Learn more about their experiences through the Q&A below.

3L Rebecca Sonn

Q: What country did you visit, and what partner organization did you work with?

A: For my project, I am partnering with the Bethany Land Institute (BLI), a non-profit in rural Uganda founded by Notre Dame professor Father Emmanuel Katongole. Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, BLI uses the practices of integral ecology to reverse soil degradation, farm sustainable food for the community, and provide an educational program that equips students with essential skills in agriculture, business, and leadership. In addition to this work, BLI is a leader in conservation. They successfully regenerated Lazarus’ Forest on their property, transforming once-barren, deforested land into one of the largest forests in the country.

Q: What activities did you do with your partner organization and/or in the country you visited?

A: During our trip, we spent a week conducting over 20 interviews and visiting three other farms across the country to gather data on integral ecology, regenerative agriculture, and the specific market challenges facing rural Ugandan communities. In the coming weeks, we will develop a business plan for BLI based on a market feasibility assessment. Our goal is to identify viable "value-added" products that will generate sustainable revenue, ensuring BLI can continue its vital work of training local leaders and feeding the community.

We also took a day to visit Murchison Falls National Park, where we saw the powerful falls from the Nile River and wildlife in their natural habitat, including hippos, giraffes, lions, elephants, and many more!

Q: What was the highlight of your trip?

A: The highlight of the trip was connecting with the people. Everyone I met greeted me with the phrase "you are most welcomed here" and then truly made me feel the weight of those words through their kindness and hospitality. It was a powerful reminder that despite living thousands of miles apart and having vastly different life experiences, we can always find a common language of kindness and collaboration.

Q: Why should Notre Dame Law students participate in this course?

A: I hope more Notre Dame Law students consider participating in this course. While it may not be a traditional doctrinal class, it challenges you to apply your legal mind to complex, real-world problems while stepping well outside your comfort zone. By navigating the intersection of policy, business, and community-led conservation in a global context, this experience provides a unique opportunity to live out the "different kind of lawyer" mission that Notre Dame Law School is grounded in.

3L Krystal Szerszen

Q: What country did you visit, and what partner organization did you work with?

A: I visited Uganda and worked with our partner Bethany Land Institute!

Q: What activities did you do with your partner organization and/or in the country you visited?

A: We visited farms throughout Uganda, interviewed BLI students and staff as well as community members, held focus group discussions, attended a local Mass, met with stakeholders, visited Murchison Falls and the source of the White Nile, and went on a game drive.

Q: What was the highlight of your trip?

A: The highlight of my trip was getting to meet the people of Uganda. They are the nicest people in the world and it made me realize that good, hard working people are the same regardless of where they come from.

Q: Why should Notre Dame Law students participate in this course?

A: This is the most transformative course offered on Notre Dame's main campus. Learning is best done outside of the classroom and this class is a testament to that!

3L Jordan Farrell

Q: What country did you visit, and what partner organization did you work with?

A: We traveled to Madre de Dios, Peru and Lima, where we partnered with Caritas Madre de Dios and COOPSSUR, a regenerative agriculture cooperative focused on cacao production in the Peruvian Amazon.

Q: What activities did you do with your partner organization and/or in the country you visited?

A: Over the course of the week, our team conducted interviews with farmers, cooperatives, buyers, government representatives, and technical experts across the region. We also visited farms and processing facilities in the field to assess COOPSSUR's current operations and market position. Our work is focused on identifying value-add opportunities for the cooperative's cacao crop and developing an implementation guide to support their five-year strategic plan.

Q: What was the highlight of your trip?

A: The highlight was traveling into the Amazon to visit farms and meet directly with the producers. Seeing the landscape and hearing firsthand from the farmers about the challenges they face in a volatile cacao market made the work we have been doing over the course of the semester feel very real and meaningful.

Q: Why should Notre Dame Law students participate in this course?

A: The REEL Lab offers a rare opportunity to gain hands-on international development and NGO consulting experience while working alongside MBA and Master of Global Affairs students. It pushes you to think beyond the law and develop practical skills in cross-sector collaboration that are hard to find in a traditional law school curriculum.

Notre Dame Law School recently welcomed distinguished alumna Eka Tkeshelashvili LL.M. '01 for a lecture, “Transforming the State from the Inside: Corruption, Accountability, and the Foundations of Human Rights and the Rule of Law.” Tkeshelashvili is the former vice prime minister and minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, president of the Georgian Institute for Strategic Studies (GISS), and currently a distinguished fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. She previously led flagship anti-corruption programs funded by the European Union and USAID in Ukraine and headed the global Anti-Corruption Practice at Dexis Consulting Group.

Tkeshelashvili’s main event was her lecture, the first in the series, “Life After Notre Dame,” which brings distinguished alumni back to Notre Dame Law School to share real-world insights, career guidance, and lessons learned from leadership at the highest levels.

Tkeshelashvili appreciated the opportunity to return to her alma mater for the first time since graduation. She expressed her gratitude for her education at Notre Dame Law School, which helped shape her career and prepared her for impactful leadership in Georgia.

“It is emotionally very fulfilling to be here in person,” she expressed.

During her lecture, Tkeshelashvili analyzed corruption as a systemic model of governance and examined how it erodes institutional accountability, weakens democratic governance, and undermines the protection of human rights and the rule of law.

She stressed that a country’s rule of law and judiciary are critical as the foundation of governance. Undervaluing the rule of law during the development of these countries has been a prevalent issue and led to the rise of systemic corruption in the operations of many states, she said.

“When it comes to the rule of law, it is the core spine on which the whole body of state governance holds on,” she said. “If it is corrupt, it is hard to imagine strong fiscal services, efficient courts, or strong governance.”

Tkeshelashvili further discussed how systemic corruption undermines the protection of human rights.

“Relevance of human rights and corruption is very intertwined. If a system is corrupt in any given country, then political rights, foundational rights, and economic rights are all jeopardized because nothing functions the way it should,” she stated.

Tkeshelashvili stressed the necessity for the commitment of the people to drive change and promote transparency in weak and corrupt systems. She encouraged students to share their experiences, teach others, and build the capacity needed to help countries affected by corruption become stronger than before.

“Don't take things for granted, but realize that everyone has a role in developing governance, legal studies, and anti-corruption,” she said.

Tkeshelashvili’s inspiring lecture challenged Notre Dame Law students to consider how they can strengthen justice systems and uphold the rule of law in their future careers. She modeled to students how she has personally used her Notre Dame Law School education to combat corruption and advance her constant fight for transparent institutions and humanitarian development.

The president of Notre Dame Law School’s International Law Society, Tiffany Su, closed the lecture with final remarks of gratitude on behalf of Notre Dame Law School. She highlighted Tkeshelashvili’s strong example of leadership and continued pursuit of justice in a world of systemic corruption.

“Eka Tkeshelashvili represents a great example of how to be a ‘different kind of lawyer,’” said Su. “Her work challenges us to think about the ways we can strengthen our systems, whether public or private, and uphold the role of law.”

During her visit to campus, Tkeshelashvili also participated in a coffee chat with students, had lunch with Notre Dame Law School’s Global Human Rights Clinic, met with Dean G. Marcus Cole, and toured the University, including a visit to the office of former University president Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.

“Life After Notre Dame” is an ongoing series highlighting distinguished alumni and their professional journeys. Additional features will be shared in the coming months.

Notre Dame Law School hosted its second annual Death Penalty Abolition Week from Monday, March 23 to Friday, March 27, 2026. Organized by the Notre Dame Law School Exoneration Justice Clinic, with the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights and the Institute for Social Concerns serving as co-sponsors, the week was made possible through a generous donation from Syl Schieber ’72 M.A., ’74 Ph.D., and Vicki Schieber. Several student organizations at Notre Dame Law School also co-sponsored the events, including the American Constitution Society, the Notre Dame Exoneration Project, Jus Vitae, the Women’s Legal Forum, the National Lawyers Guild, and the Death Penalty Abolition Society.

Through a series of powerful conversations and firsthand accounts, Death Penalty Abolition Week sought to raise awareness of the tragic miscarriages of justice caused by wrongful convictions, affirm the sanctity of human life, and advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in the United States. Featuring exonerees, advocates, and experts committed to criminal justice reform, the week invited the Notre Dame community to reflect deeply on the emotional, legal, and moral impact of the death penalty and the urgent need for change. Explore key takeaways from each speaker below.

Honorable Bob Morris, Indiana Representative, Legislative Efforts to Repeal the Death Penalty in Indiana

To open Death Penalty Abolition Week, Notre Dame Law School welcomed the Honorable Bob Morris, Indiana Representative, for a discussion moderated by Professor Jimmy Gurulé, founder and director of the Notre Dame Law School Exoneration Justice Clinic. Opening remarks were delivered by Dean G. Marcus Cole.

In his remarks, Dean Cole framed the conversation around human dignity and moral responsibility, emphasizing the Church’s teaching on capital punishment. He noted that the death penalty risks depriving the guilty of the possibility of redemption, adding, “Consequently, the Church teaches in the light of the Gospel that the death penalty is inadmissible.” His remarks set the tone for a discussion centered not only on law and policy, but also on faith, justice, and the value of human life.

Representative Morris spoke candidly about his legislative efforts to repeal the death penalty in Indiana, including his sponsorship of House Bill 1030. Grounded in his Catholic faith, Morris emphasized the principles of human dignity and the possibility of redemption, even for those who have committed the most serious crimes.

“Looking at the big picture, today we can house these people and feed them. We don’t have to kill them. How are they going to learn the difference between right and wrong?” he said, urging the audience to reconsider whether execution serves justice.

He also highlighted the transformative potential of redemption, asking, “If I told you that that prisoner brought one more person to Jesus Christ, would that change your mind?” He continued, “It sure should. They found Christ while they were in prison. The point is, if they bring one person to Christ, I think we should stop capital punishment in the state of Indiana because of that—because they found Christ and may go on to evangelize others.”

Morris also reflected on the bipartisan nature of his work, noting that efforts to abolish the death penalty have brought together unlikely allies across political lines. “Every single Democrat was voting with me on this—and I’m a pro-life legislator. It is but an interesting journey,” he said, pointing to a shared commitment to protecting life despite differing political perspectives.

Professor Gurulé closed the discussion by thanking Morris for his advocacy, stating, “Thank you for your strong leadership on this very important issue that has divided our country. I really do believe you are a profile in courage.”

Together, the discussion underscored how questions of justice, faith, and policy continue to shape the evolving conversation around capital punishment.

Erin Barnhart and Elwood Jones, federal public defender and Ohio death row exoneree, Defending the Innocent from Wrongful Execution

The second day of Death Penalty Abolition week included an emotional conversation with Notre Dame Law alumna Erin Barnhart ‘05 J.D., federal public defender, and her client Elwood Jones, an Ohio death row exoneree. Jones is an innocent man who spent nearly 30 years on death row after being falsely convicted of one count of aggravated murder, one count of aggravated burglary, and one count of aggravated robbery. Together, Jones and Barnhart shared the details of his typical workday at an Embassy Suites hotel which ended in his wrongful conviction and 30 years of imprisonment.

