The Hon. Doris L. Pryor, the first Black jurist from the state of Indiana to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, will serve as the keynote speaker at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law’s graduation ceremony on May 4.

Pryor, a 2003 alumna of the Law School, will address the Class of 2024 in the Indiana University Auditorium. The ceremony begins at 3 p.m.

“Judge Pryor is a trailblazing jurist whose legal roots were planted right here in Bloomington more than two decades ago,” said Indiana Law Dean Christiana Ochoa. “I’m so pleased she’ll be able to share her inspiring message with our graduating students.”

Before she was nominated to the Seventh Circuit by President Joe Biden in 2022, Pryor had served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Indiana since 2018. Before that role, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, and as National Security Chief for the office from 2014 to 2018.

From 2005 to 2006, Pryor served as a Deputy Public Defender for the State of Arkansas Public Defender’s Commission. Judge Pryor served as a law clerk for Judge J. Leon Holmes on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas from 2004 to 2005 and for Chief Judge Lavenski Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit from 2003 to 2004.

Judge Pryor has been actively involved with the Law School since she graduated. In 2015 she began teaching a pre-trial litigation course during the school’s annual Wintersession, held during the week before the spring semester begins. And in August 2021, she delivered the keynote address at orientation and administered the oath of professionalism to the incoming 1L class.

For the first time in its 32-year history, the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies will be led by a Black woman this fall.

Nashuba Hudson, a second-year student from Chicago, was selected as the journal’s editor-in-chief for the 2024-25 academic year, a historic milestone that is being celebrated by the Maurer School of Law.

“It is truly an honor and privilege to be elected as the Editor-in-Chief of the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies,” Hudson said. “Since my first year of law school, I aspired to serve in this esteemed position. I have intentionally prepared for this role by taking law courses surrounding international law and relying upon my political science degree to ensure that the journal will continue to offer groundbreaking and robust legal content. To discover that I will be the first Black woman to lead the IJGLS, my excitement has felt magical. The professional and personal importance of this moment is one to celebrate and I look forward to sharing the success of Vol. 32 with my fellow board members.”

Founded in 1992 by then-Dean Alfred C. Aman Jr., the journal has fostered dialogue among international communities of scholars in law, sociolegal studies, politics, economics, anthropology, philosophy, cultural studies and other disciplines. The intersection of those issues with the rapid spread of globalization over the past three decades has made the journal one of the leading outlets to publish such interdisciplinary scholarship.

“The election of Nashuba Hudson to the post of editor-in-chief of the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies marks a transformative and historic moment for our publication,” said Professor Jayanth Krishnan, the journal’s faculty advisor. “As the first Black woman to be EIC, Nashuba brings her brilliant intellect, compassionate spirit, hard work ethic, and deep sense of leadership commitment to the IJGLS. Additionally, she will be able to draw upon her distinct and valuable set of professional and personal experiences as she leads an extremely talented Board in publishing Volume 32 of the IJGLS. We celebrate this day at IU Maurer Law, and we are excited for what lies ahead.”

The peer-reviewed IJGLS publishes two issues a year and focuses on the ways transnational law shapes and is shaped by the circumstances of its development, application, interpretation and contestation in a wide variety of contexts – some of them transcending national borders. But its leaders are also interested in studies that improve scholarly understanding and analysis of domestic involvements in globalization and transnational law – since globalization and transnationalism alter the very meaning of territory in various ways.

Hudson currently serves as an associate for the journal, where she’s impressed her peers. Tyler Parrish, the journal’s current student leader, said Hudson is an exceptional choice to continue the journal’s legacy of publishing timely and engaging scholarship.

“As the student editor-in-chief of Volume 31 of the IJGLS, I could not be happier for Nashuba to be serve in this role for Volume 32,” Parrish said. “The global scope of our journal proudly attracts students from various backgrounds and with diverse identities, and it is an honor to work with Nashuba as the first Black woman editor-in-chief of our journal. In addition to her brilliant work as a 2L associate, Nashuba is a natural leader and integral part of the Maurer community, and I am excited to see the heights to which the Journal will ascend under her guidance.”

Hudson is also the current president of the Law School’s Black Law Students Association, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Board member, director of outreach for the Outreach for Legal Literacy Association, an Admissions Fellow, and part of a number of other Law School organizations.

For the second year in a row, an Indiana University Maurer School of Law student has been recognized as one of the best law school writers in the country.

