Rebecca Haw Allensworth

The 2025 Southern Festival of Books, presented by Vanderbilt University in partnership with Humanities Tennessee, will connect faculty, students, alumni and others with university ties to a vast community that shares their love for creative expression. The festival, now in its 37th year, will be at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Tennessee State Museum and Tennessee State Library and Archives Oct. 18–19. Admission is free. Read More

After moving to Nashville to join the faculty at Vanderbilt Law School, James Blumstein was denied the right to vote because of Tennessee’s durational residency requirements and decided to sue. Blumstein successfully argued the case himself before the Supreme Court, effectively enfranchising around six percent more potential voters. On the 50th anniversary of the court’s decision, Vanderbilt Law School organized a celebration to commemorate Blumstein’s victory. Read More

Rebecca Haw Allensworth, professor of law at Vanderbilt, has authored a comprehensive study of occupational licensing boards, which hold jurisdiction over about a third of the nation's jobs. Read More