The talk included extensive details of the day of the murder, the botched police investigation that followed, and the trial which left Jones sentenced to a crime he did not commit. Barnhart explained the pivotal evidence and alternative suspects which were simply ignored by police and prosecutors as they narrowed in on Elwood from the beginning.

“The investigation showed incredible signs of tunnel vision and confirmation bias, and ignored really viable leads. They zeroed in on Elwood to the exclusion of anyone else. The state withheld nearly 4,000 pages of materials including investigative notes and witness statements which pointed to alternative suspects,” Barnhart explained.

Jones was finally exonerated after almost three decades on death row. Since his release in December 2022, he has devoted his life to others through constant volunteer work. Jones reflected on his life since his release, stating, “When I was in there, I lost a lot. I lost my parents, I lost my wife, and I lost two of my sisters. They took my life and turned it upside down. I had something before I got locked up. Now, I’ve got nothing. So, what do I do today? I volunteer in Cincinnati, I feed the homeless, I go to a school and read to little kids. On the side, I make teddy bears and gift them to anyone who has helped me.”

Jones and Barnhart’s conversation offered a powerful reminder of the human cost of wrongful convictions and the urgent need for accountability within the criminal justice system. Their story underscored both the devastating consequences of injustice and the resilience required to rebuild a life after it.

Anthony Ray Hinton, Enduring 30 Years on Death Row in Alabama

On Thursday, Anthony Ray Hinton, distinguished activist and author of the novel The Sun Does Shine, delivered his personal experience of 30 years on death row after a false conviction. At age 29, with no history of violent crime, Hinton was convicted of two counts of murder due to flawed evidence and a racist system in Alabama. He spent almost three decades on death row until he was finally exonerated and released on April 3, 2015.

During his talk, moderated by Professor Jennifer Mason McAward, Hinton shared the emotional details of his 30 years in solitary confinement in a 5×7 cell. He described the constant noise day and night, the 2:00 a.m. wakeups each morning, and the lack of decent food and sleep. Hinton also shared the relationships he formed with the others on death row, and how he even convinced the guards to allow him to start a book club amongst the inmates.

“I didn’t just spend 30 years on Alabama death row. I spent 30 years in pure Hell. It is so important for all of us to look at the death penalty in this country and do something about it,” he said.

Hinton also recalled that upon his arrest, the arresting officer told him that five specific, racially motivated factors would guarantee his conviction for a crime he did not commit. Dismissing Hinton’s innocence, the officer outlined the following reasons: (1) You’re Black, (2) A white man is going to say you shot him, (3) You’re going to have a white prosecutor, (4) You’re going to have a white judge, and (5) You’re going to have an all-white jury.

“I don’t care whether you did or didn’t do it,” Hinton recalled the officer telling him. “But I’m going to make sure you’re found guilty of it. There are five things they’re going to convict you on. Do you know what that spells? Conviction, conviction, conviction, conviction, conviction.”

The arresting officer’s statements underscored the racial discrimination deeply entrenched in the death penalty system.

Hinton urged Notre Dame Law School to consider his case as one of many wrongful convictions in which society cast him out and stopped treating him as a human being. He has spent the past 11 years since his exoneration devoted to sharing his personal story and strongly advocating for the abolition of the death penalty.

“I am hoping, I am praying, that some of you men and women become lawyers who can fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,” said Hinton. “I ask you to stand up and fight for me and the death penalty. I challenge every man and every woman here to do your research. Justice did not work. Had justice worked, I would not have been indicted in the first place. It was only a lawyer who cared enough to give me justice and freedom.”

Hinton’s testimony served as a powerful call to action, urging future lawyers to confront injustice and advocate for those whose voices have been silenced. His story reinforced the profound responsibility of the legal profession to pursue justice with integrity, compassion, and humanity.

Sarah Craft, Donna Schneweis, and Syl Schieber, A Call to Action

On the last day of Death Penalty Abolition Week, Syl Schieber moderated a discussion with Donna Schneweis, director of the Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty, and Sarah Craft, interim director of the Indiana Abolition Coalition.

Schieber opened the conversation by sharing the personal story that shaped his advocacy. After the murder of his daughter Shannon on May 7, 1998, he publicly opposed the use of the death penalty in her case, even as prosecutors chose to pursue it. Reflecting on that experience, he noted that victims’ families are not always heard when they oppose capital punishment, a realization that led him to turn grief into action.

“I began publicly organizing,” Schieber said, describing how his work grew into a national effort involving legislators, service organizations, and faith communities. He emphasized that meaningful change requires sustained, state-level engagement—“boots on the ground all over the country”—given that death penalty policy is often determined locally.

Craft then provided an overview of the current landscape in Indiana, describing a system shaped by executive authority and shifting political priorities. Although the state carried out no executions between 2009 and 2024, she explained that executions resumed in December 2024, with two more following soon after. “What we’re seeing is a rise in executions, not a rise in death sentences,” she said, underscoring renewed urgency for advocates. Craft also pointed to the risk of wrongful convictions, noting that Indiana has had two death row exonerations, and highlighted the high costs of lethal injection protocols.

She described emerging bipartisan dynamics, including alliances with legislators such as Representative Bob Morris, and framed Indiana as a “microcosm of what’s going on around the country.” For Craft, the path forward lies in what she called “abolition by attrition”—gradually narrowing the use of the death penalty until it can no longer be sustained.

Schneweis offered a parallel perspective from Kansas, where the death penalty remains legal but rarely used. She traced the state’s complex history, noting that Kansas has carried out relatively few executions in its history, with none since 1965, and has not seen a capital conviction since 2015. Despite high-profile cases that can intensify public support for capital punishment, she emphasized the strength of a growing bipartisan coalition working toward repeal. “Republicans are willing to support repeal,” she said, pointing to legislative efforts such as House Bill 2272 and Senate Bill 245 as evidence of cross-party momentum.

Schneweis also highlighted the coalition’s dual strategy of pursuing repeal while defending against efforts to expand execution methods, including proposals like nitrogen gas. Bringing together religious advocates and fiscal conservatives, she noted, has been key to advancing the conversation in a politically diverse state.

Together, these conversations offered a profound reflection on the moral, legal, and human dimensions of the death penalty, challenging the Notre Dame Law School community to engage more deeply with issues of justice, dignity, and accountability. Through the voices of those directly impacted and those actively working toward reform, Death Penalty Abolition Week reaffirmed the importance of advocacy, compassion, and a steadfast commitment to protecting human life.

Learn more about the Notre Dame Law School Exoneration Justice Clinic at exoneration.nd.edu, the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights at klau.nd.edu, and the Institute for Social Concerns at socialconcerns.nd.edu.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights convened a public hearing in Brasília, Brazil, as part of its advisory opinion proceedings on Democracy and Human Rights. The request of the State of Guatemala for an advisory opinion addresses the scope of States’ obligations to protect and uphold democratic governance under international human rights law.

The Notre Dame Law School Global Human Rights Clinic’s Summer and Fall 2025, and Spring 2026 J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. interns, led by Faisal Yamil Meneses, senior research associate, under the expert guidance and academic supervision of Professor Diane Desierto, together with Notre Dame Law School faculty members, submitted an expert brief to the Court and participated in the oral proceedings, contributing to the broader legal debate on the relationship between democracy and human rights, as well as to the development of normative standards in the Inter-American system.

Representing the Clinic in Brasília was Associate Professor of Law Francisco J. Urbina, Human Rights LL.M. student Roselis Díaz De Freitas, and J.S.D. candidate Nicolás Buitrago Rey, who presented the Clinic’s arguments before the Court with the support of a delegation including legal fellow Josemaría Rodríguez, and students, Rasha Hifzul Rahman, Zolile Shude, Carlos Chinchilla, Christian Mikala-Ofori, Rachel Cooper, and Daniel Mooney. Their intervention demonstrated—through both empirical evidence and legal analysis—the emergence of a right to democracy in the Americas, one that is intrinsically grounded in international human rights law.

The Clinic’s intervention emphasizes the evolving recognition of democracy as a principle with legal significance in international law, as well as the consolidation of minimum democratic standards reflected in regional instruments, jurisprudence, and State practice. It further examines the legal consequences of democratic erosion and argues for the necessity of institutional responses and reparative measures when such minimum standards are breached.

The Global Human Rights Clinic faculty director, Professor Desierto, highlighted the significance of the moment, noting the exceptional performance of the Clinic’s students, who engaged on equal footing with leading international experts during the hearing. The intervention represents the culmination of sustained academic and clinical work, bringing together legal theory, empirical research, and advocacy in a concrete contribution to the advancement of democracy and human rights in the region.

This participation builds on the Clinic’s continued engagement with advisory opinion proceedings before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, where it contributes expert analysis on emerging issues at the intersection of international law, institutional design, and human rights protection. As reflected in prior proceedings, these hearings provide a uniquely inclusive forum for States, international organizations, civil society, and academic institutions to shape the development of international legal standards.

Through its work, the Global Human Rights Clinic seeks to support the development of legal frameworks that ensure the effective protection of human rights and reinforce democratic governance across the Americas.

The Global Human Rights Clinic is led by Professor Diane Desierto, faculty director of the Global Human Rights Clinic and co-director of the Notre Dame Reparations Design and Compliance Lab, which she co-directs with Professor Aníbal Pérez-Liñán.

Together, these selections offer a glimpse into the ideas and breadth of interests shaping our community beyond the classroom, reflecting both intellectual curiosity and the joy of reading. We invite you to explore their recommendations and perhaps discover your next great read!

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Recommended by Professor Rick Garnett, Paul J. Schierl Professor of Law and Director of the Program on Church, State & Society

“Ishiguro is a wonderful writer: understated, even sparse. He's brilliant with unreliable narrators who don't necessarily know themselves what is going on. Along with Remains of the Day and Klara and the Sun, these might be my three favorite books by someone not named Cormac McCarthy or Fyodor Dostoyevsky.”

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Recommended by Joshua Kuiper, International Visitors & Initiatives Program Manager

“Tolkien's masterwork of fantasy fiction is, at its heart, a story about holding on to hope amidst dark times. While there is much to savor in Tolkien's rich language, and his ability to sculpt a deep and believable fantasy world, I most enjoy the book's characters and the ways both big and small that they rise to protect the people and communities that they love. It is an enduring classic, and for good reason.”

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Recommended by Beth Ferrettie, Office Coordinator

“I think most people have heard of the author Kristin Hannah and her popular books like The Nightingale and The Women. Winter Garden is one of her books I don't hear mentioned as much but it is such a great read that has stuck with me long after I read it.

This story is about family and the relationships between sisters and the bond between mother and daughters. It’s a very emotional read going back and forth between stories of the past living through WWII and the present time.”

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

Recommended by Beth Klein, Library Assistant III at the Kresge Law Library

“The trilogy follows Kristin’s life and explores its complexities over several decades. Kristin is a dutiful (and not) daughter, an adventurer, a lover, a wife, a mother, a hardy soul, and a survivor.”

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

Recommended by Professor Kari Gallagher, Associate Teaching Professor

“The Beautiful Mystery is the eighth in a series. I love the characters. Also, the writer is Canadian, and I learn something about Canadian history and culture with each book I read. Start with the first, Still Life, so that you can appreciate all of the story lines.”

