Anne C. Hamilton Award

Amanda Soto

Amanda Soto received the Anne C. Hamilton Award, named after long-time and beloved registrar Anne Hamilton who passed away in 2018. The award recognizes the graduating student who has done the most to help his or her fellow students.

Amanda has served as president of the Women’s Legal Forum, treasurer of the Student Bar Association, and an articles editor for the Journal of Law, Ethics, & Public Policy. She also participated in the Eviction Clinic, and is a Sorin Fellow with the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture.

Captain William O. McLean Law School Community Citizenship Award

John Shaughnessy

John Shaughnessy received the Captain William O. McLean Community Citizenship Award, named to honor Captain McLean, a former associate dean of Notre Dame Law School. It recognizes a student who has made the greatest contribution to the lives of Notre Dame Law School students. The recipient of the Captain McLean Award is selected by the members of the 3L graduating class.

John is a member of the Saint Thomas More Society and served as a community editor for the Journal of Law, Ethics, and Public Policy. Additionally, John was a student in the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic.

Conrad Kellenberg Award

Victoria Foley

Victoria Foley was also awarded the Conrad Kellenberg Award, which commemorates Professor Kellenberg’s fifty years of service to Notre Dame Law School and local communities. This award acknowledges a student's significant dedication to community betterment through service. The recipient of the Conrad Kellenberg Award is selected by the members of the graduating 3L class.

Victoria served as the managing online editor for the Journal of International & Comparative Law and was a student in the Global Human Rights Clinic. Victoria regularly volunteered for nonprofits in the South Bend community, including Reins of Life and La Casa de Amistad.

David T. Link Award

Peris Munene Osborne

Peris Munene Osborne received the David T. Link Award, presented to graduating students in recognition of their outstanding service in the field of social justice. The award honors Rev. David Link, who served as the Law School’s dean for several years and was a champion for social justice. In his later life he was ordained a priest and ministered to prisoners throughout Indiana.

Peris held leadership roles in both the Student Bar Association and the Black Law Students Association. Additionally, Peris was a student in the Exoneration Justice Clinic.

H. King Williams Memorial Award

Audra Kim

Audra Kim is the recipient of the H. King Williams Memorial Award for her significant contribution to building community at Notre Dame Law School. Audra has served as a class representative for the Student Bar Association. She also served as an associate editor of the Journal on Emerging Technologies.

Joseph Ciraolo Memorial Award

Andrea Michelle Vasquez

Michelle Vasquez was awarded the Joseph Ciraolo Memorial Award, which recognizes a graduating student who exemplifies spirit, service, and significant achievement in the face of adversity. While in Law School, Michelle served as vice president of the First Generation Professionals Student Organization, and was the notes editor for the Journal on Emerging Technologies. Additionally, she was a student in the Global Human Rights Clinic.

Judge Joseph E. Mahoney Award

Nicholas Smith

The Judge Joseph E. Mahoney Award was awarded to Nicholas Smith for outstanding leadership. Nicholas served as this year’s president of the Notre Dame Student Bar Association and the Black Law Student Association. He also served as a research assistant for the Global Human Rights Clinic.

Saint Ivo Kermartin Mediation Award

Alexis Behnke

Alexis Behnke is the recipient of the Saint Ivo Kermartin Mediation Award, which recognizes an outstanding student mediator and is selected by the Mediation Clinic faculty. During her time in Law School, Alexis has been involved in the Women’s Legal Forum, and has served as senior editor on the Journal on Emerging Technologies.

Tia B. Paulette & Erika S. Gustin Award

Andrew Zimlich

Andrew Zimlich is the recipient of the Tia B. Paulette & Erika S. Gustin Award, which recognizes commitment to criminal justice and public interest work through support of the Exoneration Justice Clinic.

In addition to his involvement in the Exoneration Justice Clinic, Andrew has been involved with Moot Court, and has served as a staff editor on the Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy.

Patricia O’Hara Scholarship and Leadership Award

Yuta Inada, Thomas MacPhee, Veronica Maska, Gabriel Powell, and Dennis Wieboldt

The Patricia O’Hara Scholarship & Leadership Award is named in honor of Patricia O’Hara, professor emerita and the first woman to serve as dean at Notre Dame Law School, and is awarded to the five graduates who best represent a combination of scholarship and leadership.

Yuta Inada was involved in the Global Human Rights Clinic, the International Law Society, and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and served on the Notre Dame Law Review.

Thomas MacPhee was active in Moot Court and served as editor-in-chief of the Notre Dame Law Review.

Veronica Maska has been involved with the Notre Dame Law Review as a senior articles editor and the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, and served as vice president of Jus Vitae.

Gabriel Powell served as the staff editor and managing articles editor of the Notre Dame Law Review. He was also involved as the president of the Federalist Society, and as an oralist on the Moot Court Board’s Showcase Team.

Dennis Wieboldt has been involved in the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic and founded the Notre Dame Graduate Legal History Colloquium.

Other Named Awards

The A. Harold Weber Writing Award

For excellence in essay writing

Dennis Wieboldt

The Arthur A. May Award

To a member of the Barristers Moot Court Trial team who demonstrates a commitment to professional ethical standards and exhibits excellence in trial advocacy

Morgan Hall

Arthur Abel Memorial Writing Competition

Award for excellence in legal writing for the Notre Dame Law Review

Steven Tu

Champions for Justice Award

The students receiving the Champion for Justice award have exemplified Fr. Hesburgh’s call to be a lawyer champion with their extraordinary commitment to public service. Awarded at the Champions for Justice Public Interest Recognition Ceremony in April.