Anneli Kawaoka, a 3L from Naperville, Ill., is one of 15 law students selected to receive a 2024 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award for her note “Psychedelic Drugs & The Prior Art Problem,” which was published in the Indiana Law Journal’s Winter 2023 edition.

The writers are selected by the Burton Awards, a national nonprofit program run in association with the Library of Congress, presented by Law360, and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association.

Kawaoka is one of only two Big Ten law students selected for this year’s honors, to be presented May 20 in Washington, D.C.

Her note examined the conflict between the growing use of psychedelic drugs as a treatment for certain mental health conditions and the lag in approval for psychedelic-related patents with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Indiana Law Journal Editor-in-Chief John Vastag recognized the high quality of legal writing and analysis.

“Anneli’s note took a complex area of intellectual property law and offered her readers an exceptionally comprehensive and concise explanation that was understandable by everyone from a layperson to an expert,” Vastag said. “And she connected that to especially salient social and legal issues like the growing movement to legalize psychedelic substances and the mental health crisis. Her note was also technically superb and she herself represents the best writership of the Indiana Law Journal as she also serves as our executive notes and comments editor.”

William Burton, founder and chair of the awards program, said this year’s honorees were outstanding.

“The recipients are truly exemplary, skillful, and effective writers,” he said. “The highest standard of excellence in legal writing.”

Virginia Wise, formerly of Harvard Law School; Kristen K. Tiscione, Georgetown Law Center; Lindsay Sturges Saffouri, UC Berkeley School of Law; William C. Burton, Founder and Chair of the event; and William Ryan, former member of the Department of Homeland Security and Chair of the White House Plain Language Committee, comprised the Academic Board charged with reviewing this year’s entries.

Morgan York, a 2021 graduate of the Law School, was honored in May 2023 for work published in the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies.

“It is so rewarding to see the writing skills of our students recognized at a national level,” said Indiana Law Dean Christiana Ochoa. “This honor is not only a testament to Anneli’s exceptional skill, but to the high quality of our legal research and writing program.”

Kaitlyn Ross has seen the Indianapolis 500 several times, but she probably won’t ever have better seats than the ones she’ll occupy this May. That’s because Ross, a 1L from Fishers, has been selected as a 500 Festival Princess, one of 33 young women who will help promote one of the world’s largest one-day sporting events while serving their local communities.

For Ross, the selection is a dream come true, made all the more special by the bond she now shares with her mother, Renee Ross.

“My mom competed in pageantry when I was younger, and encouraged me to get involved,” Ross said. “When I was in high school, one of my former teammates had been selected as a 500 Festival Princess and came back to visit us with one of the pace cars, but I never thought I’d be able to do that.”

Ross started off competing in the Miss America Opportunity, earning Miss Indiana University honors in 2023.

Her mother was battling breast cancer at the time.

“I wanted to do something that gave me confidence,” Ross said. “I’ve learned more about myself, and especially public speaking, than I thought possible. I feel like I can stand up and talk to anyone now.”

500 Festival Princesses spend most of their spring performing outreach efforts to communities throughout Indiana. For Ross, that means her hometown of Fishers and her home-away-from home in Bloomington, where she volunteers her time with a local Girls Scouts troop and an initiative she started to help young women discover their potential in in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

The mission of that initiative, Advocating for Next Generation STEMinists, is deeply important to Ross.

“When I was a freshman at IU, I had a mentor who told me I needed to switch majors, that I’d never make it as a scientist,” Ross said. “But I was resilient and did all the things they thought I couldn’t do.” She earned a biology degree from IU in May 2023, and knew her next stop wasn’t far away.

“I was always interested in law school,” she said. “And I knew I really liked science.”

An internship at Eli Lilly & Co. allowed Ross to see the many facets of an international company, including intellectual property law.

“I realized then I could combine my passions and not lose out,” she said.

As she wraps up her first year at Indiana Law, Ross will be giving presentations and making appearances throughout southern Indiana and encouraging young women to pursue their interests in science-based fields.

And her mom, who is now in remission, will be cheering her every step of the way.

“It’s been a really great way to connect with my mother,” Ross said. “She was over the moon when I was selected as a 500 Festival Princess. Not many people thought I was going to do it, but I did, and I know she’s really proud to see it.”

A renowned law and economics scholar is visiting the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, the first scholar to arrive in Bloomington as part of an international agreement designed to strengthen ties between Mexico and the United States.