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Recommended by Professor Kari Gallagher

“Atonement is both a page-turner and one of the most thought-provoking books I have read. (Don't watch the movie. Read the book.)”

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

Recommended by Patti McLaughlin, Program Director of Professional Development Initiatives

“The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a group of women in 1963 who read The Feminine Mystique. It is a time when women generally were expected to stay home and it is interesting. It explores the frustration without man bashing (except two characters who were horrible)."

You Can't Kill a Man Because of the Books He Reads: Angelo Herndon's Fight for Free Speech by Brad Snyder

Recommended by Professor Ed Edmonds, Professor Emeritus of Law

“This is the story of a teenage Black Communist Party organizer who was arrested in 1932 and imprisoned and later charged with 'attempting to incite insurrection.' His long legal struggle produced the landmark Herndon v. Lowry decision, a 5-4 Supreme Court case that overturned a Georgia Supreme Court decision because the conviction violated Herndon's first amendment rights of freedom of speech and assembly. That, however, is only one part of a fascinating life story well written by Georgetown Professor Brad Snyder.”

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Recommended by Associate Professor Grace Mills, Associate Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Intellectual Property Clinic

“The book chronicles the lives of seven generations of the Buendía family in a town, Macondo, founded by the family's patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía. Macondo is initially isolated, aside from once-a-year visits by Melquíades, who shares discrete scientific discoveries from the rest of the world. But eventually, Macondo is invaded by everything from strangers and political movements to supernatural events, pushing the Buendía family to change — or not. Keep the provided family tree handy as you read this one!”

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

Recommended by Marisa Simon, Director of Law School Admissions

“I'm currently reading this book from a recommendation, and the research and advice are helpful for parent-child relationships at every stage. Furthermore, the themes could be applied in many other conversational or problem solving settings.”

The Seven Primal Questions: Take Control of the Hidden Forces That Drive You by Mike Foster

Recommended by Jonathan Bailey, Web & Social Media Specialist

“The premise is there are 7 basic primal questions that everyone develops as a child. As we grow into adults, the more we cling to the question we weren't consistently able to answer with a ‘yes’ as a child and find different ways to get that answer to a ‘yes.’ When we are in an unhealthy state, we tend to use unhealthy means (vices, codependent relationships, etc.) to answer that question with a ‘yes.’ This book helps you not only discover your primal question, but what it looks like when we unhealthily search for our ‘yes’ and how to answer that question in ways that are productive and constructive.”

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

Recommended by Professor Susan Azyndar, Senior Associate Director of the Kresge Law Library

“In this novel, master storyteller Louise Erdrich takes inspiration from her grandfather’s role in resisting Indian termination policies of the 1940s-1960’s, weaving a vivid portrait of Ojibwe life with a rich political backdrop.”

From March 3 to 8, Notre Dame third-year law students Grace Elias, Camille Golowski, Mariko Jurcsak, Ava Moreno, and Mary Pat Peterson competed in the King & Spaulding U.S. National Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. During this round they competed against 91 other U.S. law schools in Atlanta. With an unofficial win-loss ranking, the team came in at number 6 after Harvard, Emory, Columbia, UVA, and Penn. For the first time in school history, they won their way to the White and Case Jessup International Rounds. These rounds will be held from March 28 to April 4 in Washington, D.C.

The team is coached by Professors Mary Ellen O'Connell and Thomas Mills. Professors Roger Alford, Sadie Blanchard, Paolo Carozza, Diane Desierto, Margaret Martin, Haley Proctor, Francisco Urbina, and Christine Venter all helped assist the team. J.S.D. candidate Gvantsa Dolbaia, herself a Jessup alumna, supported the team every step of the way. LL.M. candidate Fathima Rasha Hifzul Rahman and J.S.D. candidate Ángel Muñoz Carpintero also helped the team prepare for the competition.

The Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Competition is the world’s largest moot court event, bringing together participants from approximately 700 law schools across more than 100 countries and jurisdictions. Jessup is administered by the International Law Students Association and has been held annually since 1960. This year’s tournament started with 806 teams from 99 jurisdictions in its initial rounds. Teams from around the world come together to argue a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations.

This year’s Jessup case is centered on a wide array of international law topics, including international third party intervention, Indigenous Peoples’ rights to access sacred lands and rare earth minerals, sovereign immunity, and double jeopardy. The Notre Dame Law School Jessup team argues both sides of the case, allowing the team to get a well-rounded perspective on international law and the strengths and weaknesses of each side of the argument.

Preparation began at the beginning of the fall semester, before the problem was even released. Team members researched general international law issues that were anticipated to be addressed in this year’s problem. When the problem was released in September of 2025, the team dove right into the specifics. They spent the second half of the fall semester collecting research and information that addressed case specific issues, and their brief writer spent her winter break writing two memorials (briefs) for submission. Once the memorials were submitted, they began their practices. The Jessup team practiced about three times per week, not including their individual practices and preparation outside of that time. They followed this practice routine weekly for the first half of the spring semester until their competition in early March.

Team members were asked about their experience with Jessup and what they are looking forward to as they prepare for the White & Case Jessup International Rounds. Read their reflections below.

3L Grace Elias

“My highlight of this experience is for sure being able to bond with the team and learn about unique, niche areas of law at an exceptional level of expertise. Our team worked tremendously hard all year, and every time we advanced felt like validation for all of our hard work! Also, one of our opponents told us after our competition that she loved seeing an all-women team. This was a huge highlight of the weekend!

“I am most looking forward to continuing to bond with the team and working to challenge the intricacies of our arguments. We definitely improved with each round of practice, so I am thrilled to see how we have improved and continue to grow more!”

3L Camille Golowski

“I feel incredibly grateful to have been able to share my love for the law and detail-oriented approach to analyzing growing complexities in the international legal regime with strong, skilled, and like-minded women on this year’s Jessup team. These women have challenged me intellectually throughout the process and I have certainly grown in my legal capacity as a result, which will serve me well in my future career. Being able to represent Notre Dame in this incredible journey and having achieved remarkable results is just the icing on the cake! I look forward to seeing my teammates shine at Internationals, watching the thrill they exude when they nail an argument, and seeing just how much our team is capable of. I am incredibly proud of these women and I cannot wait to watch our comradery carry us through to the end.”

J.S.D. Candidate Gvantsa Dolbaia

“I feel honored to have witnessed the remarkable achievement of the Notre Dame Law School Jessup team. These exceptional women dedicated immense time, effort, and energy to producing outstanding written memorials and delivering compelling oral arguments, earning praise from legal professionals and peers across the U.S. National Rounds for their advocacy and persuasiveness. As a J.S.D. student, Jessup alumna, and long-time coach of multiple Jessup teams, I am confident the Notre Dame Law School Jessup team will continue to excel at the international rounds—competing among the very best, making a lasting impression, and further advancing Notre Dame Law School’s proud and history-making legacy on the global stage.

“We are very grateful for all the help and support we received from the faculty and peers. We are ready to rank among the top Jessup teams this year!”

From addressing systemic barriers in the legal profession to guiding students through the complexities of the judicial process and fostering a sense of vocation in the law, these professors offer insight into the responsibilities and opportunities that come with legal education. Their reflections underscore the impact of mentorship and the role of educators in forming lawyers prepared to serve their communities with purpose, integrity, and faithful leadership.

Kristina Swanson, Associate Teaching Professor

Your scholarship examines systemic barriers to women in the law. What changes in legal education or professional culture do you think could help address those challenges?

Women now exceed 50% of law students nationwide, but across titles that represent high-status endpoints—equity partner, general counsel, and similar apex roles—women are severely underrepresented (e.g., women are roughly 1/3 of non-equity law firm partners and less than 1/4 of equity partners). The profession can do better; two changes in professional culture would be a start. First, the traditional timeline for promotion is the identical timeline for women to have children, the first decade after law school. Second, while many employers adopt flexible work policies on paper, there is a back-end penalty for participating in those programs. Employers must be more flexible with promotion timelines and for women who work reduced hours during some stages of life, provide a clear path to re-enter full-time practice when women are ready.

Jennifer Mason McAward, Associate Professor of Law | Director, Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights

You were once a student at the University of Notre Dame and now you teach at the Law School and direct the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights. What has it meant for you to return to Notre Dame and mentor students at the same institution that helped shape your own career?

Notre Dame helped me understand that working for justice is a moral imperative. It is a gift to teach here and to direct the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights. My job enables me to help inspire our wonderful students to think about how advancing civil rights and human dignity might be part of their own vocations.

Kari Gallagher, Associate Teaching Professor

After working closely with the federal judiciary, what insights do you hope students gain through the Judicial Externship Seminar?

Through their work in chambers, as well as our readings and reflections for class, I hope students begin to appreciate the complexity of the judge’s role, the unique pressures on judges, and the increasing scrutiny under which judges find themselves. I want students to recognize the critical role that an independent judiciary plays in ensuring our fundamental liberties and preserving our democratic institutions. Finally, as members of the legal profession, I want them to understand and embrace the crucial role that they play in defending an independent judiciary against those who see it as merely an extension of the political arms of government.

Grace Mills, Associate Clinical Professor of Law | Director, Intellectual Property Clinic

You were once a student at Notre Dame Law School and now you direct the Intellectual Property Clinic. What does it mean to return in this role and help guide students through the same institution that helped shape your own legal career?

It has brought me great joy to return to Notre Dame, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to connect with students just beginning their legal careers here, as I once was! I hope that, through these connections, I can serve as a mentor to my students, from helping them discern their vocations both in the law and beyond to candidly discussing the challenges (and joys!) of pouring yourself into both a career and a family. I benefited from so much mentorship—both practical and personal—while here at the Law School, and I look forward to continuing that tradition.

Upcoming events from Monday, March 23 to Friday, March 27

Honorable Bob Morris, Legislative Efforts to Repeal the Death Penalty in Indiana

Erin Barnhart and Elwood Jones, Defending the Innocent from Wrongful Execution

Sister Helen Prejean, Abolishing the Death Penalty: Defending the Dignity and Inviolability of Human Life

Anthony Ray Hinton, Enduring 30 Years on Death Row in Alabama

Kathleen Lucas, Donna Schneweis, Sarah Craft, A Call to Action

Notre Dame Law School will host its second annual Death Penalty Abolition Week from Monday, March 23 to Friday, March 27, 2026. The week’s events are organized by the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic, with the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights and the Institute for Social Concerns serving as sponsors. The second annual Death Penalty Abolition Week is made possible through a generous donation from Syl Schieber ’72 M.A., ’74 Ph.D., and Vicki Schieber. Several student organizations at Notre Dame Law School are also co-sponsoring the events, including the American Constitution Society, the Notre Dame Exoneration Project, Jus Vitae, the Women's Legal Forum, the National Lawyers Guild, and the Death Penalty Abolition Society.

The week-long series of speakers and discussions seeks to raise awareness of the tragic miscarriages of justice caused by wrongful convictions, affirm the sanctity of human life, and promote the abolition of capital punishment in the United States.

