivors

By Anna Sago When Mizzou Law professor Rachel Wechsler sat down to write her latest article about how COVID-19 re-shaped access to protective orders for survivors of intimate partner violence, her first priority was to understand the facts on the ground. “In figuring out how to address intimate partner violence and how to best support people who experience it, there’s no perspective that is as valuable as that of the victims and survivors themselves,” she said. “That’s my view.”The resulting research, Intimate Partner Violence: Access to Protection Beyond the Pandemic, which appeared in the second-most recent issue of…

Dec. 16, 2024

Professor Lietzan participates in Biopharma Roundtable

On Nov. 22, Professor Erika Lietzan traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in a “Biopharma Roundtable” hosted by the Center for Intellectual Property x Innovation Policy (C-IP2) at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School.  This small invitation-only roundtable brought together a group of experts in economics and business, health policy and management, and intellectual property, as well as representatives of industry, and others, to discuss biopharmaceutical intellectual property policy issues, recent scholarship on those issues, and gaps in the scholarship.  Professor Lietzan is a senior scholar with C-IP2 and currently also serves as a distinguished commentator…

Dec. 12, 2024

Professor Shruti Rana featured on “The Real Lawyer” podcast

Shruti Rana, professor of law and assistant provost for strategic faculty initiatives, was featured on three episodes of “The Real Lawyer” podcast discussing her career path, advice to law students, and her recent legal research. From “The Real Lawyer” website: Episode One: In this episode, Shruti shares her incredible insights into the intersections of law, global governance, and human rights, and her experiences breaking barriers in the legal field.Join us as we dive deep into Shruti’s story, her advice for aspiring legal professionals, and hervision for the future of the law. This is a conversation you don’t want…

Dec. 10, 2024

Professor Gouzoules quoted in Bloomberg Law

Professor Alexander Gouzoules was quoted in a story in Bloomberg Law on X (i.e. Twitter) attempting to block the sale of Alex Jones’s social media accounts in the Infowars bankruptcy. The bankruptcy system largely relies on nonbankruptcy law to determine property rights, but that doesn’t mean the estate can sell that interest, said Alexander Gouzoules, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Law focused on law and bankruptcy. “Restrictions on the transfer of property don’t necessarily vanish just because an interest in that property became…

Dec. 10, 2024

Alumni Spotlight — Meet Arsenio Mims

By Anna Sago In between his successful three years at Mizzou Law, where he served as the first Black editor-in-chief of any law journal (the Journal of Environmental and Sustainability Law), and his acceptance of a federal clerkship, Arsenio Mims was facing a difficult two months. Despite his success as a student, he had just become a full-time single parent of his son and his younger brother, and he was unable to begin employment at his clerkship until Sept. 1. But he also needed to put food on the table. “I went to [Mizzou Law financial aid adviser Jeff Turnbull’s]…

Dec. 9, 2024

Veterans Clinic Attorney Quoted in Bloomberg Law

Katie Becker, a staff attorney with the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, authored the brief. Katie Becker, a staff attorney in the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, was quoted last week in an article in Bloomberg Law about a current U.S. Supreme Court case regarding veterans benefits. Becker authored an amicus brief submitted by the clinic in the case Feliciano vs. Department of Transportation. . This landmark case addresses the entitlement of federal employee reservists to differential pay during active-duty service in a national emergency. To read Becker’s quote and the full Bloomberg Law article, visit: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/reservists-pay-case-puts-spotlight-on-financial-cost-of-service.

Nov. 22, 2024

Mizzou Law alumna is first Black female prosecutor elected in Jackson County

Melesa Johnson, ’14, made history by becoming the first Black woman to be elected as Jackson County, Mo. prosecutor. To read more, visit: https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/melesa-johnson-makes-history-as-1st-black-woman-elected-jackson-county-prosecutor…

Nov. 21, 2024

Dean Sperino publishes article in the Texas Law Review

Sandra Sperino, associate dean for research and faculty development and the Elwood L. Thomas Missouri Endowed Professor of Law, this fall published an article, “Bostock and the Forgotten EEOC” in the Texas Law Review. On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court issued a historic opinion. In Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, the SCOTUS formally recognized that federal discrimination law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Supreme Court barely mentioned the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency charged with enforcing federal discrimination law. In her article, Dean Sperino argues that…