Faculty News
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Brian Fitzpatrick proposes “The Right Way to End Qualified Immunity” in The Hill
Fitzpatrick, a complex litigation expert, proposes a way to end qualified immunity while still discouraging frivolous lawsuits against police and government officials in a June 25 opinion piece published in The Hill: eliminate qualified immunity for liability, but keep it for attorneys' fees. Read MoreJun. 29, 2020
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Anti-discrimination law expert Jessica Clarke discusses the Supreme Court DACA case and its implications for discrimination law
The Supreme Court's DACA decision has given Dreamers new hope, but it could have dangerous implications for anti-discrimination law, by suggesting that courts should not consider the biased statements of policymakers in evaluating whether their policies were motivated by discriminatory intent. Read MoreJun. 25, 2020
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Financial regulation expert Morgan Ricks selected for the 2020 cohort of Vanderbilt Chancellor Faculty Fellows
Ricks is one of 10 scholars from across Vanderbilt University selected for the honor, which includes additional funding for research and opportunities to exchange ideas with scholars from other schools. Read MoreJun. 19, 2020
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Chris Slobogin proposes substantive reforms to federal criminal courts and sentencing
In a forthcoming California Law Review article, Slobogin proposes the establishment of separate federal courts specializing in criminal cases, backed by a National Court of Criminal Appeals, along with a “modernized regime” of indeterminate sentencing to relieve overcrowded dockets in the federal justice system and reduce the federal prison population. The article is discussed in a June 12 article, "The Case for Federal Criminal Courts and Sentencing Reform," published by The Crime Report. Slobogin directs the Criminal Justice Program at Vanderbilt. Read MoreJun. 12, 2020
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Criminal justice expert Chris Slobogin joins coalition to propose first steps toward policing reform
Report by eight prominent criminal justice scholar proposes urgently needed reforms to address enduring problems in American policing. Read MoreJun. 10, 2020
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Time to Act: A Message from Dean Chris Guthrie
The recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and countless others form part of a long and tragic history of racial violence and injustice. It is time for us to act. Read MoreJun. 5, 2020
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Criminal justice research sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law & Neuroscience featured in June ABA Journal
The story, "Millions have been invested in the emerging field of neurolaw. Where is it leading?", highlights the results of projects sponsored by the Research Network and features its director, Owen Jones, who holds the Glenn M. Weaver, M.D., and Mary Ellen Weaver Chair in Law, Brain and Behavior. Read MoreMay. 28, 2020
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Research by Owen Jones, Christopher Jaeger ’09 and two other scholars addresses “endowment affect”-how we overvalue items we’ve acquired
New research by Owen Jones, Christopher Jaeger '09 and two colleagues may explain why we sometimes overvalue items we’ve acquired—to an irrational degree—irrespective of their market or sentimental value. The endowment effect can lead people to make unpredictable economic decisions and has far-reaching implications for legal policy relating to markets and business. Jones holds the Glenn M. Weaver, M.D. and Mary Ellen Weaver Chair in Law, Brain, and Behavior, and Jaeger is an acting assistant professor of lawyering at New York University who also holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Vanderbilt. Read MoreMay. 27, 2020
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Vanderbilt establishes Nicholas S. Zeppos scholarship with $8 million gift
The scholarship was endowed by a gift from the Sarah and Ross Perot Jr. Foundation to recognize Zeppos’ extraordinary tenure as Vanderbilt chancellor from 2008 through 2019. Ross Perot Jr., BA’81, announced the gift Feb. 7 at a meeting of Vanderbilt’s Board of Trust, on which he has served since 2010. The chancellor emeritus is currently on a yearlong sabbatical and will return to the Vanderbilt faculty as professor of law and political science. Read MoreMay. 26, 2020
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Chris Serkin, Dan Sharfstein, Kevin Stack, Yesha Yadav, Ingrid Wuerth and Debra Lee receive 2020 Hall-Hartman Outstanding Teaching Awards
Hall-Hartman Awards are based on a poll of students in each first-year section and also honor outstanding teaching in large and small upper-level classes. Read MoreMay. 8, 2020