Death Penalty Abolition Week will feature powerful events, including firsthand accounts from exonerees, advocates, and experts committed to criminal justice reform. The week’s schedule includes the following events:

Monday, March 23, 2026 | 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. in 1130 Eck Hall of Law

Honorable Bob Morris, Indiana Representative, Legislative Efforts to Repeal the Death Penalty in Indiana

Honorable Bob Morris, Indiana Representative since 2010 and member of the Republican party, will discuss his own legislative efforts to abolish the death penalty in Indiana. In 2025, Morris sponsored Indiana House Bill 1030, which sought to repeal the use of capital punishment in the state. Morris and his family are active members of Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, and he has been deeply influenced by his Catholic faith to oppose the use of capital punishment, passionately working to repeal its practice in the state of Indiana.

Opening remarks will be made by Dean G. Marcus Cole.

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. in 1130 Eck Hall of Law

Erin Barnhart and Elwood Jones, federal public defender and Ohio death row exoneree, Defending the Innocent from Wrongful Execution

Erin Gallagher Barnhart ‘05 J.D. serves as the assistant federal public defender for the Southern District of Ohio’s Capital Habeas Unit. Through her work, Barnhart represents death row inmates in federal habeas, civil rights litigation, and state clemency matters. Barnhart graduated summa cum laude from Notre Dame Law School, where she was an editor of the Notre Dame Law Review and earned the Farabaugh Prize for High Scholarship in Law.

Elwood Jones is an innocent man who spent nearly 30 years on death row after being falsely convicted of one count of aggravated murder, one count of aggravated burglary, and one count of aggravated robbery. Throughout those three decades, he maintained his innocence, refused all plea deals for a lesser sentence, and fought for his release as a wrongfully imprisoned individual. After spending 9,971 days in prison for a crime he did not commit, Jones was finally released in 2023.

Together, Jones and Barnhart will share their firsthand perspectives of wrongful conviction and the defense of the innocent.

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Mass presided by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. in the McCartan Courtroom

Sister Helen Prejean, Abolishing the Death Penalty: Defending the Dignity and Inviolability of Human Life

Sister Helen Prejean is a leading voice for the abolition of the death penalty and has dedicated her life to advocating for human dignity. After witnessing multiple executions, she became a fierce critic of capital punishment. Her book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, exposed the brutal realities of capital punishment and sparked a nationwide movement.

Over the decades, she personally appealed to two popes, Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, urging the Catholic Church to oppose the death penalty unequivocally. Following their meeting in August 2018, Pope Francis announced new language in the Catholic Catechism declaring the death penalty inadmissible as an attack on human dignity.

Sister Helen will reflect on her lifelong work defending the dignity of human life and advocating for the abolition of capital punishment.

Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Reception in B01 McKenna Hall

Thursday, March 26, 2026 | 12:00 to 1:15 p.m. in Eck Visitors Center

Anthony Ray Hinton, Enduring 30 Years on Death Row in Alabama

At age 29, with no history of violent crime at all, Anthony Ray Hinton was falsely convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to death in the state of Alabama. He spent nearly 30 years on death row for crimes he did not commit, until the United States Supreme Court ordered a new trial in 2014. Hinton was subsequently exonerated and finally released.

Following his exoneration, Hinton authored his memoir, The Sun Does Shine, and has spent his life advocating for reform in the criminal justice system.

This event will include an introduction by Dean G. Marcus Cole, followed by a presentation by Anthony Ray Hinton and a fireside chat between Hinton and Professor Jennifer Mason McAward.

Friday, March 27, 2026 | 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. in 3140 Eck Hall of Law

Kathleen Lucas, Donna Schneweis, Sarah Craft, A Call to Action

Kathleen Lucas, Director, Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

Donna Schneweis, Director, Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty

Sarah Craft, Interim Director, Indiana Abolition Coalition

Kathleen Lucas has been active in human rights work for over 30 years with organizations including Amnesty International, the Pennsylvania Prison Society and the World Organization for Human Rights. Her professional background includes corporate and nonprofit management and consulting specializing in change management and strategic planning. She earned both her B.S. and M.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University and later studied Cognitive Psychology at Rutgers University.

Donna Schneweis is a native Kansan, who has spent over 40 years working in critical care nursing and death penalty activism. During her critical care nursing career, she saw firsthand the trauma suffered by victims of violence and their families. She became board chair for the Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty and her experiences have given her first hand understanding of how the death penalty’s impact goes way beyond the person who is executed.

Sarah Craft is the Interim Director of Indiana Abolition Coalition and a long-time campaign and communications strategist in the death penalty abolition movement. In her 20 years at Equal Justice USA (EJUSA), she provided hands-on assistance, training, campaign coordination, and strategic guidance to organizations and activists in almost every death penalty state. Sarah worked with leaders in Nebraska to develop a winning strategy that led to death penalty repeal in 2015. She also helped Montana conservatives plant the seeds for the national conservative movement against the death penalty that eventually became Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. Before EJUSA, Sarah worked with the American Friends Service Committee and the Unitarian Universalist Association, covering national policy issues and managing get-out-the-vote and poll monitoring campaigns in Washington, D.C.

This event will be moderated by Syl Schieber ’72 M.A., ’74 Ph.D., who became a staunch opponent of the death penalty after his daughter, Shannon, was murdered in 1998. Schieber and his wife have spent decades advocating for human dignity and abolishing the death penalty in the United States.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas participated in a fireside conversation at Notre Dame Law School to conclude the Notre Dame Law Review's spring symposium on Friday, February 13. The Symposium, "The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution," featured three panels of distinguished scholars who explored the Declaration’s modern relevance, the ways in which it informs constitutional interpretation, the legitimacy of claims that invoke it, and its power to resolve disputes.

More than 200 students filled the McCartan Courtroom for the conversation between Justice Thomas and Associate Professor Haley Proctor, who clerked for Justice Thomas during the 2014-15 term. Their connection shaped the tone of the discussion, which blended judicial reflection with personal insight.

Justice Thomas spoke candidly about the important influence of his grandparents who raised him and the Franciscan sisters who educated him in Catholic schools. Growing up in Savannah in the segregated south, he faced challenges that the nuns helped him to overcome by teaching him that he was created equal and pushing him to achieve.

Reflecting on his grandfather’s life, Justice Thomas highlighted the importance of education and literacy: “My grandfather was raised by his grandmother, who had been born into slavery,” he said. “He treasured education deeply, yet he could not read the instructions on his hot water heater. Learning to read was not easy for me either. I kept a Funk & Wagnalls dictionary close at hand; I treasured words, treasured language.” These experiences, he explained, fostered a lasting sympathy for those for whom English is not a first language.

Turning to how those experiences have shaped his perspective beyond the courtroom, he addressed the rise in criticism and hostility toward judges nationwide, emphasizing the importance and need of civility and compassion within academic and professional communities.

“I think judges can mostly take care of themselves,” he said. “You all are here. I would encourage you to develop a civil, compassionate view toward each other, especially when you disagree. If you cannot treat each other that way in this micro setting, how will you do so in the macro setting of the rest of the world?”

As the conversation went on, Justice Thomas emphasized the deeply collaborative nature of judicial work. He referred to his law clerks as his team and explained that he values hiring clerks from a wide range of backgrounds. The clerkship experience, he explained, demands not only rigorous legal analysis but also discipline, preparation, and the ability to anticipate future challenges.

Despite the long hours, he described chambers as an environment marked by companionship and cooperation. “We have early morning team meetings, but it is the joy of my life. It makes the job fun,” he said. “It’s a hard job, but there are lots of laughs.”

Justice Thomas also reflected on the constant exchange of ideas between justices and clerks, noting the around-the-clock nature of the work. “You can bounce things off,” he said. “We’re all connected. Some people stay up late, others get up very early, but someone is always thinking. I can call anytime.”

The conversation then turned to scholarship and the development of law. Justice Thomas emphasized that legal scholarship should aim to be useful, honest, and capable of being cited. Thoughtful scholarship, he explained, plays a meaningful role in shaping legal doctrine and supporting judicial decision-making.

He compared the development of the law to a train, noting that every case is like a train car, with each decision adding to a longer and evolving body of jurisprudence. “Before we add another car,” he said, “we should understand each precedent already attached to the train.”

The analogy underscored his broader message about judicial responsibility, that the work of the Court requires close attention to existing doctrine, careful reasoning, and respect for the integrity of the legal framework.

Justice Thomas also reflected on the personal experiences that shaped his outlook on law and life, recalling a pivotal moment on April 16, 1970, when he made a conscious decision to remove hatred from his worldview. He spoke openly about the realities of hardship and the importance of personal agency in responding to adversity.

“People can be mean. You encounter bigotry, discrimination, maltreatment, and poverty,” he said. “Others may use those experiences to encourage anger. But you have a choice. When bad things happen, you can be negative or you can be positive.”

He acknowledged that he had not always responded positively, recalling a period in which he struggled with bitterness before ultimately choosing a different path. “I’ve been there,” he said. “I reacted negatively. But I reached a point where I had to step back, to see what that anger could make of me, and to ask God to take hate out of my heart.”

He also pointed to literature as a source of guidance. Referencing Robert Frost, Justice Thomas described how poetry helped shape his outlook. “I read Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken,’” he said, quoting the poem: “‘I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.’ That choice still defines me.”

Throughout the conversation, the importance of faith emerged as a recurring theme in his personal and professional life. Recalling his early intention to enter the priesthood, he described faith as a source of meaning and endurance.

“I think these hard jobs would be impossible to do without faith,” he said. “I took an oath to do this job a certain way, and faith gives meaning to that. What does an oath mean? You say you took an oath to God.”

Justice Thomas closed with a message directed to Notre Dame Law students, emphasizing their role in shaping both the institution and the broader legal landscape.

“Every law school is defined, in my opinion, by the students,” he said. “I see the students as the indicator of whether or not it’s a good law school. I would encourage you to try to stay positive in a difficult world, and try to do things that add to this country and solve some of our problems as opposed to detract from our country and exacerbate the problems. You all have the unique opportunity to be in a position to help us all, to make this country work, and to make it better.”

His visit concluded the Law Review’s spring symposium on a reflective and forward-looking note, reinforcing the Symposium’s exploration of the Declaration and the Constitution while offering students an opportunity to engage directly with a member of the nation’s highest court.

During his time on campus, Justice Thomas also met with representatives of several student organizations and with first-year students participating in the Dean’s Initiative for Leadership and Scholarly Excellence.

In addition to Professor Haley Proctor, several other Notre Dame Law faculty members have clerked for Justice Thomas, including Professors Nicole Garnett, Stephen Smith, and Marah McLeod. His former judicial assistant, Grace Messemer, is a first-year student at Notre Dame Law School.

This week, a delegation from Notre Dame Law School is embarking on a three-day visit to São Paulo, Brazil, from March 9 to 11. Led by G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean of Notre Dame Law School, the delegation aims to strengthen the Law School’s relationship with Insper, Notre Dame Law School’s partner institution in São Paulo since March 2025. A major part of the visit will be a joint workshop hosted by Notre Dame Law School and Insper, where Notre Dame Law professors Michael Addo and Francisco J. Urbina will present their papers alongside Insper colleagues, reinforcing the importance of scholarly exchange between the two institutions. Workshop participants will also discuss a working paper authored by Vincent Phillip Muñoz, the Tocqueville professor of political science and concurrent professor of law. The working papers examine foundational questions of law and governance, reflecting the breadth of academic interests shared among Notre Dame Law School and Insper faculty.