Dr. Miguel Angel Marmolejo, Ph.D., is the inaugural Fulbright-Garcia Robles Chair at Indiana University, serving as a visiting professor through the spring semester. His appointment is a result of the Fulbright-COMEXUS program, established in 2016 to create new and strengthen existing ties between Mexican and American universities, faculty, and students. Other schools at Indiana University will host future Fulbright-Robles recipients on a rotating basis.

“Hosting IU’s inaugural Fulbright-Garcia Robles Chair is a source of pride not only for the Law School, but for our university,” said Dean Christiana Ochoa. “In 2023, Mexico became the top U.S. trading partner, and our mutual challenges on a range of legal issues pertaining to energy, the environment, trade, finance, human migration, and so many others require us to deepen our relationships with Mexican scholars, and having Dr. Marmolejo working with our students and faculty here in Baier Hall and with our colleagues across campus is an exciting start.”

Ochoa helped establish the position while serving as academic director of the IU Mexico Gateway, alongside on-site Gateway Director Molly Fisher. As demonstrated by this innovative scholar mobility program, the Gateway plays a key role in establishing a strong partnership that benefits IU’s academic units.

“The establishment of the Fulbright-García Robles Mexico Chair at IU promises to enrich our scholars, students, and university community with invaluable international exchange and knowledge,” Fisher said. “We extend our gratitude to Dr. Marmolejo as the inaugural chair, and to all those who tirelessly contributed to the creation of this impactful program.”

Marmolejo is teaching two courses at the Law School—International Environmental Law: Energy Sustainability and Commercial Arbitration—while continuing his research on justice and economic affairs derived from the Mexican Energy Reform.

He was appointed research professor at Universidad Panamericana in 2017 and as a research professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in 2020. Marmolejo has been a visiting academic at the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom and at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico. Recently he was designated OECD advisor in Mexico, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law member, and a social witness by the Mexican Ministry of Energy.

His work has been published in the Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law, The Journal of World Energy Law & Business, and The Routledge Handbook of Energy Law, among others. Marmolejo’s recent scholarship has compared the recovery of the energy sector in Latin America and the European Union after the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the rights of electricity consumers in Mexico.

“I am honored to be the inaugural Fulbright-Garcia Robles Chair at Indiana University,” Marmolejo said. “Indiana University and its Maurer School of Law are recognized globally for their scholarly impact, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this special community.”

The Black Law Students Association at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law has earned national recognition, taking home Medium Chapter of the Year honors at the 56^th Midwest BLSA Regional Convention in early February.

The Midwest BLSA community includes dozens of chapters at law schools from Colorado to Ohio, including nearly all of the schools in the Big Ten conference.

“Our Black Law Students Association isn’t just one of the best in the Midwest, it’s one of the best in the country,” said Indiana Law Dean Christiana Ochoa. “Congratulations to Nashuba Husdon, the executive board, and all who have helped make this chapter such a strong organization.”

Hudson, president of the Indiana Law BLSA chapter, pointed to a number of initiatives that have strengthened the chapter’s reputation.

“One of the core central values that I wanted to instill was to strengthen the foundation of our community,” Hudson said. “We needed to provide programming in order to build that community, but we also needed to provide professional development opportunities to show our students the incredible career paths available to them with a law degree.”

The programming aspect alone is impressive. The BLSA chapter has either hosted, or has plans to host, 28 events during the 2023-24 academic year, including the Law School’s signature social event, the Rapheal M. Prevot, Jr. Barristers’ Ball, in March.

Other events have included student mixers, an annual alumni networking event, with Emeritus Professor Kevin D. Brown as a guest of honor, outlining and final exam preparation workshops, volunteering opportunities, meetings with employers, and more.

“The work our board has put in has simply been phenomenal,” Hudson said, crediting Vice President Samantha Jean, Secretary Jax Smalls, Treasurer Courtney Johnson, Programming Director Ramatou Soumare, Director of Communications Serena Bolden, 1L Representatives Kae Dilworth and Jaelyn Guiton, and former Chief Justice Olivia Hunter with helping to make BLSA such a strong organization.

“We are small, but mighty,” Hudson said. “We’re a small chapter but we’re very forward thinking in terms of what we can do.”

Part of looking ahead means reviewing the past for inspiration. During the mid-2010s, the Indiana Law BLSA Chapter won Midwest Chapter of the Year five consecutive times. That legacy has paved the way for today’s BLSA members, who aspire to create their own lasting impression on the Law School’s history.