Colton Barta

Lucas Brolin

Jessica Buchanan

Kathleen Casey

Autumn Chassie

Christine Farnberg

Parker Felterman

Holly Fulbright

Morgam Hall

Sydni Hart

Garrett Hofmann

Nora Ibrahim

Alesis Juntunen

Alexa Kawlewski

Nathan Kawlewski

Albert Kwon

Allyson Lazarre

Ava Moreno

Peris Munene

Nikki Rafferty

Alexandra Ragland

Sarah Spain

Mikela St. John

Kathleen Stewart

Steven Tu

Tyson Weeks

Gloria Wertjes

Andrew Zimlich

Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Student Award

For excellence in clinical work

Victoria Foley

Dean Konop Legal Aid Award

For outstanding service in the Legal Aid Clinic

Colton Barta

Garrett Hofmann

Edward F. Barrett Award

For outstanding achievement in the art of trial advocacy

Caroline Cannizzaro

International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award

For distinguished achievement in the art of advocacy, chosen by Trial Advocacy faculty

Colton Barta

Erin Hiestand

Femia Tonelli

Katherine Zeda

Jessup International Moot Court Award

For excellence in advocacy

Grace Elias

Camille Golowski

Mariko Jurcsak

Ava Moreno

Mary Pat Peteraon

The Jon E. Krupnick Award

For excellence in the art of trial advocacy

Albert Kwon

Marin Larkin

Jennifer Osita

The Kyle D. Smith Mock Trial Award

For excellence in mock trial

Quinn Kelly

Lardy Scholarship

Amanda Soto

Last year, Amanda Soto received the Lardy Scholarship, which is presented annually to a rising third-year student “who exemplifies courage, love, and understanding toward his fellow man.”

William T. Kirby Award

For excellence in brief writing. Chosen by the Legal Writing faculty based on the student’s writing submission.

Steven Tu

William T. Kirby Award (1L)

For excellence in legal writing during the 1L year

Steven Tu

Awards for Outstanding Achievement

Recognizing one graduating student for excellence in courses taken in the following programs of study.

Program of Study in Business Law

Yuta Inada

Program in Study of Criminal Law

Lucas Brolin

Program of Study in Energy and Environmental Law

Gloria Wertjes

Program of Study in Global Law

Yuta Inada

Kyle Johnson

Program of Study in Intellectual Property and Technology Law

Alexandra Noble

Program of Study in Law, Ethics, and Public Policy

Dennis Wieboldt

Program of Study in Public Law

Thomas MacPhee

Program of Study in Real Estate Law

Hayden Burnight

See the full list of awards in the event program here

Highest Academic Awards

The Law School will recognize our three highest academic honors—the Colonel William J. Hoynes Award, the Dean Joseph O’Meara Award, and the Farabaugh Prize—in early June.

For Kyung Mo Kang, the pursuit of justice in North Korea has become the defining focus of his time at Notre Dame Law School. Now a graduate of the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.) program, his research confronts one of international law’s most difficult questions: how to hold perpetrators of mass human rights abuses accountable.

Kang’s dissertation, titled “Transitional Justice Mechanism for Human Rights Violations: A Tribunal Model for Criminal Accountability in North Korea,” focuses on international criminal accountability for human rights violations from the perspective of transitional justice. He studies how legal institutions might respond to crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes committed by North Korean authorities. His work examines the International Criminal Court, ad hoc tribunals, and hybrid tribunals. He also asks which model could best support democratic governance and the rule of law in North Korea.

A major part of Kang’s research draws on in-depth interviews with 50 North Korean escapees. Their perspectives help shape his analysis of accountability. He examines how they identify perpetrators, what they hope justice will look like, and how accountability might contribute to democratic transition in North Korea.

Kang completed his dissertation under the guidance of Professor Diane Desierto. Reflecting on his time at Notre Dame, Kang points to his conversations with faculty as one of the most meaningful parts of his experience.

“I enjoyed every time I talked and discussed with professors, covering not only my own research but also their research interests and current issues,” Kang said. “Every time, I received valuable insights and suggestions, which deepened my research.”

His dissertation defense took place on Tuesday, April 14, and included an assessment of his research, methodologies, and findings, followed by a question-and-answer session. The defense committee included Professor Bruce Huber, chair; Professor Diane Desierto, his advisor; Professor Jimmy Gurulé; and Professor Jeong-Ho Roh, director of the Center for Korean Legal Studies, senior research scholar, and lecturer in law at Columbia University.

Kang’s scholarship has also received recognition beyond Notre Dame. This fall, he has been invited to deliver his inaugural guest lecture at the Center for Korean Studies at Columbia Law School.

Beyond his dissertation, Kang has also been part of Notre Dame’s broader intellectual community. He has been associated with the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and has attended events and lectures offered by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies and the Klau Institute for Civil & Human Rights. Those experiences helped broaden the context for his work and deepened his engagement with questions of law, justice, and political change.

After graduation, Kang plans to continue his research on localized accountability mechanisms. He also hopes to pursue a career in research and to become involved in international criminal trials.

For Kang, being a “different kind of lawyer” means thinking beyond immediate results. It means reflecting on what legal work contributes and how it shapes the future. “A ‘different kind of lawyer’ is a lawyer who constantly reflects on what and how their practice of law contributes,” Kang said. “I think that a ‘different kind of lawyer’ is one who looks beyond immediate problems and immediate results, contemplating the essence of the issues as well as the long-term impact and ripple effects that their work will generate.”

Kang’s scholarship reflects the spirit of Notre Dame’s J.S.D. program: rigorous, globally engaged, and rooted in a deep commitment to human dignity and justice. In studying accountability for abuses in North Korea, he has taken on one of the hardest questions in international law and brought both care and clarity to the task.

