Law

A leading international law expert cautions that the troop surge in Afghanistan must be accompanied by a concurrent improvement in the nation's system of justice, now plagued by lawlessness and graft. Read More

A Vanderbilt professor who specializes in death penalty cases is available as a source for the coming trial of professed 9/11 “mastermind” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others implicated in the nation's deadliest terrorist attack. Read More

"Picking Cotton," a story of wrongful conviction and redemption, is the topic of a lecture at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Vanderbilt Law School's Flynn Auditorium. Read More

Governments across the country are grappling with thorny legal issues as they ponder the most significant reforms to marijuana laws in decades. A Vanderbilt law professor who previously has commented on marijuana law issues in news stories is available for interviews. Read More

A death penalty debate between two leading scholars on capital punishment is set for noon Nov. 9 in Vanderbilt Law School's Flynn Auditorium. The debate takes place the day before the scheduled Nov. 10 execution date for John Allen Muhammad, mastermind of the 2002 sniper attacks in Washington D.C. that left 10 dead. Read More

The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces will hear argument in a case at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Vanderbilt's Flynn Auditorium. Read More

Stephen Hadley, who served as the principal White House foreign policy adviser under former President George W. Bush, will speak at Vanderbilt University Law School on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at noon. Read More

Vanderbilt University political scientist Bruce Oppenheimer will discuss the continued expansion of presidential power and its impact on Congress during the school's annual Constitution Day program on Sept. 23. Read More

Even though it's against federal law to grow, sell or possess marijuana, 13 states have recently legalized medical use of the drug. Now California is contemplating taking the next step – legalizing marijuana outright – in the hope that taxing marijuana sales could help ease the state's latest budget crisis. Vanderbilt University Law School professor Robert Mikos, an expert on federalism issues, examined the conflict between state and federal drug laws in a new paper. Read More

Vanderbilt University Professor of Law and Political Science Carol Swain and Assistant Professor of Law Brian Fitzpatrick have both been appointed to the Tennessee Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. This is Swain's second consecutive term on the committee. Read More

In this tough economy, the allure of buying lottery tickets seems like a pretty enticing way to erase financial problems. But new research from Vanderbilt Law School found that people who won between $50,000 and $150,000 did not solve their debt problems and only postponed bankruptcy. Read More

Will Judge Sonia Sotomayor become the next U.S. Supreme Court justice? Vanderbilt faculty Tracey George, Terry Mahoney and Brian Fitzpatrick provide expert insight and commentary. Read More

Chris Guthrie, a seven-year veteran of Vanderbilt University Law School and former associate dean for academic affairs, was named dean of the law school effective July 1, 2009. Read More

Empirical research from Vanderbilt professor of law and political science Tracey George shows how the United States court system, especially the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, could dramatically change under the Obama Administration. Read More

A time could soon come when genetic tests and neurological brain scans are introduced as evidence in criminal trials as readily as DNA evidence is today. Read More

Watch video of Assistant Professor of Law and Philosophy Nita Farahany talking about her book The Impact of Behavioral Sciences on Criminal Law. Read More

The topic of immigration reform in the United States will be discussed by the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, Mark Krikorian and conservative political analyst Bay Buchanan. The discussion will be held at noon on March 23 in the Hyatt room at Vanderbilt University Law School. The event is free and open to the public. Read More

Working in a global economy means a lot more than where a business builds or sends its products. Today, a business owner may operate a shipping business in Florida, have the business incorporated in Delaware, maintain the company's assets in an offshore bank account in the Cayman Islands and specify that any legal disputes be litigated in the United Kingdom. And this is all perfectly legal. Read More

Vanderbilt researcher examines the implications of businesses choosing their laws. Read More

Edward L. Rubin announced that he is stepping down from his position as dean of Vanderbilt University Law School effective June 30. Rubin said he will continue to teach and write as a member of the faculty. Read More