“When I was a 1L, I would see all the awards that this chapter has won in the past,” Hudson said. “It’s been an honor representing the 1L class, shadowing previous board members, and now serving as president. I believe we’ve done a phenomenal job of making ourselves recognizable anywhere we go, and I’m hopeful that we will on the national level, too.”

Some Monroe County residents and Indiana University students can receive free assistance with their 2023 federal and state tax returns at the Maurer School of Law as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

VITA services will be available at the Law School, 211 South Indiana Avenue, on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. now through March 26^th, with the exception of spring break (March 11-12). No appointments are needed.

U.S. resident taxpayers who earned under $60,000 are eligible for the free services. Eligible participants also cannot own a business or have received income from the sale of stocks, mutual funds, or homes.

Morgan Hood, a third-year law student and VITA site coordinator, said those wishing to utilize the VITA program can walk in during the announced service hours.

“Taxpayers just need to bring their tax documents—W2 forms and documents from other income sources—along with a valid form of identification and their Social Security card,” she said. “We will be located on the first floor of Baier Hall and will have signage to direct taxpayers to VITA volunteers.”

The Maurer VITA site is part of the United Way of South Central Indiana’s Free Community Tax Service. Last year 54 volunteers—including Indiana Law students—helped local residents file 865 federal tax returns, saving clients as much as $395,000 in tax preparation fees. The returns brought nearly $1 million in refunds and credits to those who utilized the service.

Non-residents for U.S. tax purposes (e.g. a student who has only been in the U.S. since 2019 or scholar who has only been in the U.S. since 2022) are eligible to receive virtual income tax assistance services. These services are available by appointment after an international student or scholar at Indiana University-Bloomington completes as much of their tax return as possible using Sprintax.

For virtual income tax assistance, email iubapvita@gmail.com to request an appointment.

Research conducted by Indiana University scholars, led by Maurer School of Law Professor Victor Quintanilla, was cited by Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush ’83 during her annual State of the Judiciary as evidence Indiana is a national leader in court technology.

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe in early 2020, shutdowns were common in nearly every facet of life. From schools and stores to recreational facilities and restaurants, the virus forced many organizations—including courts—to close or reduce their capacity. As some courts opened their dockets to virtual access, Quintanilla and Indiana University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Kurt Hugenberg and post-doctoral scholar Ryan Hutchings saw an opportunity to measure how satisfied litigants were with their online court experience.

The trio of IU faculty published “Accessing Justice with Zoom: Experiences and Outcomes in Online Civil Courts” in October.

They measured the impact of remote technologies on vulnerable individuals in civil cases like evictions, debt collection, small claims and family law – cases in which more than 90% of defendants are unrepresented. The report compares the experiences of unrepresented persons attending civil proceedings in person with those accessing court remotely. Harvard University’s Nedim Yel provided data management support.

“It’s no surprise that court customers would want to get a text message reminder about a hearing or to pay a traffic ticket online—but do Hoosiers want to attend court online?” Rush asked in her address. “We weren’t sure. So we welcomed Indiana University researchers to take an impartial look. Like many, they were skeptical that people would be satisfied with having their day in court remotely. And we were particularly interested in the experiences of vulnerable Hoosiers.”

The State of the Judiciary Address is given each year by the Chief Justice of Indiana to a joint session of the Indiana General Assembly in the House of Representatives Chamber at the Indiana State House.

Quintanilla said previous reports had shown disparities in technology between litigants and lawyers: most lawyers used laptops while most unrepresented persons logged on via phones. He was also concerned about unreliable internet access, as 740,000 Indiana residents – 10.8% of the state’s population – have no personal internet access.

The results of the study showed promise. Researchers found most unrepresented litigants who attended court remotely wanted to do so in the future; unrepresented defendants who accessed court remotely had higher satisfaction rates with case outcomes than those attending in person; and unrepresented defendants reported less stress in remote proceedings than with in-person appearances.

“Their research revealed ‘loudly and resoundingly: online civil courts enhance access to justice for unrepresented litigants,’” Rush said. “For a person who has to find a ride to court, miss work, or get childcare, remote access is not just about flexibility—it is the lynchpin to getting their case resolved, getting justice.”

Rush praised the work of the IU faculty with having a major impact on how access to justice can be improved for Hoosiers across the state.

