June 8, 2026

Southwestern's Rachel VanLandingham Named National Chair in Military Justice Reform

Rachel VanLandingham, Southwestern Law School Co-Associate Dean of Research and the Irwin R. Buchalter Professor of Law, has been named the Ansell-Crowder Chair in Military Justice Reform by the National Institute of Military Justice (NIMJ). This recognition places her among the nation's leading authorities on military justice, national security law, and the law of war.

NIMJ conferred the chair on VanLandingham as "the most prominent scholarly advocate for the reform of military justice in the United States." In announcing the appointment, NIMJ cited her role at the center of major national debates about the future of military justice, including her work advising senators, secretaries, and the public.

A retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and former active-duty judge advocate, VanLandingham brings decades of military, legal, and scholarly experience to her work at Southwestern. Her career has included service as a senior legal advisor on the international law of armed conflict, military prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, appellate defense attorney, and Chief of International Law at U.S. Central Command, where she advised on operational and international legal issues related to the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. At Southwestern, she teaches Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, National Security Law, and Law of War.

She is a frequent media source on military law, war powers, unlawful orders, civilian harm, military accountability, and the legal limits of military force. In recent months, she has appeared on PBS NewsHour and been cited or interviewed by CNN, Business Insider, the ABA Journal, and other major outlets on issues involving military lawyers, reported maritime counter-narcotics strikes, Pentagon policy, and the law of war.

"I am deeply honored to be named the Ansell-Crowder Chair in Military Justice Reform by the National Institute of Military Justice," VanLandingham said. "Military justice has always required those who understand it to speak out on behalf of those it serves and in defense of public accountability, through scholarship and public engagement. A military justice system that is truly just demands a willingness to confront difficult questions about fairness, command authority, and the rule of law. I am grateful that Southwestern Law School has supported my work in this field, and I hope this recognition helps elevate the continued study and reform of a system that profoundly affects the lives of servicemembers and the legitimacy of our armed forces and nation."