Feb. 9, 2026

Professor Wechsler publishes article in Penn Law Review

Professor Rachel Wechsler recently published a new article in the Penn Law Review titled, “The Non-Punishment Principle and Restorative Justice.” In the article, Professor Wechsler examines state and federal laws protecting human trafficking victims from criminal liability for offenses they commit as a consequence of being trafficked.  She highlights the gaps within these legal frameworks and argues that the U.S. should employ restorative justice as a non-punitive response to harm resulting from trafficking victim-defendants’ unlawful conduct to better realize its international legal obligations regarding the “non-punishment principle.”  To read the full article, click here.  …

Feb. 5, 2026

Professor Wechsler’s article highlighted in JOTWELL

Professor Rachel Wechsler’s article, “Intimate Partner Violence: Access to Protection Beyond the Pandemic,” was recently highlighted in JOTWELL as one of the best works of recent scholarship relating to Dispute Resolution Law. In the JOTWELL piece, Cynthia Alkon writes: “Professor Wechsler’s article is a wonderful example of looking at one specific area, civil protection hearings for survivors of intimate partner violence, and examining COVID-19-generated lessons that could improve the process moving forward. The article is grounded in original empirical research with survivors and legal services providers and focuses on procedural justice, empowerment, and access. Although civil protection orders…

Oct. 13, 2025

Professor Wechsler presents on human trafficking and immigration panel

Professor Rachel Wechsler participated as a panelist on a webinar hosted by the American Bar Association’s Immigration and Human Trafficking Committee. Professor Wechsler and coauthor Professor Julie Dahlstrom, published a blog on the Oxford Human Rights Hub last spring discussing implications of President Trump’s enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. Panelists on the ABA webinar discussed the implications of this change in enforcement and challenges it creates for lawyers representing human trafficking victims, undocumented workers and businesses that rely on immigrant workers.

Aug. 20, 2025

Professor Wechsler wins Best Scholarly Article Award

Professor Rachel Wechsler has won the AALS Section of Dispute Resolution’s 2024 Best Scholarly Article Award for her article, Intimate Partner Violence:  Access to Protection Beyond the Pandemic, which was published in 65:7 BOSTON COLLEGE LAW REVIEW 2267 (2024). Professor Wechsler’s research was highlighted last year when she first published the article.

June 25, 2025

Professor Wechsler quoted in Boston Globe

Professor Rachel Wechsler was recently quoted in a Boston Globe article discussing a case of homicide: Rachel Wechsler, an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law who studies gender-based violence, said victims of violent crime often report low levels of satisfaction with the criminal justice system. Incidents like officers failing to arrest Boyette before he allegedly committed murder risk further damage to that relationship, she said.“It certainly can affect the opinion of the competency of people in the system,” Wechsler said. “It sounds like from the report that there…

April 3, 2025

Professors Wechsler, Rana present at United Nations event

Professors Rachel Wechsler and Shruti Rana presented at a parallel event panel at the UN Commission on the Status of Women NGO CSW Forum on March 20, 2025. Professor Rana presented her recent work on women in the U.S. judiciary through an international and comparative lens and Professor Wechsler presented her recent work on human trafficking victims who are prosecuted for criminal conduct related to their victimization. 

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…

March 21, 2024

Professor Rachel Wechsler Wins 2024 Jordan Hoyt Memorial Tribute to Women Award

Professor Rachel Wechsler was awarded the 2024 Jordan Hoyt Memorial Tribute to Women award on March 20 as a part of the Tribute to Women Banquet held annually in Columbia. Awardees are selected annually for their work above and beyond expectations to create an equitable, fair, and just environment for women on campus; their demonstrated respect for the diversity of women’s experiences; and their promotion of the advancement of women through education, advocacy, support, and activism. The award is given by the University of Missouri Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women.

March 7, 2024

Professor Rachel Wechsler Speaks with Good Morning America

Mizzou Law professor and family law expert Rachel Wechsler spoke with Good Morning America about a Missouri law regarding divorce and pregnancy. Read that story here.

Sep. 28, 2022

Faculty Spotlight — Meet Prof. Rachel Wechsler

When Professor Rachel Wechsler and her husband Steven Evers moved to Columbia from the hustle and bustle of New York this summer, the first thing they did was begin to explore the many walking paths and biking trails. Professor Wechsler accepted a professorship at the University of Missouri School of Law after experiencing Columbia’s small-town charm and the strong sense of community among Mizzou Law students and faculty. “This is a really supportive community, a really vibrant community,” she said. “I wake up every day thinking about how lucky I am to be here.” Her move to Missouri was an…