Can the President Cancel an Agency?
On Tuesday, March 18, the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy hosted “Can the President Cancel an Agency?” with Professors Daniel Ortiz and John Harrison ’77 (B.A.). This was the second of three panels on Trump’s Executive Orders. Professor Micah Schwartzman ’05 hosted the event.
BLSA Presents “Trailblazers in Justice” Panel
On Tuesday, March 18, the University of Virginia School of Law’s chapter of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and the Decarceration and Community Reentry Clinic hosted an event titled “Trailblazers in Justice.” The panel featured three UVA Law graduates, Micheal Allen ’82, Maria Smith ’83, and Terrica Redfield Ganzy ’02, who currently practice civil rights law in various areas across the country.
ANG Meets the Class of 2028
This past Thursday, the Law School rolled out the red carpet for its newest batch of future attorneys—assuming there is still a legal profession once they graduate in the far-off year of 2028. Members of the Law Weekly board were in attendance at the Admitted Students Day org fair to mingle with the fresh-faced hopefuls and trick them into someday writing for us. During the fair, we met some truly unforgettable characters. Here are just a few of the brightest stars of the incoming class:
Professors Address Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
The Karsh Center for Law and Democracy recently hosted the first lecture of its tripartite series on Trump’s executive orders. The lecture, titled “Ending Birthright Citizenship?,” addressed Trump’s January 20 Executive Order No. 14160, “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” which purports to curtail birthright citizenship. Professors Aditya Bamzai and Amanda Frost together dissected the order before a packed classroom, sharing the legal history leading up to the order and their analysis of its legality and practical consequences.
SBA Campaigns Q&A
Due to last week’s closure of Law School facilities, this year’s SBA Debate has moved online. We asked the two SBA campaigns ten questions—many of them submitted by you! Read below to see what they had to say.
The Uncertain Future of the Corporate Death Penalty
Ghost guns have struck fear into the hearts of many across the nation, and with good reason. Virtually untraceable and almost laughably easy to make, ghost guns have been the subject of campaign promises and district attorneys’ pet projects, and the source of many a lawsuit. Last August, Polymer80, one of the nation’s largest producers of ghost gun kits, shut down. According to the company’s CEO, Polymer80 was “getting sued left and right,” and appears to have buckled under the weight of litigation costs. But is this the end? The CEO reportedly told the press that Polymer80 would return “in some way shape or form.” Not to detract from the value and impact of these settlements, we do still face the question: has Polymer80 been vanquished? Or is it a hydra, and we’re just waiting for the remaining two heads to grow back after a quiet infusion of cash and comprehensive self-reinvention?
“Scalia/Ginsburg Clerk Conversations” Discusses Two Era-Defining Justices
The American Constitution Society and Federalist Society hosted “Scalia/Ginsburg Clerk Conversations” on Wednesday, February 28. At the event, Professors Scott Ballenger ’96 and Rachel Bayefsky discussed their exeriences clerking on the Supreme Court for Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, respectively. The event was held in collaboration with the Charlottesville Opera, which will present the opera Scalia/Ginsburg on March 28 and 29 at Grisham Hall at St. Anne’s-Belfield.
Pamela Karlan Delivers McCorkle Lecture: “Unaccountable”
On Monday, February 24, Stanford Law Professor Pamela Karlan delivered the 2025 McCorkle Lecture to an audience of students and faculty in Caplin Pavilion. Karlan titled her lecture “Unaccountable” and discussed how structural forces have undermined the political accountability of all three branches of the federal government. “We are in the midst of a crisis of accountability,” she warned.
Meet the SBA Candidates
Read statements from this year’s candidates for SBA President and Vice-President!
Law School Hosts LawTech Events
LawTech was the topic of discussion for the day on Friday, February 22, at the Law School. In the morning, the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law (VJSPL) hosted a symposium on Artificial Intelligence featuring professors from both the Law School and the Undergraduate University.
Exploit Machina
The presentation centered on what Matwyshyn calls "exploit machina problems," a reference to 2014 sci-fi thriller, Ex Machina and a piece of code that takes advantage of a vulnerability (an “exploit”). The term aptly foreshadows the premise of the article—that broken technologies in conjunction with broken governance can cause irreparable harm, sometimes at scale.
Journal Tryouts
With journal tryouts officially starting this weekend, and so many conflicting pieces of advice out there, it can feel a bit overwhelming. On top of that, there have been plenty of events to help guide you through the process, so you're probably hearing a lot of different takes on what you should be doing. Here’s a couple of extra tips and tricks to help you get through the upcoming weekends:
Law Student’s Palestine Protest Prompts Harsh Response from Main Grounds
In a video shared with the Law Weekly, a UVA police officer and a representative from PACE—the Policy, Accountability, and Critical Events unit of Student Affairs—tell Kirk Wolff ’26 to leave or face a four-year ban from UVA property.
Lambda Day in the Life
Lambda Law Alliance hosted its Spring Day in the Life event this past Thursday, February 13. The event featured panels, networking opportunities, and dinners with visiting attorneys from a number of participating firms.