Recent graduate Tyson Weeks ’26 J.D. has been selected for the 2026 Equal Justice Works Regional Public Interest Award for the Midwest region. Awarded annually by Equal Justice Works’ National Advisory Committee (NAC), this honor recognizes eight law students across the country who exhibit exemplary commitment to public interest law through clinics, volunteer work, and internships. Along with the recognition, Tyson will receive a $250 cash prize and commemorative plaque.

Tyson has continuously engaged with public interest work throughout his time at Notre Dame Law School. He pursued legal internships with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission and the ACLU of the District of Columbia. He also externed with the Innocence Project London, Indiana Legal Services, Inc., and St. Joseph County Public Defender Office. He was actively involved with Notre Dame Law School’s Eviction Clinic, through which he helped a local resident avoid a significant judgment and successfully recover her security deposit.

After graduation and passage of the Washington bar, Tyson will continue his work in public interest law. Tyson has accepted an offer to join the King County Department of Public Defense in Seattle as a public defender this upcoming fall. He is committed to leveraging his education to serve Seattle’s indigent community while working alongside and learning from dedicated advocates in the country.

Through his dedication to public interest law and academic excellence, Tyson demonstrates Notre Dame Law School’s commitment to educating a “different kind of lawyer”—one who combines legal competence with high ethical and social justice standards.

On May 16, 2026, we will celebrate Commencement with the Notre Dame Law School Class of 2026, ushering them into what are sure to be meaningful and successful legal careers grounded in service, integrity, and purpose.

Each student arrived at Notre Dame with a unique story. Through rigorous legal training and personal formation, they have embraced what it means to be a “different kind of lawyer” — one committed to excellence, integrity, conscience, and selfless service to others.

Meet a few of our exceptional graduating students whose experiences reflect Notre Dame Law School’s commitment to integrating reason and faith, advancing the common good, and cultivating leaders guided by ethical purpose. Their journeys demonstrate how Notre Dame Lawyers carry forward a profound commitment to human dignity and justice.

• Kathleen Casey
• Carlos Chinchilla
• Emmett Gillen
• Morgan Hall
• Nora Ibrahim
• Thomas MacPhee
• Jennifer Osita
• Diana Vallejo Ramirez
• Nicholas Smith
• Amanda and Eddie Soto
• Nate and Gloria Wertjes
• Dennis Wieboldt III

Growing up, Amanda (Garcia) and Eduardo “Eddie” Soto lived just 30 minutes from each other in South Florida—without ever meeting.

It took their independent decisions to attend Notre Dame Law School for their paths to cross. They met during 1L orientation then began dating several months later. Over time, the futures they had imagined separately began to take shape side by side.

This past fall, during their 3L year, Amanda and Eddie were married in Spain. Now, as graduation approaches, they are preparing to return to Florida—not just as Notre Dame Law graduates, but as partners beginning a life together.

Their story as a couple began at Notre Dame, but it was shaped by two distinct journeys.

For Eddie, the path to law school was influenced by discernment and a search for meaning. He attended Northwestern University, where he studied economics and worked as a student coach for the football team. After graduating, he continued coaching at both Northwestern and Kent State University.

“Two years after college, I was thinking about where God was calling me and what my vocation was,” Eddie said. “I was looking for something where I could have more meaning and make a positive impact.”

Amanda’s path reflected a similar sense of faith and trust, though it unfolded differently. After attending Florida International University, she did not initially see Notre Dame as a possibility.

“It was the last school I applied to, and the first school I got into,” Amanda said. “When I visited, I knew immediately—this was the school for me. I didn’t need to look anywhere else.”

That decision carried special meaning for Amanda and her family. After emigrating from Cuba as a young child, her father came to know American culture in part through sports—and through Notre Dame football.

“My father, not knowing much about American culture, followed sports and would watch Notre Dame football every Saturday,” Amanda said. “He came from very little, and Notre Dame football meant so much in our home.”

For both Amanda and Eddie, Notre Dame Law School stood out for its academic strength, Catholic mission, and emphasis on formation.

“The faculty was a huge reason I chose Notre Dame,” Eddie said. “They prepare you incredibly well, especially for opportunities like clerkships, but they also care about you as a person.”

That sense of formation was reinforced by the professors who shaped their experience. Amanda points to Professors Rick and Nicole Garnett as particularly influential, while Eddie credits Professor Jeffrey Pojanowski as a mentor who also played a key role in his decision to attend Notre Dame.

“I spoke with Professor Pojanowski when I was considering my options,” Eddie said. “He talked about the faculty and the Catholic culture of Notre Dame. I was single at the time, and he said, ‘You know, you have a good chance of finding your wife here, probably a better chance than at some other law schools.’”

It seems Professor Pojanowski had pretty good intuition.

At Notre Dame, both Amanda and Eddie immersed themselves in the life of the Law School. Eddie served as a managing notes editor on the Notre Dame Law Review and was active in the Federalist Society and the Saint Thomas More Society. He also served as a March for Life coordinator and mentored students through the Dean’s Initiative for Leadership and Scholarly Excellence.

Amanda’s involvement reflected a similar commitment to leadership and community. She served as president of the Women’s Legal Forum, treasurer of the Student Bar Association, and an articles editor for the Journal of Law, Ethics, & Public Policy. She also participated in the Eviction Clinic, completed a double externship, and is a Sorin Fellow with the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. As the 2025–26 recipient of the Lardy Scholarship Award, she distinguished herself through her commitment to building community within the Law School.

“I love this law school dearly,” Amanda said. “Most of what I’ve been involved in has not been for me, but for bettering the people who attend this law school and helping others see this place the way I do. Everything I’ve done has been geared toward community building—helping people experience not just Notre Dame Law School, but the professors as people and the families that make up this community.”

