April 28, 2026

Faculty Appearances: March Highlights

Our March faculty digest highlights Southwestern scholars whose work is shaping courts, campuses,  national media, and beyond.

West Coast Sexuality, Gender, and Law Conference

• This year, Southwestern was well-represented at the third annual WCSGL Conference, hosted by the UC Irvine School of Law. With three Southwestern faculty members serving on the Organizing Committee (Luke Boso, Andrew Gilden, and incoming Yvette Lindgren), we are excited to announce that Southwestern will take up the hosting mantle in 2027.
  • Luke Boso served as the paper session commentator for an accepted work-in-progress: Laura Lane-Steele, Cis Sex Identity and Trans Rights, ___ USC L. Rev. ___ (forthcoming 2026).
  • Andrew Gilden participated in a paper session devoted to his forthcoming book chapter, Sexy Workers, in which Cynthia Godsoe (Brooklyn) served as commentator. Andrew also served as the paper session commentator for a work-in-progress: Noy Naaman & Ruthy Lowenstein Lazar, The Ambivalence of Sexual Consent.
  • Hila Keren participated in a paper session devoted to her piece, Constitutional Opportunism, 104 Denver L. Rev. ___ (forthcoming 2026), in which Jessica Clarke (USC) served as commentator.
  • Tracy Turner discussed her forthcoming book chapter on gender identity as a human right, which will be included in Families and the Human Right to Sexual and Reproductive Health (Edward Elgar Publishing). Tracy’s chapter discusses the importance of gender marker changes, gender-affirming care, and protections against marketplace discrimination to the wellbeing of trans individuals, and it contrasts U.S. approaches to these issues with those in other democratic nations.

Meera Deo

• On March 5, Meera was a featured speaker at a unique gathering at the UC Irvine School of Social Science celebrating the life and legacy of Korean American disability justice advocate Stacey Park Milbern. The U.S. Mint created the American Women Quarters Program to honor women throughout history by immortalizing their likeness on quarters. Stacey Park Milbern is represented on the 19th coin, released in 2025. In her remarks, Meera shared empirical findings from the 2025 LSSSE Annual Report: Disability in Law School. Both the artist who created the original drawing of Ms. Milbern reproduced on the quarter and the sculptor who brought it to life on the quarter spoke about their artistic process. Ms. Milbern’s father also gave formal remarks, sharing personal anecdotes about his daughter and what her appearance on a quarter has meant to their family.

Andrea Freeman

• On March 23, Andrea appeared on NPR’s It’s Been a Minute podcast, where she was in discussion with journalist Yasmin Tayag and host Brittany Luse about milk, corporate interests, and racism.
• On March 5, Andrea attended the Eighth Annual Consumer Law Scholars Conference at the UC Berkeley School of Law, where she served as a commentator on a scholarly work-in-progress.
• On March 3, Andrea spoke to students enrolled in the UC Berkeley School of Law's Food Law and Policy course regarding governmental provision of food.
• On March 3, Andrea met with UC Berkeley graduate students and Berkeley community members to discuss her book and related topic in a Lunch and Chat event sponsored by the Food Institute Graduate Council.

• On March 2, Andrea attended the Consumer Law and Economic Justice Workshop and Labor Law Colloquium at the UC Berkeley School of Law. There, she presented her work on debt oppression to faculty and students.

Richard Jolly

• While not a March appearance, we wanted to take this opportunity to advertise Richard’s upcoming speaking engagement open for registration for virtual attendance through April 15. On Thursday, April 16 from 12:00 – 1:15, Richard will deliver the 2025-2026 Clifford Scholar-in-Residence Lecture at DePaul University College of Law. The Clifford Scholar-in-Residence Program annually recognizes a talented rising star in the field of civil justice. “Professor Jolly will present his ongoing project examining the jury as a site of democratic participation at a time when other institutions are faltering. His talk will consider what it would mean to take the civil jury seriously as a democratic institution, and what reforms might be necessary to preserve and strengthen lay participation in civil adjudication for the future.”