This trip supports the objectives of Notre Dame Law School’s Global Lawyering Initiative, a key priority of the Law School that fosters meaningful dialogue on complex legal challenges through collaboration with scholars and institutions around the world. The initiative expands global partnerships by creating opportunities for research collaboration and faculty and student exchanges.

“Our mission calls us to pursue truth wherever it may be found,” said Dean Cole. “Our partnership with Insper allows our faculty to learn from one another, refine our scholarship, and contribute to conversations about law that extend far beyond any one country.”

Accompanying the decanal delegation are Paul B. Miller, the Robert and Marion Short professor of law and associate dean for International and Graduate Programs; Michael Addo, professor of law and director of the Notre Dame London Law Programme; Francisco J. Urbina, associate professor of law; and Gillian Harris, director of International and Graduate Programs. Thaïs Burmeister de Campos Pires, director of Notre Dame São Paulo, one of the global centers within Notre Dame Global, will also join the delegation.

On March 9 and 10, there will be a joint workshop highlighting new scholarship authored by professors from both Notre Dame Law School and Insper.

“Dean Cole and I are delighted to be returning to São Paulo for the inaugural Insper-NDLS works-in-progress workshop,” said Miller. “These workshops are meant to provide an opportunity for our faculty to showcase their work and to get to know the scholarship of our colleagues at Insper.”

Presentations from Notre Dame Law School faculty include:

• Professor Michael Addo, The Integrity of the Reconciliation Principle in Business and Human Rights

• Professor Francisco J. Urbina, The Force of Separation of Powers

• Professor Vincent Phillip Muñoz, The Founders’ Common Good Constitutionalism (paper to be discussed)

Presentations from Insper faculty include:

• Professor Gabriela de Oliveira Junqueira, Corporate Sustainability at the intersection of human rights, environment, corporate social responsibility, and global value chains

• Professor Diego Werneck Arguelhes, A Powerful and Independent Court, If You Can Keep It: Dysfunctions and Dilemmas of the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court

• Professor Rafael Bellem de Lima, Positive Legislator: From Conceptual Irrelevance to Legislative Irrelevance

• Professor Ivar Hartmann, Between Courts and Congress: The STF Decision on the Marco Civil da Internet and the Future of Platform Regulation in Brazil

• Professor Mariana Chies-Santos, I’m Still Here: Torture of Youth and State Violence in Brazil in Dialogue with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

The moderators for the joint workshop’s panel discussions include Professors Clio Nudel Radomysler, Ana Laura Pereira Barbosa, and Guilherme Almeida.

In addition to the joint workshop, Dean Cole, Professor Miller, and Gillian Harris will meet with Insper president Guilherme Martins; Insper vice president of academic affairs Sérgio Giovanetti Lazzarini; associate dean for international development Flavia Ferreira Piazza; and unit of law academic director Diego Werneck Arguelhes. Members of the Notre Dame Law School delegation will meet with other Insper colleagues, as well, to further discuss the global partnership between the two institutions and explore future opportunities for collaboration in research, teaching, and student engagement.

“The decanal delegation marks a pivotal milestone in the first year of our official partnership with Insper and reinforces our shared commitment to global legal education,” said Harris. “The roundtable allows our faculty to build the personal and professional connections that serve as the essential foundation for successful faculty and student exchange programs.”

Miller added, “Insper is a thought leader in Brazil and beyond and we are excited about the prospects for deeper collaboration held by this meeting and our partnership more generally. We are grateful to President Guilherme Martins for hosting the first workshop and we look forward to reciprocating in the near future.”

Another highlight of the trip will take place on March 11. The Notre Dame Law School delegation will meet with Notre Dame alumni and law firms based in São Paulo.

Although Notre Dame Law School entered into a historic partnership with Insper through an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing just last March, the relationship between the two institutions has already demonstrated strong momentum. Notre Dame Law School recently welcomed Professor Rafael Bellem de Lima to the Law School in February and March as a global visiting associate professor of law, during which he taught the course “Constitutional Justice in Brazil.”

This trip to São Paulo underscores Notre Dame Law School’s commitment to advancing rigorous legal scholarship through engagement with scholars and institutions around the world. It also highlights that the Law School is not only creating global opportunities for its students but for its faculty as well.

Learn more about Notre Dame Law School's Global Lawyering Initiative here: law.nd.edu/global.

For more than two decades, the University of Notre Dame and the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) have cultivated strong academic, religious, and cultural ties. This year, Notre Dame Law School continued its partnership with UCU by welcoming two exchange students from Ukraine, Yaroslav Ovcharuk and Iryna Panteleimoniuk, into the Law School community for the semester. Established in 2022, the exchange program has enriched the classroom experience each year by bringing valuable perspectives from Ukraine to Notre Dame Law School.

Yaroslav is currently a master’s student at the Faculty of Law of the Ukrainian Catholic University. He completed his bachelor’s degree at UCU Law School in 2025 and in recent years, has been involved in providing legal assistance to service members, veterans, their family members, and persons with war-related disabilities.

Iryna is a third-year law student at the Faculty of Law of UCU, with a primary academic focus in international criminal law. She has been actively involved in student self-government and has been practicing at the UCU Legal Clinic, where she provides pro bono legal aid to veterans and people affected by the war.

Studying here at Notre Dame Law School has been vastly different from Iryna and Yaroslav’s learning experiences in Ukraine amidst the war. Although their university in Ukraine remains open, classes are often disrupted, Yaroslav explained.

“Our students' experience in Ukraine is still affected by the war, including air raids and classes in shelters. Here at Notre Dame, you can focus only on studies, and make some friends,” he said.

Yaroslav fondly described studying at Notre Dame Law School as “a dream.”

“I heard of the great memories and stories from other exchange students about how the Notre Dame mission truly reflects the Ukrainian Catholic University’s institutional mission,” he said.

This influenced Yaroslav to apply for the exchange program, and he has found his experience at Notre Dame Law School to be very valuable.

Iryna always wanted to study in the United States in order to understand the American legal system and afterwards apply her knowledge and experience to her home in Ukraine. She appreciates the central role of the United States Constitution in many of her classes and emphasizes how she wishes to bring that level of constitutional prevalence back to Ukraine.

This semester, both students are enrolled in different courses which reflect their diverse interests, such as Freedom of Religion, International Law, International Business Transactions, Introduction to Law and Economics, and International Religion and Liberty.

While the two schools have many differences such as size, the ages of students, and the current conditions of Ukraine, Iryna has found that Notre Dame Law School and UCU practice many similar values, with human dignity at the forefront.

“At Notre Dame, it is about the person,” said Iryna. “One of the most important things in the lawyer profession, first of all, is that we need to see a person.”

Iryna has found that the knowledge she can both learn and share is the most rewarding aspect of her experience as an exchange student. In addition to the plethora of knowledge learned from her professors, Iryna finds it especially rewarding to share her experiences of the war in Ukraine with students at Notre Dame.

“In Ukraine, everyone understands what is going on. But witnessing the war and just knowing about it are different things. It is very valuable to share my knowledge with the students here,” she said.

Yaroslav and Iryna have been proactive in leading events and initiatives on campus to raise awareness of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. On February 24, they hosted a special documentary screening of 2000 Meters to Andriivka in solidarity and commemoration of four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, and the ongoing war. The students also plan to hold a talk on student resilience during wartime in the coming weeks.

In addition to learning from Notre Dame Law School’s exceptional professors, Yaroslav has found improving his communication skills to be a rewarding aspect of his time at Notre Dame.

“We know what is going on back home, but here, we learn the skill to speak about it properly and explain things. And we can learn about experiences from students from different countries,” said Yaroslav.

Outside of the classroom, both students speak fondly of their camaraderie with other exchange students from various backgrounds. Iryna describes her friendships with exchange students from Italy and Germany, stating, “We study together and compare our different systems in law. It is important to share cultures with others.”

Yaroslav and Iryna have especially appreciated how immersed the exchange students are here at Notre Dame Law School. “We get the chance to communicate with everyone and share our experience with students from different countries,” Yaroslav said. They have felt a sense of belonging and found friendships among students from the United States and various other backgrounds.

Upon returning home to Ukraine at the end of this semester, both Iryna and Yaroslav hope to apply their knowledge and experiences from Notre Dame to Ukraine’s current legal system. Iryna hopes to pursue work in human rights and legal assistance for war crimes. Since Ukraine’s legal system is currently struggling and undergoing significant reforms, Yaroslav hopes to help with legal aid and “take our experiences from here to join in the process of reforming Ukraine’s institutions and laws and help people back home.”

Reginald “Reggie” Dillard, a client of the Notre Dame Law School Exoneration Justice Clinic (EJC), was exonerated on Monday, February 23, after spending 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Dillard was convicted of murder in 2000 based on the 1998 shooting of Christopher Thomas in Elkhart, Indiana, and was sentenced to 65 years in prison. A Special Prosecutor, Marshall County elected prosecutor Nelson Chipman, agreed to vacate Dillard’s conviction on Thursday, February 19, and Judge Christopher Spataro signed the order dismissing the criminal charges, officially exonerating Dillard.

The EJC filed a petition for post-conviction relief on Dillard’s behalf in Elkhart County Superior Court in July 2022. Extensive litigation followed, including proceedings before the Indiana Supreme Court in which the clinic requested the assignment of an impartial judge. After a Special Judge and a Special Prosecutor were appointed, the court held a two-day evidentiary hearing that began last Wednesday, February 18, and concluded on Thursday, February 19.

The EJC presented new evidence at the evidentiary hearing last week. Following the close of evidence, the Special Prosecutor concluded that Dillard’s constitutional rights under Brady v. Maryland had been violated through the withholding of material exculpatory evidence and agreed that his conviction should be vacated. The court entered an order vacating Dillard’s murder conviction, and the following morning, the State moved to dismiss the charges, acknowledging that the evidence did not support retrying the case.

The petition for post-conviction relief filed in 2022 alleged serious misconduct in the investigation and prosecution of the case. Dillard asserted that former Elkhart Police Department Detective Stephen Rezutko fabricated witness statements and maintained an undisclosed sexual relationship with a key witness against Dillard. Following an internal affairs investigation, the Elkhart Police Department found that Rezutko engaged in improper sexual conduct with informants in criminal cases, but this information was not disclosed to defendants, including Dillard, for decades. Dillard also alleged that exculpatory and impeachment evidence was withheld, including benefits provided to key witnesses and compelling evidence implicating two other men in Thomas’s murder.

In a message to the entire EJC team on the morning of Dillard’s release, Professor Jimmy Gurulé, founder and director of Notre Dame Law School’s Exoneration Justice Clinic, wrote: “As you know, last Thursday, following a two-day evidentiary hearing, Judge Christopher Spataro vacated Reginald Dillard's 2000 wrongful murder conviction. This morning Judge Spataro dismissed the criminal charges against Reggie with prejudice and ordered his immediate release from custody. As the result of the hard work of many of our clinic students, past and present, Reggie has been officially exonerated. Later today, Reggie will regain his freedom and be reunited with his family and friends.”

