Faculty in the Media

The Marshall Project July 28, 2025

Trump Flouts Pardon Rules — and Costs Victims and Taxpayers More Than $1 Billion

Professor Lee Kovarsky comments on questionable pardons by President Trump, including those of the January 6 insurrectionists which he identifies as "patronage pardoning."

More of: Lee Kovarsky

The New York Times July 28, 2025

New Trump Administration Guidelines Stress Workplace Religious Freedoms

Emeritus Professor Douglas Laycock said the new federal policy on religious expression in the workplace was relatively moderate but failed to caution that supervisors’ religious speech could come across as coercive.

More of: Douglas Laycock

Austin American-Statesman July 26, 2025

Even at the U.S. patent office, an erosion of norms under Trump | Opinion

Professor Paul Gugliuzza argues that under President Trump, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has become politicized with staff and rule changes that weaken the system by prioritizing speed and control over transparency and patent quality.

More of: Paul R. Gugliuzza

USA Today July 25, 2025

Ivy League colleges face a reckoning after Columbia’s Trump deal

Adjunct Professor Scott Schneider warns about the implications for other Ivy League colleges following Columbia University's agreement to pay millions in fines to unpause the Trump administration's halt in research funding.

More of: Scott D. Schneider

The New York Times July 24, 2025

Ken Paxton Claimed Three Houses as His Primary Residence, Records Show

Professor James Spindler explained that mortgage fraud cases, such as the one involving Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, are hard to prove because prosecutors must demonstrate that the person knowingly and intentionally provided false information.

More of: James C Spindler

ABC News July 23, 2025

Texas AG claimed three homes as primary residence. Democrats are being probed for similar issue

Professor Jennifer Laurin explained that to build a case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, prosecutors would need to prove he knowingly signed mortgage documents claiming a home was his primary residence when it wasn’t.

More of: Jennifer E Laurin

Justia July 23, 2025

No Exit: There’s Been Talk of Secession; Could It Occur Nowadays?

Professor Sanford Levinson sees secession as impractical in today’s U.S. but argues it remains a vital topic for academic debate as it sheds light on self-determination, governance, and the meaning of democracy.

More of: Sanford V. Levinson

Desert News July 23, 2025

The Temptation Now Facing America’s Religious Institutions

Professor Steven Collis cautions that weakening the Johnson Amendment may tempt religious groups to embrace partisan politics, risking their spiritual purpose.

More of: Steven T Collis

The Atlantic July 20, 2025

Trump’s ‘Gold Standard’ for Science Manufactures Doubt

Professor Wendy Wagner co-wrote an article explaining the risks and implications of President Trump's new “Restoring Gold Standard Science” executive order, which allows political appointees to define scientific integrity and reshape protections on public health and the environment.

More of: Wendy E Wagner

The Bond Buyer July 22, 2025

Texas lawmakers take up floods, property taxes in special session

Adjunct Professor Randall Erben predicts that due to the time constraints of the legislative special session in Texas, lawmakers will only have the capacity to discuss flood response, congressional redistricting, and state regulation of hemp-derived products.

More of: Randall H Erben

Palabra July 16, 2025

The shutdown of USAID trumps the search for Latin America’s desaparecidos

Clinical Professor Ariel Dulitzky explains how the word desaparecido became a human rights term after Latin American regimes used enforced disappearance as a tool of repression, and how U.S. aid has helped global progress in the search for the missing.

More of: Ariel E Dulitzky

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy July 11, 2025

Understanding Heirs Property

Clinical Professor Heather Way identifies and explains fractional ownership and a tangled title, which can lead to property tax foreclosure, as two main vulnerabilities for heirs property owners.

More of: Heather K Way