After graduation, Amanda will clerk for Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz of the Florida Supreme Court and then plans to pursue a career in trust and estate law.

Eddie will clerk for the Honorable Rodolfo A. Ruiz of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, followed by a clerkship with the Honorable Robert J. Luck on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He plans to pursue a career in litigation.

They also have another exciting milestone ahead: Amanda and Eddie are expecting their first child, due in December.

As they look ahead, both reflect on how Notre Dame has shaped their understanding of what it means to be a “different kind of lawyer.”

“I think being a ‘different kind of lawyer’ is realizing that the law is so much more than you,” Amanda said. “It’s not just about becoming a lawyer, it’s about being formed as a person.”

“It’s about being a servant—to your client and to the system—while putting God first,” Eddie said. “When people hear you’re a Notre Dame lawyer, they should know you’re someone who tells the truth and does the right thing.”

For Amanda and Eddie Soto, that formation is reflected not only in the lawyers they are becoming, but in the life and family they will build together along the way.

Syl Schieber ’72 M.A., ’74 Ph.D., and his wife, Vicki, have made a generous gift to support Notre Dame Law School’s Death Penalty Abolition Week for the next five years. Their contribution will help ensure the event’s continuation and support the Law School’s efforts 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. This latest gift builds on a previous gift from the Schiebers in fall 2025 supporting Death Penalty Abolition Week.

In March 2025, Notre Dame Law School hosted its inaugural Death Penalty Abolition Week, a four-day series of events aimed at confronting the realities of wrongful convictions and sparking critical conversations about the use of the death penalty. Organized by the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic and the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights, the inaugural program brought together a range of institutional partners and student organizations. The second annual Death Penalty Abolition Week, held in March 2026, expanded this collaboration further, with the Notre Dame Institute for Social Concerns joining as a sponsor and additional student organizations participating as co-sponsors.

Distinguished speakers—including death row exonerees, abolition advocates, and experts in criminal justice reform—shared firsthand accounts and discussed systemic issues tied to wrongful convictions and capital punishment, such as racial bias and the fundamental violation of human dignity inherent in the death penalty.

Featured speakers have included Dr. Yusef Salaam, Central Park Five exoneree and New York City Councilman; Ohio death row exonerees Lamont Hunter and Elwood Jones, both represented by attorney Erin Gallagher Barnhart ’05 J.D. in separate cases; Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States; the Honorable Bob Morris, Indiana Representative; Anthony Ray Hinton, death row exoneree and author of the novel The Sun Does Shine; Donna Schneweis, director of the Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty; and Sarah Craft, interim director of the Indiana Abolition Coalition.

Syl Schieber also spoke at both the inaugural and second annual Death Penalty Abolition Week, sharing a powerful testimony rooted in faith, forgiveness, and justice. After his 23-year-old daughter, Shannon, was raped and murdered in 1998, Schieber and his wife made the decision to oppose capital punishment for her killer. Guided by their Catholic faith and belief in the sanctity of human life, the Schiebers have since become leading voices in the national movement to abolish the death penalty. He shared his story at the inaugural Death Penalty Abolition Week last year and, this year, moderated a panel discussion titled “A Call to Action” with panelists Schneweis and Craft, reflecting on how he turned his grief into action.

Through their gift supporting Death Penalty Abolition Week at Notre Dame Law School over the next five years, the Schiebers reaffirm their commitment to faith, forgiveness, and the abolition of the death penalty. Professor Jimmy Gurulé, director of the Exoneration Justice Clinic, stated that “while the generous gift from Syl and Vicki Schieber will continue to support the Death Penalty Abolition Week for the next five years, the ultimate goal is to abolish the death penalty in Indiana within that period of time, if not sooner.”

Nora Ibrahim once saw the world in black and white.

As an undergraduate biology major specializing in endocrinology, she was drawn to the clarity of science, where answers are measurable and definitive. “I like the black and white of the sciences and the absolute nature of the study. You’re either right or you’re wrong,” she said. But even then, she began pushing herself beyond that framework by minoring in visual arts to challenge how she thought. “In the arts, you’re very much in the gray zone,” she said. “You’re challenging your brain to think beyond the black and white.”

That tension—between certainty and complexity—would shape her path.

After graduating in 2019 from the University of Chicago, Nora spent four years in clinical research, including work in cardiogenomics at Northwestern University. There she studied sudden cardiac death in young patients to better understand potential genetic causes. She later transitioned to anesthesiology research, focusing on improving how patients are monitored during surgery.

The work was meaningful, and at one point Nora planned to become a cardiac surgeon. But over time, her perspective shifted as she realized the profession didn’t align with how she envisioned her future or the kind of relationships she wanted to build.

“You never go to your doctor and say that you are excited about something good happening in your life,” she said. “You go to them and you tell them, ‘fix me,’ and you don’t see them again until the next time you feel sick.”

In contrast, she saw law as a space where she could walk alongside people through both challenges and successes.

“You’re seeing your clients when they’re having personal or professional struggles, but you’re also there at the finish line, celebrating their wins with them. It’s exciting to be by their side through it all,” she said.

That realization led her to law school. When she arrived at Notre Dame, she quickly discovered that the law was far from the black-and-white system she had imagined.

“I initially thought either you’re responsible because you’ve committed whatever charge you’re accused of, or you’re not,” she said. “But then you read opinions and cases, and you realize the law functions very much in the gray.” The adjustment was challenging, but it reinforced something she had already begun to learn: the world—and the law—requires comfort with nuance. “You have to get comfortable with the gray,” she said. “You’re never just right or wrong.”