Immediately after his release, Dillard spoke to members of the EJC who gathered outside the prison to welcome him home, offering a heartfelt message of gratitude and hope.

“Thank you. I’ve got a lot of people that care for me,” Dillard said. “There was a time when I was the voiceless, and now I’ve become a voice for the voiceless, and I plan on being that voice.”

EJC staff attorney Kevin Murphy emphasized the broader significance of the exoneration while speaking with Dillard and members of the clinic team outside the prison.

“It’s a day that we also must take to look at this Elkhart criminal justice system and make it better and take a step forward,” said Murphy. “Reggie’s freedom and Reggie’s exoneration today is a huge step along that path. It never would have been possible without so many, especially Elliot Slosar, Reggie’s lead attorney, Professor Jimmy Gurulé with the Exoneration Justice Clinic, and so many Notre Dame law students who fought to help this evidence come to light and help Reggie be free.”

Murphy also addressed Dillard directly: “Reggie, today is your day. This is your story, this is your life. You get to write the ending to it.”

Dillard’s case has been one of the clinic’s longest-running matters. Even before the clinic was formally established, Slosar and some volunteer students had been working on Dillard’s case as early as 2018.

Several EJC students played crucial roles in the evidentiary hearing. Third-year law student Andrew Zimlich presented a key piece of evidence that contributed to Dillard’s exoneration.

“It has been an honor and a blessing to play a part in Reggie's exoneration effort,” said Zimlich. “This victory speaks to the hard work of the many students and attorneys who poured their energy and passion into doing justice no matter the obstacles. I will forever be inspired by the incredible grace and resilience that Reggie showed in the face of unimaginable hardship, and I have no doubt that he will go on to inspire countless others.”

Third-year law student Albert Kwon also presented evidence in the case.

“After almost three decades, Reginald Dillard finally walks free,” said Kwon. “It was my honor to contribute to that effort, and his exoneration is a testament to the power of hard work and hope. This result is also a reminder of why the EJC continues to inspire: its mission to correct injustice even in the most difficult, long-fought cases.”

Gurulé praised the clinic team that investigated and litigated the case, including Murphy, staff attorney Lenora Popken, legal staff assistant Anne Peterson, and adjunct professor Slosar. He also acknowledged that, along with Zimlich and Kwon, several other clinic students contributed to Dillard’s exoneration.

Dillard’s exoneration is the EJC’s fourth exoneration, after the exonerations of Kara Beaty in April 2025, Anthony Bedolla in August 2024, and Andy Royer in July 2021. Notably, it is the EJC’s third straight exoneration that was achieved with the agreement of the prosecutors on the case. Since its founding, the EJC has remained committed to criminal justice reform, litigating wrongful conviction cases, and educating the public about miscarriages of justice.

Learn more about Notre Dame Law School’s Exoneration Justice Clinic at exoneration.nd.edu.

The Program on Church, State & Society at Notre Dame Law School is pleased to announce a writing competition on topics and questions within the Program’s focus. This writing competition requests student-authored scholarly papers and will honor winners with cash awards. The purpose of this writing competition is to encourage scholarship related to the intersections of church, state & society and, in particular, how the law structures and governs that intersection.

Topic and Form: Papers should be focused, broadly, on topics related to church, state & society. For guidance on selecting a topic, students may wish to view our Program website and mission statement: https://churchstate.nd.edu/

Papers must be between 9,000 and 13,000 words, including footnotes and/or endnotes.

Eligibility: The competition is open to law students in good standing, enrolled in a traditional law degree (J.D. or LL.B.), a Master’s degree (LL.M.), or a doctoral degree (S.J.D./J.S.D. or Ph.D.) program at an ABA-accredited law school within the United States. The competition is also open to recent graduates not yet practicing law (i.e., those completing clerkships or engaged in similar pursuits are eligible). Co-authored papers will not be accepted.

Submissions: Papers must be submitted by April 30, 2026. Winners will be announced on or before June 1, 2026. Papers must be e-mailed in .pdf form. Each submission must include a cover letter and resume in a separate .pdf document. Papers should not include author names in order to ensure that the papers can be delivered to judges and scored anonymously. Emailed submissions should be sent with “2026 Church, State & Society Writing Competition” in the subject line, and addressed to: Alicia Cummins acummin2@nd.edu.

Judges: Papers will be judged by Prof. Richard W. Garnett, director of the Program on Church, State & Society; by Prof. Jorge Barrera-Rojas, the Notre Dame Law School Rodes Fellow; by other faculty members at Notre Dame Law School; and possibly by law & religion scholars from other U.S. law schools.

Prizes: First Place, $3,000 cash award; Second Place, $2,000 cash award; Third Place, $1,000 cash award; Honorable Mention(s), $500 cash award.

Originally published by Notre Dame Law School at churchstate.nd.edu on February 24, 2026.

This February, students at Notre Dame Law School led Black History Month celebrations, inviting the broader community into conversation, connection, and learning.

In honor of Black History Month, the Notre Dame Law School Black Law Students Association (BLSA) hosted its inaugural Black History Month Spirit Week during the week of February 9, creating space for students to celebrate community while engaging questions of vocation, belonging, and leadership in the legal profession.

One of the week’s highlights was the Law School’s first-ever Black History Month Community Luncheon, held on Tuesday, February 10, and co-organized by BLSA, the Women’s Legal Forum, and the American Constitution Society. Over a shared meal of jerk chicken, rib tips, Cajun pasta, macaroni and cheese, veggie rice, dinner rolls, and cornbread, students and guests gathered in a packed room, coming together across class years, student organizations, and cultural backgrounds.

The week concluded on Thursday, February 12, with the panel discussion “Government v. In-House v. Big Law: Navigating Your Career Path,” co-organized by BLSA, the Middle Eastern Law Students Association, and the Public Interest Law Forum. The panel discussion explored how students can enter competitive legal spaces while remaining grounded in purpose and service. Panelists Tahany Alsabahi (Holland & Knight), Alexander “Alec” Farrell '18 J.D. (U.S. Attorney’s Office), and Dee Armstrong (Illinois Tool Works Inc.) shared candid reflections on professional formation, and third-year law student Nora Ibrahim moderated the discussion.

In this Q&A, BLSA president and second-year law student Matilda Koduah reflects on the inaugural Black History Month Spirit Week at Notre Dame Law School and underscores the importance of community and encouragement in shaping students as future leaders in the legal profession.

Read her reflections and key takeaways below.

Why is it important for Notre Dame Law School to celebrate Black History Month?

At Notre Dame Law, we are taught to be a “different kind of lawyer.” This involves recognizing the achievements of members of our nation’s history and community who have paved the way for us. Black History Month is a shared celebration of the resilience required to ensure that all levels of leadership and society recognize the historical contributions of figures ranging from Frederick Douglass to Booker T. Washington to Condoleezza Rice. In the simplest terms, Black History Month is a celebration of American history while also building unity within our community.

What are your overall thoughts on Notre Dame Law School’s inaugural Black History Month Spirit Week?

The highlight of the Black History Month Spirit Week was bringing both Black and non-Black students together to celebrate Black excellence and culture. Through programs such as the "Government v. In-House v. Big Law" panel, we were especially intentional about collaborating with affinity-based groups like MELSA to create meaningful discussions about navigating different legal career paths.

It was also especially powerful to welcome accomplished lawyers to campus to share their journeys and experiences across various areas of the legal profession. For me, the most meaningful part of the week was seeing students who are not Black consistently show up to celebrate alongside us. That level of engagement reflected a genuine sense of community, allyship, and shared commitment to honoring Black history and achievement.

The inaugural Black History Month Community Luncheon had an amazing turnout. Can you comment on the event's success?

The inaugural Black History Month luncheon truly met and even exceeded my expectations. I intended to create a welcoming, calm, and comfortable space where students from different racial and cultural backgrounds could come together, connect, and naturally interact over a shared meal, and that is exactly what happened.

My executive team and I thoughtfully planned the event by preparing conversation starters, distributing Black History Month pins, and serving soul food, including jambalaya rice.

As law students with demanding schedules, many appreciated having a moment to pause, engage in meaningful conversations, and build connections. In many ways, it felt like the break everyone needed.

The visit, organized by the Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas (IIJ) at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), included a conversation at UNAM’s Law School, an interview with Aristegui Noticias, and a reception hosted by the Notre Dame Mexico City Alumni Club. His visit was an opportunity to strengthen the partnership between Notre Dame and Mexico’s academic and legal communities and contribute to the defense of Mexican nationals.

At the center of his visit was the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic, an initiative awarded by Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2023 to promote the Program for the Defense of Mexican Nationals in criminal matters in the United States (PDM). The clinic seeks to represent individuals who have suffered wrongful convictions and provide them with due process. PDM is also involved in investigating and litigating pretrial cases where the Mexican national has been charged with a crime and awaiting trial and resentencing cases to correct excessive and unfair sentences. Mexican nationals are particularly vulnerable to this since they often do not speak English and do not know the criminal justice system or their constitutional rights. Currently, the PDM is providing legal assistance in approximately 15 cases across 11 U.S. states in partnership with over 50 Mexican consulates, but the number is growing. Professor Gurulé explained, “This program is unique, unprecedented. It’s the only legal clinic in the United States funded by a foreign government to represent their nationals.”

At UNAM's Law School, Gurulé held conversations with faculty and students at Facultad de Estudios Superiores (FES) Aragón, focused on the clinic and the PDM, and served as a special guest at the Premio Sentencias 2025 ceremony, followed by discussions with doctoral students at the IIJ-UNAM and faculty from the Facultad de Psicología on the legal and human dimensions of wrongful convictions. He further served as keynote speaker at the Acción Migrante-UNAM Conference: “Clínicas jurídicas y acceso a la persona en movilidad," organized by Acción Migrante, SDI, SUDIMER, IIJ-UNAM, FES Aragón, and PPD, with the participation of the SRE and members of the Mexican Consular Network in the United States. Across these engagements, he explained the clinic's work and the challenges they face, strengthening institutional ties between Notre Dame and UNAM while building awareness among Mexico's future lawyers.

To close his visit, the Notre Dame Mexico City Alumni Club hosted a cocktail reception with alumni, friends, and prospective students. During his remarks, Gurulé emphasized that the PDM embodies Notre Dame’s core mission. “The mission of Notre Dame is to be a force for good, to impact society in a positive way. We train a different kind of lawyer—a lawyer committed to the rule of law, committed to justice, committed to providing legal services to the most disadvantaged members of society.” The ultimate goal of the PDM is to provide resources and services for individuals who have been unjustly judged, making a real difference in correcting injustice.

Professor Gurulé’s visit marks the beginning of an ongoing collaborative effort between Notre Dame and UNAM to bring justice to Mexican nationals. During the summer, four law students from UNAM will join the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic’s summer internship program in South Bend, Indiana, where they will work alongside Notre Dame Law students on wrongful conviction cases.

Originally published by Norma Sofia Rivera Padilla at mexico.nd.edu on February 19, 2026.

The Notre Dame Law class of 2008 might’ve gone to school for law, but their chemistry is also quite notable.