KJ Greene

• On March 17, KJ attended USC Gould School of Law’s Intellectual Property Institute Conference in Santa Monica. There, KJ participated in a panel discussion—alongside partners from O’Melveny, Pryor Cashman, and from his old NY law firm, Frankfurt, Kurnit—to explore hot cases in the complex realm of copyright terminations.

Hila Keren

• On March 6, Balls and Strikes recommended and cited Hila’s Slate Op-Ed in a section entitled, This Week in Other Stuff We Appreciated. Quoting Hila’s piece: “The Republican appointees on the court actively support and advance the concerted efforts outside of the court, by the conservative movement and the executive branch, to eradicate LGBTQ+ equality in general and particularly the existence of gender identity.”
• On March 4, Hila published an Op-Ed in Slate, How SCOTUS Manipulated its Docket to Hide an Anti-LGBTQ+ Ruling From the Spotlight. In this piece, Hila explains how a Supreme Court decision on its shadow docket, Mirabelli v. Bonta, demonstrates the active role the Court has taken in dismantling LGBTQ+ rights. Hila's piece details the discriminatory manner in which the Court handled strikingly similar issues, unjustly and selectively advancing only cases undermining LGBTQ equality while burying those aimed at its protection.

Faisal Kutty

• On March 27, Faisal published an Op-Ed in The Toronto Star: When parents are shut out of classrooms over what they wear, we have a problem. In this piece, Faisal examines the real-world impact of Quebec’s Bill 21 while the Supreme Court of Canada considers its legality, arguing that the law’s restrictions on religious symbols disproportionately exclude minority communities from public life.
• On March 23, Faisal appeared on CTV News, Canada’s leading and most-watched news network, to discuss a Supreme Court of Canada hearing on Quebec’s Bill 21. Faisal analyzed the broader constitutional stakes, emphasizing the deeper question raised regarding what happens when governments preemptively override fundamental rights. Faisal warned of the risks in shifting constitutional protections from durable guarantees to negotiable political choices.
• On March 14, Faisal appeared on CTV News to discuss a court’s decision rejecting Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s application for an injunction to ban the annual Al-Quds Day rally in Toronto. Faisal explained the constitutional principles behind the court’s decision, emphasizing that courts are bound to protect freedom of expression and assembly, and the legal threshold for granting an injunction was not met.
• On March 9, Faisal spoke to the Southwestern Golf Law Society on the role of media in legal practice and advocacy. He discussed how attorneys can strategically and ethically use the media not only in high-profile cases but also to educate the public, advocate for causes, and effectively market their practices.
• On March 5, Faisal delivered the keynote address (by invitation) at the Muslim Bar Association of Southern California’s Annual Iftar on Staying True. Staying You. Faith, Integrity, and Identity in Today’s Legal Climate. He reflected on navigating the legal profession with integrity and faith, emphasizing the importance of principled advocacy in challenging times. The event brought together over 200 lawyers, law students, judges, and community leaders.

• On March 3, Faisal published an Op-Ed in The Toronto Star: International law does not dissolve because a regime is objectionable. In this piece, Faisal discusses Western responses to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, arguing that selectively applying international law undermines its legitimacy and erodes the rule-based global order. He contends that principles like necessity, proportionality, and civilian protection must be applied consistently, regardless of the character of a regime, if international law is to retain its force and credibility.
• On February 18, Faisal published an Op-Ed in The Toronto Star: I have seen Ramadan become a more public celebration, which is good, but that comes with risks. Faisal reflects on the growing public visibility of Ramadan in Canada and argues that, while recognition and accommodation reflect a maturing pluralistic society, greater visibility can also bring commercialization, misunderstanding, and backlash.
• On February 8, Faisal published an Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times: We celebrate civil rights heroes only after they stop making us uncomfortable. In this piece, Faisal reflects on how figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali were often condemned in their own time before being embraced as national heroes, and he argues that societies tend to celebrate moral courage only after its disruptive demands for justice have been neutralized. The article was subsequently republished in more than a dozen leading newspapers across the United States. Faisal also notes: “The piece also held special personal significance, as it prompted a deeply meaningful message from the late Professor Isabel Gunning (may she rest in peace).”