At Notre Dame, Nora found both intellectual challenge and a strong sense of community. Drawn in part by its proximity to her family in Chicago, she was equally influenced by the Law School’s collaborative culture and engaged faculty. “The professors genuinely care about you as an individual and your career,” she said. “They will give you time just because you stopped by their office to say hello.”

She immersed herself in that community, serving as president of the Middle Eastern Law Students Association and as a notes editor on the Journal on Emerging Technologies. She also participated in the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program, building mentorship connections that supported her transition into the legal field.

At the same time, Nora sought out spaces where she could connect with her identity, including the Notre Dame Muslim Student Association. As a Muslim student at a Catholic law school, her experience was both unique and formative. “This was the first time I was the only visibly Muslim person in a space,” she said. “Although it was difficult at times, it was certainly a shaping experience.” Over time, that initial adjustment gave way to a deeper appreciation for the environment. “I appreciate people’s curiosity, especially when they choose to ask questions instead of relying on assumptions,” she said.

Her experience in the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, working in the transactional advising section, further shaped her perspective, particularly her interest in supporting religious organizations with limited resources.

Beyond the classroom, Nora also found community as an assistant rector in Cavanaugh Hall, mentoring the undergraduate women who lived there. Her widely popular weekly program, “Tea Talks, Hot Choc, Snack Wok Wednesday,” brings students together over themed gatherings and homemade food and regularly draws a crowd of young women.

Through these experiences, Nora developed a clearer sense of what it means to be a lawyer—and the kind of lawyer she hopes to become.

After graduation, Nora will return to Chicago to begin her career as a corporate attorney at Faegre Drinker where she is drawn to the collaborative nature of the work. Nora hopes to carry forward everything she has learned—across disciplines, communities, and experiences—into her work.

“I think being a ‘different kind of lawyer’ means that you approach anybody you talk to with kindness, compassion, and understanding,” she said. “You have to take a moment to pause and just listen. The more you listen, the more likely you are to respond with compassion instead of jumping to immediate judgment.”

In a profession often defined by argument and certainty, Nora has learned to embrace something different—the space in between. In that gray, she has found not only her path, but the kind of lawyer she hopes to become.

Notre Dame Law student Garrett Hofmann was selected as one of 14 fellows for the 2026 Law Program of the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE).

Now in its sixteenth year, FASPE annually grants 80-90 fellowships to graduate students and early-career professionals in the fields of Business, Clergy, Design & Technology, Journalism, Law, and Medicine. Fellows participate in a two-week program in Germany and Poland, which uses the conduct of professionals in Nazi-occupied Europe as an initial framework for approaching ethical responsibility in the professions today.

The FASPE curriculum conducts daily seminars and dialogue at sites of historic importance, often specific to each profession. The experience of the Law fellows is enhanced by traveling alongside the Business and Design & Technology fellows, who consider how ethical constructs and norms in their respective professions align and differ.

“We are living in a fraught moment when professionals face crucial ethical choices that in some instances are reminiscent of choices professionals faced in Nazi Germany. FASPE’s emphasis on examining why so many professionals made poor choices, how we might identify with their decision-making, and the horrific consequences of their choices helps to instill in professionals a rigorous and reflective approach that is valuable at any time, but particularly in a perilous moment like this one,” said Noah Bookbinder, FASPE’s CEO.

The 2026 Fellowship will take place in Germany and Poland over the course of two weeks this summer. The Law Program will be led by Corey Ellis, former senior leader and trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Jessica Roth, professor of law and co-director of the Jacob Burns Center for Ethics in the Practice of Law at Cardozo School of Law.

Hofmann is a third-year student at Notre Dame Law School with a strong commitment to public service and an interest in national security law. As the child of an Air Force family, he brings a lifelong connection to military communities to his legal work. Hofmann has experience in veterans advocacy, administrative law, and international legal issues, including work in Israel on behalf of American victims of terrorism. He has led major academic initiatives supporting veterans and plans a career in government service at the intersection of law, ethics, and national security.

"The program offers a rare and distinctive opportunity to study professional ethics," said Hofmann. "I look forward to honing my ethical values and decision-making skills in an immersive and interdisciplinary environment."

According to FASPE, Hofmann was drawn to FASPE for its unflinching examination of how professionals confront ethical failure and responsibility in the most consequential real-world settings. He joined the program to more fully anchor his legal career in a deep sense of purpose, accountability, and service.

Hofmann joins a diverse group of 84 FASPE fellows across all six programs. The fellows were chosen through a competitive process that drew over 1,400 applicants from across the U.S. and the world. FASPE covers all program costs, including travel, food, and lodging.

The FASPE Ethics Fellowship allows the participants to join a community of nearly 1,000 alumni. Through an annual reunion conference, leadership development workshops, ethics symposia, trips to ethically significant historical sites, and alumni writing, FASPE maintains long-term relationships with its fellows. This continued work sustains the commitment to ethical behavior and provides a forum for further dialogue. Through FASPE’s Ethical Tensions Conversations, for example, alumni reflect upon and discuss the vital professional ethical issues of our own day in the spirit of open inquiry.

To learn more about FASPE and its programs, visit www.faspe-ethics.org.

About Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE)
FASPE is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote ethical leadership and responsibility among professionals beginning with recognition of the influence that professionals have on all aspects of society. Its distinctive methodology examines the behavior and motivations of the professionals who enabled and enacted Nazi policies to establish the importance and urgency of self-awareness, professionalism, and ethical leadership today.

Jennifer Osita’s path to Notre Dame Law School began in hospital rooms, not courtrooms. After graduating from college, Jennifer was a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse, where she learned that advocacy often starts with the smallest, most vulnerable patients.