There were only 200 graduates in 2008, but over ten percent of the class met their match during law school - and are still together today. There are at least 10 couples who started dating at Notre Dame and went on to get married.

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason the class of 2008 created so many lasting relationships. But its graduates can assemble a strong case as to why Notre Dame Law was such a great place to meet a partner.

When the class of 2008 walked onto campus for the first time, Facebook was still in its early days and Instagram and TikTok were years away. You were more likely to find people strolling around the lakes, than scrolling through social media. While multiple “How We Met” stories involved The Backer, none had anything to do with apps.

There were lots of opportunities to connect in-person and the class of 2008 seized them. Before the first semester even started, they were organizing social gatherings and getting to know the local hangouts (and their future spouses).

Because Notre Dame isn’t a huge city, there were limited places to socialize around the law school. Everyone hung out at the same spots and the likelihood of bumping into a classmate was high. On Thursday nights, you’d find many future lawyers congregating around lanes at the bowling league. The Backer hosted all kinds of social gatherings. And football games were nonnegotiable events for many classmates - as were the pre- and post-game festivities. The class of 2008 enjoyed some especially enticing years to follow the Fighting Irish, with Brady Quinn playing quarterback and Charlie Weis coaching the team.

“Given the way Notre Dame is situated, we all ended up hanging out in the same places and we all really liked each other,” said Nicole Soukup, who married one of the first people she met at Notre Dame Law. “There were so many personalities that meshed well and we got really close with our classmates, which probably made it easier for pairs to form.”

There’s no question that the class of 2008 loved to hang out. So much so, that many people decided to turn it into a lifelong commitment.

Rachel and Steve Copenhaver

Rachel (Luberda) and Steve Copenhaver met before classes even started.

A Double Domer classmate organized a group purchase for football tickets, which involved collecting driver’s licenses from everyone who wanted in. Steve volunteered to return the licenses after the tickets had been secured but he couldn’t find the last person on his list - Rachel.

It’s understandable he had trouble tracking her down. Classes had yet to start but she was already in the library. Steve finally found her and it wasn’t long before they were hanging out more and more.

“We started as friends, as you often do, and by our second year, we were a couple,” said Steve.

When they look back on their time at Notre Dame, there was foreshadowing in that first fateful encounter. The library played a starring role in their relationship and they have especially fond memories of spending time in the place where it all began, studying in neighboring cubicles and taking over conference room tables during exam weeks.

“We'd be down in that windowless basement part of the library for hours,” said Steve. “We had a lot of fun down there, studying, of course, and also taking breaks, walking around, finding books, and just laughing and chatting.”

They both agree that a perk of being in a class full of couples, is getting to go to lots of Notre Dame weddings. One of these weddings turned into an extra Notre Dame-y affair. Notre Dame was playing a big game against Michigan that same day and Steve had his cellphone programmed to play the fight song after every touchdown. He forgot to silence it during the speeches and everyone in attendance knew exactly when the Leprechauns scored. Luckily, it was cause for celebration for many people in the room - the bride included.

Steve and Rachel are now in Chicago, where they’ve been since graduation. They both work in litigation and have a son and daughter who are starting to get introduced to the thrill of Notre Dame football games.

Melissa and Brian Romanzo

Melissa (Patterson) Romanzo almost didn’t go to Notre Dame. She’d made plans to go to a law school in North Carolina and had even found a roommate.

But at the last minute, she pivoted and decided to go to Notre Dame instead. She can’t say exactly what made her change her mind but it ended up being a life-changing decision. Melissa met her future husband, Brian Romanzo, during her first year at Notre Dame.

They met when they both went to New York City through the Galilee program during winter break, but it took a bit before they got into a relationship. Brian remembers wanting to spend more time with Melissa after that trip but that proved to be a challenge when she jetted off to London for the second year of law school.

They weren’t in touch that entire year. But they quickly made up for lost time when they reunited at a party Brian threw to kickoff their final year of law school.

Because it was their third year, they’d both already accepted jobs and made plans to move to different cities the next year. Brian was set to go to New York City. And Melissa was heading to Charlotte, NC.

Early in their relationship, they had to decide whether they’d put in the effort to stay together or just drift apart after law school. This time around, Melissa knew exactly what she wanted to do. As did Brian.

They got a dog, Indy, and became frequent fliers on the direct flight between the two cities. Brian often pushed his return to Monday morning so he could spend a little more time with Melissa.

“But Melissa is a much better lawyer than me and she convinced me to move down to Charlotte away from New York City,” he said.

They’ve been in Charlotte since then, where they live with their two kids, son, 10 and daughter, 6. Brian is now an in-house lawyer and Melissa is at an environmental law firm.

Krista and Kameron Cox

If there’s any local establishment that played at least a small role in most couple’s love stories, it’s The Backer. So, it’s not surprising that at least one couple from the class of 2008 met for the first time inside its walls.

One of Krista (Yee) and Kameron Cox’s mutual friends organized a get-together to celebrate making it through the first week of law school. When another place wasn’t open, they ended up at The Backer.

Krista and Kameron hit it off and that first week of law school is just about the only week that they weren’t together.

“We pretty immediately started dating after that,” she remembers.

Their most significant fight in law school was a very lawerly one. While they were studying for constitutional law, they got into a heated argument over the holding of a common law case.

‘“We joked that we couldn’t study together after that,” said Krista.

But, their relationship stood the test of time - and travels. They spent their second year of law school in London, worked in California after graduation, and are now settled in DC, where Kameron works for the Department of Justice and Krista is an in-house attorney for Pinterest. They have four kids, 11, 10, 6, and 4, and love looking back on their time at law school.

Krista can’t put her finger on exactly what it was about the class of 2008, but it makes sense that there are so many couples that came out of it, she says.

“Notre Dame was such a magical place,” Krista says. “We loved hanging out with everyone, going to football games and lots of other things, it feels like Notre Dame fosters really great relationships.”

Sarah and Ted Seilheimer

Tainted fruit doesn’t have a great reputation in court, but Sarah (Moore) and Ted Seilheimer have a soft spot in their heart for it.

Tainted Fruit was the law school’s soccer team and a big part of how Ted and Sarah got to know each other. They’d both grown up playing soccer and joined the law school’s team as soon as they started, which won the championship while they were both on the team.
While they didn’t start dating immediately, by their second year, they started hanging out much more off the field.

“Sarah was on Law Review and one of the smartest people in our class but she says her worst semester was probably when she started dating me because my version of law school included plenty of things outside my studies,” Ted laughs.

“It was my worst semester,” Sarah confirms.

Their relationship also involved many activities that benefited their educational pursuits. They bonded over the fact that they were two of the only people in their class who handwrote all of their notes. And they did plenty of studying together, often at the South Bend Chocolate Factory while they were still in Indiana. And then, around-the-clock In the 2.5 months before taking the bar, while they were getting ready for the exam in Houston, where they ended up living for several years.

They’re now based in Palo Alto, CA where Sarah is an in-house attorney and Ted works in compliance for Stanford’s athletic department. They have two sons, 7 and 13, who are starting to show signs that they’ve been raised by lawyers.

“They’re very justice-oriented,” says Ted. “Currently, very justice-oriented for their own self-interests.”

(They weren’t the only parents from the class of 2008 who have noticed their children leveraging legal tactics to advance their personal hopes and dreams.)

Ted and Sarah aren’t sure exactly why so many marriages started at Notre Dame Law but agree that the class was very tight knit.

“We love Notre Dame,” said Sarah, who also attended Notre Dame as an undergraduate. “We’re very proud of our Notre Dame affiliation.”

Neha and Will Hannan

Neha (Bansal) and Will Hannan love that Interstate 80 connected them before they even met. Neha grew up on one end of Interstate 80, in New Jersey, and Will on the other, in San Francisco. It was serendipitous that they met at Notre Dame, which is just off Exit 77.

“We’re basically from opposite sides of route 80 and met, not quite in the middle, but Notre Dame is definitely right off it,” said Neha.

Neha and Will didn’t meet on the highway itself but they weren’t far from it when they went to a social event that a classmate organized to get people together before the first day of classes.

“It was wild, I didn’t expect to meet my future husband at a dueling piano bar while “Baby Got Back” was playing, but that’s exactly what happened,” said Neha.

When they saw each other again, it was at a more predictable Notre Dame event - waiting in line for football tickets. They realized how much they had in common - highways included and by fall break that first year, they were quickly moving towards a relationship.

They’re not sure why their class is so full of couples, but they both point to the closeness of their class.

“You always hear about law schools being really cutthroat but I never felt that at Notre Dame,” said Sarah. “Our class was really tight and supportive and I think we were all able to enjoy law school more because there was so much camaraderie.”

Some of the social highlights for Will and Neha were football games, trivia, and rolling with their team, The Bowling Stones, at Thursday night bowling league.

They now live in New Jersey with their 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter. Neha works in executive management for an insurance company and Will just transitioned to the New Jersey state judiciary.

Nicole and Andrew Soukup

Andrew and Nicole (Somers) Soukup were a match before they even met.

Nicole, whose maiden name is Somers, was assigned a locker directly over Andrew’s. Andrew, who’s 6’4”, asked Nicole if they could switch, since at 5’6”, she’s a little shorter than he is.

“Being the strong and independent woman she is, she said no,” he said.

“In my defense, you had to basically sit on the ground to use the bottom lockers,” Nicole countered.

Outside of the minor disagreement over lockers, Nicole and Andrew immediately clicked. They met before classes started, got engaged their second year (fittingly, on campus), and were married right after graduation. Wedding planning while studying for the bar was maybe not the easiest way to go about things, they agree, but the honeymoon in Bora Bora was the perfect way to celebrate being on the other side of both.

They spent their first year in Chicago and then moved to DC. They still live in the DC area, with their kids, 7, 10, and 12, who have mixed feelings on law as a potential career but are definitely starting to show their parents that they can negotiate like a lawyer.

“It was moments like that when we could really feel how we supported each other,” she said. “I’ve always said if you can get through law school together, you can definitely last a marriage and here we are, all those years later.”

Martha and Rob Staude

Rob and Martha (Hamilton) Staude have been around the world together, and it all started at Notre Dame. They met right away, during the law school orientation process during 1L year. But didn’t start dating until their 2L year, when they were both in London for the London Law Programme.

“Since the program was quite small, we got to know each other well and had the chance to explore London and travel with other members of the program,” said Rob.

Travel remained a big part of their relationship. During the London Law Programme, they traveled to Egypt, France, Greece, Malta, Monaco, and Spain, among many other places. They also went back to London the year after they graduated, which turned into an especially memorable trip as they got engaged there.

After law school, they started their careers at law firms in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And now live in Louisville, Kentucky with their two children, Tommy, 12, and John, 10. They’ve loved taking their sons back to some of the places they got to know each other, including London, Paris, Barcelona, and Athens. Martha is now the Assistant General Counsel at Independence Pet Holdings and Rob is the Assistant General Counsel at El Toro.com.

Ana and Christ Balich

Ana and Christ Balich can make a great case for how opposites attract.

Ana was the social chair of the class. Christ was more likely to pick her up at the end of a party than attend a party himself.