Orly Ravid

• Earlier this year, the Sundance Institute invited Orly and the students in her legal clinic to speak to filmmakers as part of what they call the Artist Accelerator program. Orly and several students spoke to explain what the clinic does and then fielded substantive legal questions related to the filmmakers’ projects.
• Additionally, for those who don't already know, Orly regularly hosts and moderates a Podcast through The Film Collaborative, Peaced Off!, exploring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You can find the series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, and The Film Institute's website.

John Tehranian

• On March 28, John attended the Symposium, 50th Anniversary of the 1976 Copyright Act, at the Texas A&M University School of Law’s Center for Law and Intellectual Property in Fort Worth. John’s talk, Creativity, Inequality and the 1976 Copyright Act, explored the ways in which the 1976 Act risks creating a copyright caste system with its tiered hierarchy of protection. The symposium brought together "leading copyright law scholars to explore notable developments in the past five decades."

Rachel VanLandingham

• On March 3, Rachel published a lengthy Op-Ed in War on The Rocks, The Burden That Should Not Be Theirs: How Congress Turned the Military into the Last Check on Illegal War. In this piece, Rachel discusses the corrosion of civilian control of the military, executive overreach, the politicization of obedience to military orders, whether military leaders have a responsibility to resist unlawful orders, and inhospitable judicial responses to disobedience. “Legislators on both sides of the aisle have a responsibility to the military as well as to the country to fulfill their constitutional role in war-making. They should remove the U.S. military from its dangerous current position as the last barrier to unconstitutional war.”
• On March 21, Rachel and her co-author Steven Lepper published an Essay for the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Ethics & Rule of Law, The Pentagon’s Distortions of Law to Justify its Venezuela Operations Have a Name—“Lawfare.” In this essay, they explain the unique legal realities that render “lawfare”—distortions of applicable law and abuses of military infrastructure—so effective in the second Trump Administration.
• Rachel frequently appeared in March in the national media, was extensively quoted regarding the U.S. / Israel v. Iran war, and she continues to invest long hours providing background information to reporters as they cover the war. The following is only a snapshot of Rachel’s many media appearances:
  • You can access Rachel's interview on MS Now with former CIA Director Brennan here.
• Rachel appeared numerous times on BBC as well as on Canadian and Australian news programs throughout the month, such as this BBC interview on March 22.
• At the inception of the war in Iran, Rachel was quoted in a piece published by The Intercept on March 1, Trump’s Iran Attack Was Illegal, Former U.S. Military Officials Allege. She was also quoted in a similar piece for the Associated Press that was published in local media outlets like this one.  
• Rachel also educated the public on the increasing politicization of the U.S. military. For example, in a piece published by The Intercept on March 19, Air Force Academy Prepares Ideological Overhaul, With Erika Kirk Bringing “Bold Christian Faith”, Rachel comments on her alma mater and its appointment of Erika Kirk to its board of visitors.
• Rachel also continued her ongoing work with a California media outlet regarding the misuse of an Army installation in Monterey County to detain undocumented immigrants in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, collaborating with the journalist to examine military documents and statements to uncover abusive practices.
• On February 20, Rachel presented (virtually) as part of the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal Symposium, The Militarization of America. Rachel’s remarks focused on foreign policy.
• On February 20, Rachel attended the International Law Weekend (West) conference, New Frontiers, Evolving Rules: The Future of International Law, sponsored by the International & Comparative Law Program at UCLA School of Law and the American Branch of the International Law Association. There, Rachel spoke about the illegality of US boat strikes in the Caribbean, framing them as crimes against humanity.