“I was working with very sick newborns, attending high-risk deliveries and C-sections,” Jennifer said. The bonds she formed in those high-stakes moments were lasting. “A lot of the children I took care of are much older now, and the parents never fail to reach out to me on Nurses Appreciation Week to send updates of their kids flourishing.”

After moving into emergency trauma nursing at Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston and working through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jennifer began travel nursing. While she enjoyed the hands-on care, a lifelong sense of calling began to resurface. “Ever since I was younger, I felt like I acted like a lawyer,” she said. “In my family, we have a long line of medical professionals, so that field was realistic. I loved learning about the human body, but I knew it wasn't my entire life.”

The turning point came during a period of professional “boredom” during the pandemic. She began studying for the LSAT, telling herself, “If God says it’s not time, it’s not time. But if it is, then I’m going.” The answer came on her birthday in the form of an acceptance letter from Notre Dame. For Jennifer, the news was a full-circle spiritual moment.

“I grew up at Notre Dame Catholic Church in Texas. I was baptized there, had my first Holy Communion and confirmation there,” she said. “Getting into Notre Dame Law School on my birthday, after praying for it, was a sign from God.”

At Notre Dame, Jennifer found a community that allowed her to integrate her identity and her beliefs. She became a leader in the Black Law Students Association, serving as secretary and helping foster connections in a profession where representation can feel limited. She also participated in the Women’s Legal Forum and the Saint Thomas More Society, seeking out spaces that aligned with her commitment to both faith and service.

Beyond academics, Jennifer revived the Law School’s Run Club while training for the Houston Chevron Marathon, an experience that tested her physical and mental endurance in new ways. “Running teaches you a lot about pushing through discomfort,” she said. “That mindset carries over into everything else, even law school.”

Her legal interests evolved as she progressed through law school. Initially drawn to transactional health law, Jennifer discovered a passion for litigation through her coursework and mock trial experience. “I came in saying I never wanted to be in a courtroom,” she said. “Now, I love it.”

To Jennifer, her medical expertise is an asset. During her 2L summer, she worked at a mid-sized firm in Houston doing personal injury law. She found herself reading medical records with a trained eye. “I’ve been groomed for years since nursing school to understand disease processes,” she said. “Using that knowledge in law feels like a full circle moment.”

This intersection of clinical experience and legal training defines what being a “different kind of lawyer” means to her. She compares it to the difference between a nurse who simply does their job and one who truly cares. Jennifer recalled holding infants when no one came to visit them, and finding small ways to show compassion in difficult moments. While the legal profession requires different boundaries, Jennifer plans to carry that same spirit into her work. “It’s about making people feel heard,” she said. “Making sure they know you’re truly invested in their case.”

Jennifer’s biggest takeaway from her time at Notre Dame is the power of vulnerability. “I came in thinking I had to do it all on my own to be strong,” she admits. “I realized that it’s okay to lean on others. Building genuine connections with your classmates and professors makes you stronger.”

For Emmett Gillen, the path to law school was already familiar. But even though his father and two older brothers are lawyers, for Emmett, choosing the law was never about following a script. It was about committing to a set of ideals that would define not just what he did, but why he chose the law in the first place.

Born in Ann Arbor and raised between Michigan and Florida, Emmett considers the Midwest home. His upbringing was shaped in part by a homeschooling education rooted in the classics, instilling disciplined thinking and moral reflection that would later guide his academic and professional life.

For three years in high school, Emmett had worked for a pension administrator, an experience that drew him toward finance. Then at Florida State University, he graduated in just three years with a degree in finance, later pursuing an MBA in supply chain management. Between his honors courses and his minor in free enterprise and ethics, Emmett also took courses in philosophy and international law, exposing him to new ways of thinking about the role of law.

By the time he arrived at Notre Dame Law School, Emmett had built an impressive academic résumé and envisioned a future in international transactional work. But early in his first year, something began to shift.

"Notre Dame's mission, faculty, and even its students encourage pursuing a non-traditional path in the profession,” he said. “I decided to take advantage of that and try to pursue something more personally meaningful at this stage of my life."

That realization prompted him to reconsider his priorities. As he moved through his first-year courses, he found himself drawn to criminal and constitutional law—and increasingly to the idea of service.

By the summer after his first year, Emmett had made his decision: he would pursue a career as a Judge Advocate General.

“I wanted to simplify my priorities, and JAG seemed to marry my legal interests with an overarching mission of service,” he said. “Everyone is looking for a higher ideal—love of country, love of neighbor. Those all attracted me to JAG.”

That commitment to service has shaped his time at Notre Dame. Drawn to opportunities that connect legal training with real-world impact, Emmett immersed himself in clinical work. He spent two semesters in the Special Education Clinic and another in the Veterans Law Clinic.

In the Special Education Clinic, Emmett worked with families seeking appropriate educational resources for their children—an issue that aligned with his support for school choice. “Not everyone learns the same way,” he said. “Helping individuals who have been traditionally left behind in the educational space get what they need to fully participate in society felt like a very worthwhile mission.”

Reflecting on his involvement in both clinics, he added, “On a broad level, you have veterans and you have concerned parents trying to help their children. They’re thrown into complex legal spaces and asked to navigate them on their own. The work of these clinics provides an invaluable service to people who greatly need it.”

Beyond the clinics, Emmett found mentors who helped sharpen both his thinking and his sense of vocation. He points to associate clinical professor Christina Jones (now Stone) for her deep knowledge and passion for special education law, her husband, associate clinical professor Caleb Stone, for those same qualities regarding veterans law, and Professor Mary Ellen O'Connell, whose teaching on international law and ethics left a lasting impression.

"Knowing the full legal framework in which one operates, as well as the full array of ethical considerations at play in a particular situation, can only help when trying to make the right call," he said.