“Simply logging on to a remote proceeding—at times—is far more practical than jumping the hurdles that can accompany attending court in person,” she said. “Thank you, Professor Victor Quintanilla and team for your research. It provides guidance on how we can use technology to meet the ‘promise of a people-centered justice system.’”

The Indiana University Maurer School of Law and its Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies are hosting scholars from around the country Friday and Saturday (Jan. 19-20) for an interdisciplinary discussion on one of the world’s most prevalent problems—food insecurity.

Data from the World Bank estimate more than 780 million people around the world suffered from chronic hunger in 2022. As climate change affects agricultural production and water accessibility, the problem could worsen in coming years.

“A Fragile Framework: How Global Food Systems Intersect with the International Legal Order, the Environment, and the World’s Populations” will bring together legal, policy, and environmental experts for a two-day event discussing sustainable solutions to the growing issue.

Jayanth Krishnan, the Milt and Judi Stewart Professor of Law, director of the Law School’s Stewart Center on the Global Legal Profession, and IJGLS faculty editor said Indiana University is home to deep expertise in law and environmental and public policy. With the Law School’s strength in law and society and its global connections—many through the Stewart Center—it was a natural place to host the event.

“This symposium brings together a world-class group of interdisciplinary scholars who are focusing on the issue of how to provide food access to the most vulnerable populations in the U.S. and around the globe,” said. “It is a particularly timely discussion given the recent 28^th UN Climate Conference of the Parties in the United Arab Emirates, where one of the key aspects of discussion was the intersection of food insecurity, climate change, and law and policy.”

The symposium schedule includes sessions on “Exploring Food Systems, Sustainability, and Societal Implications;” “Reflecting on Issues Relating to Human Health, Food Insecurity, and Biodiversity, Broadly Defined;” “Imagining Innovative Environmentalism and/or Energy Sources and the Intersection with Justice and Human Rights;” and “Food Distribution, Resource Struggles, and the Role of Civil Society in Comparative Perspective.”

Participants will present works-in-progress and collect feedback from the group. The resulting articles will be published in a future edition of the IJGLS. Scheduled to participate are:

• Deborah Widiss, Rob Fischman, Christiana Ochoa, and Krishnan (IU Maurer School of Law)
• Shellye Suttles and James Farmer (IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs)
• Eduardo Brondizio (IU Department of Anthropology)
• Michael Roberts (UCLA)
• Alexia Brunet Marks (Colorado)
• Michael Barsa (Northwestern Pritzker School of Law)
• Laurie Beyranevand (Vermont Law and Graduate Schoool)
• Tammi Etheridge (Washington and Lee University School of Law)
• Smita Narula (Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law)
• Amy Cohen (Temple University Beasley School of Law)
• Vitor Martin-Dias (Butler University)
• Allison Korn (Duke University School of Law)

Indiana University Maurer School of Law Professor Bill Henderson has once again been recognized as one of the most influential people in legal education, but he’s not the only one with ties to the Law School on this year’s list.

The National Jurist ranked Henderson #18 on its list. Kellye Testy, a 1991 alumna of the Law School and president and CEO of the Law School Admission Council, is ranked second.

“These key players are major forces in shaping legal education,” the magazine wrote in its spring 2024 issue. “As in years past, in creating our list, we sought nomination from the nation’s law schools and added our own nominees. We then narrowed the list and asked every law school dean to rate them.”

Henderson is no stranger to the list, having been named the most influential person in legal education in both 2015 and 2016, and earning the #2 spot in 2013 and 2014. Based on his research and public speaking, Henderson has also been included on the National Law Journal’s list of The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America, which is compiled every ten years.

In addition to his research and teaching, Professor Henderson has participated in several legal innovation initiatives:

• 2018 to present: Co-founder of the Institute for the Future of Law Practice (IFLP, “i-flip”), a nonprofit that designs and delivers curricula and training for T-shaped legal professions (i.e., law combined with data, process, technology, design principles, and business).
• 2017 to present: Founder and editor of Legal Evolution, an online applied research publication focused on successful legal industry innovation.
• 2010-2016: Co-founder of Lawyer Metrics, an applied research company that helps lawyers and law firms use data to make better operational and strategic decisions. Lawyer Metrics (now LawyerMetrix) was acquired by AccessLex Institute in 2015.

In 2018, Professor Henderson was commissioned by the State Bar of California to write a legal market landscape report, which has been relied upon by the State Bar Trustees and bar authorities in other jurisdictions as they evaluate possible changes to the ethics rules that regulate lawyer and shape the modern legal marketplace.