“When we were graduating, and the class did superlatives, I was voted social butterfly and he was voted, like, most likely to go into the FBI and never be heard from again,” said Ana.

Their ideal hangouts looked a little different while they were in law school, but they were on the same page about how much they wanted to hang out with each other.

They met through a mutual friend their first semester and quickly became friends. They got along so well that they decided to become roommates their second year. They went into that living arrangement with no intention of turning it into anything else, but by the end of their 2L year, they were in a relationship.

They’ve been together since then. They even got engaged on the Notre Dame campus. While Ana was visiting Christ in Chicago after graduation, he suggested going to Notre Dame to stop by some of their old hangouts and favorite spots, including the Grotto and the lake. When they finished their loop around the lake and Christ nervously suggested they walk around it again, Ana had an idea what was coming.

They’re now in Tennessee with their three children, who are 12, 10, and 8. Christ works in risk management and Ana is home with the kids. While many parts of their life look a little different than they did 18 years ago, Ana is still the social butterfly of the relationship.

Joan-Claire Krautmann and David Gilbert, as well as Annie Mulligan and Jacob Zipfel, were also among the couples who met and married from the Notre Dame Law School Class of 2008.

The Willows Academy seeks to provide a high-quality, classical education rooted in Christian principles while remaining open to families of all faith and socioeconomic backgrounds. For its founder, Sarah Bruce, turning that vision into reality required navigating the legal complexities of starting a faith-based nonprofit.

Bruce expressed her appreciation for the Clinic’s role in helping The Willows Academy move from concept to a reality. “We are deeply grateful for the expertise and thoughtful care the Clinic’s leadership and students provided as we navigated the most foundational elements of our school start-up,” Bruce said. “Their creative, attentive guidance has been invaluable to The Willows Academy. What a gift to receive these services and to partner with a team mutually aligned in supporting faith-rooted flourishing.”

The Clinic's transactional practice provides second- and third-year law students the opportunity to work closely with nonprofit organizations, offering guidance on matters such as tax compliance, corporate governance, strategic planning, employment, and more. This real-world experience helps students deepen their understanding of legal practice while supporting nonprofits in carrying out their religious missions.

Clinic students John Gatt and Savannah Shoffner drafted the school’s articles of incorporation, bylaws, and conflict of interest policy, guided the organization through incorporation in the State of Indiana, and prepared its application for recognition as a tax-exempt organization.

Gatt emphasized that the experience highlighted the collaborative nature of legal practice. “Unlike in a law school classroom, which emphasizes individual learning, this project provided an opportunity to collaborate with many others,” he said. “You start to recognize that being a successful lawyer requires more than just knowing the law.”

Gatt and Shoffner gained hands-on experience counseling a real client while addressing the unique legal issues that arise for faith-based nonprofits. Their work included tailoring governance documents to reflect the school’s Christian identity while also meeting federal requirements for educational nonprofits, such as nondiscrimination and dissolution provisions.

The Clinic students met and communicated regularly with Bruce throughout the fall as the school’s plans developed. The work involved translating Bruce’s vision for the school into legal language, including describing the planned curriculum, governance structure, and mission.

For Gatt, the project aligned closely with the reasons he chose to attend law school. “My interest in pursuing a legal education was rooted in the idea the law provides me with an opportunity to make a definitive impact on people’s lives and serve my community, and this project has exemplified exactly that,” he said.

Shoffner likewise reflected on the importance of client relationships. “Working with real clients has shown me that the practice of law goes beyond knowing the right doctrine,” she said. “A good lawyer is a good counselor who helps their clients make wise decisions, ask the right questions, and accomplish their goals.”

The Willows Academy project was one of more than fifteen transactional projects handled by Clinic students during the fall semester. Projects included forming new nonprofit entities, drafting articles of incorporation, bylaws, and corporate policies, preparing tax-exempt applications, and counseling on a broad range of financial and governance issues.

“We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with local charities, like The Willows Academy, that do great work for the community,” said Wilson. “These partnerships allow our students to serve real clients while supporting organizations that are making a meaningful impact.”

The experience also offers students an opportunity to see the tangible impact of their work. “It's powerful knowing that a school will open its doors, in part, because of work you did as a law student,” Cavanaugh said. “That’s a perspective you do not always get in law school.”

As The Willows Academy prepares for its launch, the Clinic continues its work supporting faith-based organizations nationwide, equipping students to serve as legal advisors through transactional legal practice.

Originally published by Elyse Paul at religiousliberty.nd.edu on February 12, 2026.

Rienzi, who is also a professor at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, brought his perspective as both a scholar and a practitioner to the discussion. He routinely litigates before the U.S. Supreme Court, where he has won a series of important First Amendment cases. Rienzi’s scholarship has appeared in prominent academic journals and national publications.

Rienzi began his lecture by challenging the common perception that the Court’s religious liberty decisions are narrowly focused on high-profile culture war disputes or favor only conservative Christians. Instead, he argued, the Roberts Court has pursued a broad, pluralistic vision of religious liberty, one that protects believers of all faiths.

“Over the past 15 years, the Court has decided cases in favor of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and others,” Rienzi said. “It has done things that are coded liberal and coded conservative. What the headlines miss is that this is a religious liberty for all approach.”

Rienzi briefly addressed the current Supreme Court’s approach to the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. For much of the latter half of the twentieth century, he explained, courts routinely interpreted this provision to require to be excluded from public life.

That approach, Rienzi argued, allowed the government to remove religion from the public square while permitting other viewpoints to flourish. More recently, the Court has rejected that misguided interpretation.

Rather than relying on subjective judgments about what feels like “too much religion,” the Court has returned to a historical understanding of what constitutes an establishment of religion. “The Constitution doesn’t say ‘no religion in public’ or ‘no religion that makes anyone uncomfortable,’” Rienzi said. “It says no establishment of religion, and that term had a real, concrete meaning.”

Rienzi then focused on the Free Exercise Clause. In 1990, the Supreme Court held in Employment Division v. Smith that neutral, generally applicable laws that incidentally burdened religious practices did not violate this constitutional protection for religious exercise.

While the Court has not formally overruled Smith, Rienzi argued that the Roberts Court has significantly limited its reach. For example, in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Court unanimously recognized that the government cannot interfere with religious organizations’ decisions about who teaches or leads their faith, even if it does so in a neutral and evenhanded manner.

Just last year, in Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Court ruled that parents have the right to opt their children out of mandatory instruction in public schools that substantially conflicts with their religious beliefs. Rienzi emphasized that the decision especially protects the many religious families who have no real choice but to send their children to public schools.

Finally, Rienzi pointed to a series of cases during the COVID-19 pandemic in which the Court confronted restrictions on public activity that treated religious worship less favorably than comparable secular activities.“The lesson from those cases,” Rienzi said, “is that when the government plays favorites, religion can’t always be the loser.”

"Mark Rienzi is an excellent advocate and scholar who has tirelessly defended religious freedom for people of all faiths before the U.S. Supreme Court and around the country," said Kessler. "We are grateful to Mark for sharing with our community both his experience as a skilled appellate advocate and his perspective as an academic."

Throughout the lecture, Rienzi returned to a central theme: religious liberty as a cornerstone of peaceful pluralism. “If we’re going to live together in a diverse society,” Rienzi said, “the answer can’t be crushing people who disagree with us or forcing them out of public life. Religious liberty is how we make space for those differences.”

“What the Court is doing,” he said, “is trying, slowly and imperfectly, to build a legal framework that allows people of different faiths to live out their beliefs in peace. That’s not a culture war project. That’s a constitutional one.”

Originally published by Elyse Paul at religiousliberty.nd.edu on February 11, 2026.

Analli Torres, a third-year law student at Notre Dame Law School, contributed significantly to a successful validity challenge to a UK patent covering an important pharmaceutical product. This success grew out of her externship with Cleveland Scott York—one of Europe’s leading intellectual property firms—which she pursued as a student in the Notre Dame London Law Programme.

Vortioxetine is an antidepressant sold under the brand names Trintellix (in the United States) and Brintellix (in Europe). Sales were in excess of $1B in 2025. The main patent protecting the product will expire in 2027. Several further patents were filed by the applicant (Lundbeck), relating to the use of vortioxetine in various specific clinical situations. If unchallenged, these further patents would effectively extend Lundbeck’s monopoly by several years. This would delay the market entry of generic products, causing additional costs for healthcare systems.

Cleveland Scott York challenged one of the further patents at the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO). The key legal ground was sufficiency—the requirement that a patent must include enough detail for someone in the same field to actually work or use the invention. Torres carefully reviewed the data in the specification and helped develop arrangements as to why these did not meet the legal standard of sufficiency. These arguments proved decisive. The UK IPO agreed with the reasoning and found the patent insufficient.

Although the patent remains in force, the finding was extremely important and surprising—the same patent having been unsuccessfully challenged elsewhere.

Torres stated, "My externship at Cleveland Scott York was an incredibly rewarding and educational experience. My supervisor, Dr. Adrian Bradley, placed real trust in my abilities and always encouraged me to take my analysis further. I am so glad that the UK IPO ultimately agreed with our reasoning and found the claims of the patent to be insufficient."

Professor Paul Miller, associate dean for International and Graduate Programs and Robert and Marion Short Professor of Law, has been selected as a Sir Percy Spender Visiting Fellow at the University of Sydney Law School. He will take up the fellowship in the latter half of February 2026.

The Sir Percy Spender Visiting Fellowship was established in 2023 to support and recognize “professors of high international standing who have shown a willingness to engage with Sydney Law School’s research community and share their expertise.” This fellowship continues Sydney Law School’s mission to be a vibrant, diverse, and innovative community of legal scholarship.

Miller’s work is well aligned with the mission of the fellowship. His work as a private law theorist focuses on general jurisprudence as well as philosophical questions in equity, fiduciary law, trust law, agency, and corporate law. Miller taught previously at McGill University in Montréal and has held visiting appointments at Bucerius Law School, the University of Melbourne, Université Paris II – Panthéon-Assas, Peking University, and Tel Aviv University. At Notre Dame Law School, he specializes in agency, fiduciary law, non-profit organizations, and trusts & estates. He also serves as the director of the Notre Dame Program on Private Law.

During his residency, Miller will be hosted by Professor Ben Chen, a law and economics scholar at Sydney Law School who specializes in the areas of equity and trusts, succession law, civil procedure, and game theory. While at Sydney Law School, he will engage with Sydney’s leading cohorts of faculty experts working on equity and trusts, private law theory, and jurisprudence. He will also deliver a faculty workshop as well as a legal theory workshop at the Julius Stone Institute for Jurisprudence.

Professor Miller’s visiting fellowship will allow for exploration of new and exciting avenues for collaboration with Sydney Law School. Miller will also be exploring prospects for expansion of Notre Dame Law School’s Global Lawyering Initiative, including possible partnership with leading Australian law schools. The initiative connects Notre Dame Law students and faculty with global learning and research opportunities, equipping them to understand how legal issues may transcend borders in today’s modern economy.

Miller’s appointment as a Sir Percy Spender Visiting Fellow underscores Notre Dame Law School’s commitment to global scholarly engagement and to advancing faculty research through international collaboration.