Emmett’s summers reinforced his interest in litigation and public service. After his first year, he worked in the Charlotte District Court with the Honorable Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. The following summer, he served as a research assistant to Professor Jorge Barrera-Rojas, focusing on education-related issues such as private school vouchers and scholarships.

After graduation, Emmett will enter training in Quantico as part of the Marine Corps JAG program, where he will serve on active duty for at least four years. The path ahead is demanding, but for him, it reflects a deliberate choice to align his legal career with a broader sense of mission.

That vision is rooted in what it means to be a “different kind of lawyer.”

“In an increasingly technical field, it’s important that you stay grounded in the idea that you are providing a service to others with their best interests in mind and not necessarily your own,” he said. “There is a biblical calling to service. At times that might require reshaping your priorities and vision for life.”

For Emmett, the law is not simply a profession—it is a means of pursuing something greater.

“Ultimately,” he said, “it’s about serving your country, the poor, or those most in need. That does not have to be the case for every individual at every point in their professional career, but integrating one's personal beliefs with one's career as closely as possible is a worthwhile goal.”

As he prepares to carry those ideals into the work ahead, they will continue to guide the lawyer he is becoming.

When Dennis Wieboldt applied to Notre Dame Law School, he set out to pursue a J.D. and a Ph.D. in history simultaneously. To the best of any administrator’s knowledge, this path had not been taken before.

“I am very fortunate that Notre Dame agreed to establish a dual-degree program in law and history,” Dennis said. “To be sure, being the first student for a new academic program comes with advantages and disadvantages, but I’m hopeful that the foundation we’ve set over the last three years accrues to the benefit of others.” Now part of a small but growing group of students pursuing dual degrees across disciplines, Dennis has helped demonstrate that the model is not only possible, but fruitful.

Dennis entered Boston College as a biology and political science major and briefly considered becoming a patent lawyer before ultimately pivoting away from the sciences. He went on to double-major in history and theology while maintaining an interest in law. Law school felt like a natural next step; the idea of pursuing a Ph.D., however, came later. “Nobody in my family is an academic,” he said. “So this certainly wasn’t something I had planned from the beginning of my time in college.”

His research focuses on the relationship between law, politics, and religion in 20th-century United States history, with a particular emphasis on American Catholic legal thought. The author of nearly 20 academic articles in such venues as the Law and History Review and Journal of Law and Religion, Dennis has also worked to build an intellectual community around legal history during his time at Notre Dame.

One of his most significant initiatives is the Notre Dame Graduate Legal History Colloquium, a workshop series he founded in coordination with the American Society for Legal History. The workshop brings together students and scholars to present and refine works in progress. Launched in fall 2024, the series is held four or five times per year and provides early-career researchers with a platform to develop their legal history scholarship.

What drew him to Notre Dame was not just its academic reputation, but also its distinctive culture. “Of all the law schools to which I applied, Notre Dame was the only place where I found a critical mass of students who were not only academically driven, but who also didn’t neglect their personal and spiritual lives,” he said. “In this way, Notre Dame truly seemed distinctive.”

It might seem overwhelming to balance the demands of two rigorous programs while also serving as an assistant rector in Graham Family Hall. Yet Dennis describes it as “natural.” “Work doesn’t really feel like work when you’re doing what you love,” he said. “And even when I’ve been in a class that I didn’t love, I’ve always found opportunities to find a sort of mental reprieve by spending time on my work in the other discipline. Historians and lawyers often think with different parts of their brains, so my concurrent training has been extraordinarily beneficial to my overall intellectual formation.”

Beyond academics, Dennis has spent much of his time fostering community. His role in Graham Family Hall has been one of the most meaningful aspects of his Notre Dame experience . “As an assistant rector, you have the opportunity to contribute to other people’s personal and spiritual growth in a way that’s hard to replicate. I’m not sure there’s any real parallel to it,” he said. “Serving as an assistant rector was not something that I anticipated doing when I started at Notre Dame, but I’ve found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience.” For encouraging him to serve the university in this role, Dennis expressed gratitude to Fr. Bill Dailey, CSC, the rector of Graham Family Hall and the chaplain of Notre Dame Law School.

For Dennis, being a “different kind of lawyer” is a lived reality he has observed in both faculty and peers. He sees it in professors who are as attentive to students’ personal lives as they are to their professional success, and in students who view their futures in the legal profession as vocations rather than merely careers.

“The number of students here who do things for no other reason than they think it advances a greater mission is remarkable,” Dennis said. He points to his peers during his time in the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic as a prime example. “They often went far above and beyond what they were formally required to do because they felt like there was something really important at stake. That is a great illustration of the Law School’s motto lived in a very ordinary way.”

Dennis sees the success of his academic journey as inseparable from the mentorship he has received. “The incredible support of faculty both professionally and personally has exceeded anything I could have hoped for,” he said. “I owe any of my successes to their mentorship.”

After earning his law degree in May, Dennis plans to defend his dissertation in history in the spring of 2027. He will clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 2028-2029.

Diana Vallejo Ramirez was five years old when she immigrated from Mexico to the United States. Growing up in California as one of six children raised by a single mother, she learned early that the law was not abstract; rather, the law actively shaped her life. She observed firsthand how immigration policies could define the boundaries of possibility—shaping what families could build and pursue for their futures.

Her early exposure to the law and its intricacies sparked her desire to pursue a career dedicated to helping others. That sense of purpose deepened over time—through her studies at UCLA, where she double majored in Labor Studies and Chicano Studies, through long hours working hospitality jobs, and through her work as a case manager at KPB Immigration Law Firm in Napa. There, she helped file over 100 cases, from asylum petitions to U visas for victims of crime. She also volunteered with the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, translating and assisting with petitions, often for farmworkers and hospitality workers.

Together, her studies and work experience did more than clarify her ambitions—they refined her sense of direction.

Upon admission to Notre Dame Law School, she received the James and Katherine O’Reilly Notre Dame Law School Fellowship, fully funding her legal education. At the Law School, Diana found both rigor and belonging.

“I wanted to be challenged, and Notre Dame is very rigorous in its academics,” she said. “I also liked the small classes because I had come from a huge public university.”

Diana added, “Law school was really hard, but the group of people that I found made it a really fruitful experience and made me feel like I truly belonged.”

That sense of belonging translated into purposeful action through her involvement in the Community Development Clinic, where the law became not just something to study, but a tool to build opportunities for others.

In a single semester, Diana helped incorporate a U.S.-based nonprofit affiliate for Friends of Sembrandopaz Inc., an organization dedicated to advancing peacebuilding and sustainable development among grassroots communities in Colombia’s Caribbean region. She drafted articles of incorporation, wrote bylaws, and led the organization’s first board meeting.

“That was the most fulfilling experience,” she said. “I helped Sembrandopaz become an established presence in the United States. I facilitated a way for them to get funds and still abide by tax laws.”

It was, in many ways, a meaningful act of empowerment—one that expanded access to resources and created opportunity.

Her journey also came full circle in an unexpected place: a naturalization ceremony she attended during her Immigration Law course, taught by adjunct professor Rudy Monterrosa.

“It was a really full circle moment for me,” she said. “It was the confirmation that I was in the right place and on the path that I wanted to be on.”

For someone who had experienced the weight and complexity of immigration, witnessing others take that final step toward citizenship was not just symbolic; it was deeply personal.

Throughout her time at Notre Dame, Diana remained committed to community. She served as a 1L representative for the American Constitution Society, treasurer for First Generation Professionals, was a member of the Hispanic Law Students Association, and volunteered in Chicago to assist immigrants renewing their petitions.

“As a first-generation student, I felt lost,” she said. “But Notre Dame had a really strong support system, which is why I joined the First Generation Professionals—to give back and keep it going.”

During her law school summers, she worked as a judicial extern with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Indiana, and as a summer associate with Lippes Mathias LLP, where she discovered her interest in transactional work.

Now, as she prepares to return to Lippes Mathias LLP in Buffalo, New York, to begin her career in corporate law, Diana carries with her a vision that is both expansive and deeply rooted.

“Being a ‘different kind of lawyer’ means being who you really are,” she said, “and embracing all your skills and potential in a way that fulfills what you want to do, whether that be public interest or transactional work. Notre Dame really helps you figure out what your passions are so that you can create your own path.”

Her path has never been linear. It has been shaped by movement—across countries, across disciplines, across defining moments. But through it all, one truth remains clear:

For Diana, the law is not just a profession. It is a means of building something enduring—grounded in dignity, guided by purpose, and shaped by those determined to create new pathways and possibilities for themselves and for others.

On Wednesday, April 22, Judge Christopher Spataro of the Elkhart Superior Court granted Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic (EJC) client Iris Seabolt’s petition for post-conviction relief (PCR), vacating her wrongful murder conviction and ordering a new trial.

Seabolt was convicted of felony murder in 2004 in connection with the August 1, 2000 killing of A.J. Williams in Elkhart, Indiana. After the State presented its case at trial, Seabolt entered a guilty plea and was later sentenced to 45 years in prison. She attempted to withdraw her plea at sentencing, maintaining her innocence, but the request was denied.

In his order, Judge Spataro found that Seabolt’s conviction was fundamentally undermined by constitutional violations, including the State’s failure to disclose critical evidence. “The State’s blatant violation of Seabolt’s rights under the Due Process Clause voids her conviction and, therefore, voids her plea,” he wrote.

The court’s decision centers on newly uncovered evidence showing that the State withheld material exculpatory and impeachment evidence, including information about misconduct by former Elkhart Police Department Detective Stephen Rezutko. According to the court’s findings, Rezutko played a significant role in the investigation and the development of witness testimony used against Seabolt.

At trial, the State’s case relied heavily on jailhouse informants, as there was no forensic evidence linking Seabolt to the crime. Evidence presented during post-conviction proceedings revealed that Rezutko fabricated or influenced witness statements, including by sharing details of the crime with informants to shape their testimony. In one instance, another investigator testified that he withdrew from the case after discovering Rezutko had shown crime scene photographs to a jailhouse informant to help generate a statement.

The court also found that the State failed to disclose a video-recorded interrogation of Seabolt’s co-defendant, which Rezutko had previously testified did not exist, as well as internal affairs records documenting Rezutko’s misconduct, including paying informants for sexual acts.

Professor Jimmy Gurulé, faculty director of the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic, stated, “Detective Stephen Rezutko has been implicated in several other wrongful conviction cases in Elkhart County. Who knows how many innocent people have been falsely convicted and deprived of their freedom because of Rezutko's illegal conduct. The EJC will continue to fight for justice in Elkhart County and beyond.”

Judge Spataro emphasized the significance of this undisclosed evidence in evaluating Seabolt’s guilty plea:

“When Seabolt pled guilty, the State had presented its entire case against her. She had no knowledge that the State’s case against her rested on fabricated evidence and the integrity of a detective who had lied under oath, lied in internal investigations, coerced witnesses during interrogations, and paid his informants for sexual acts. She was constitutionally entitled to all of this evidence to attack the integrity of the State’s case and prove her innocence, but it was withheld from her. Seabolt’s decision to accept a plea was not in any sense ‘knowing’ because the State withheld from her evidence that would have directly impacted her decision. The Constitution does not permit such a miscarriage of justice.”

The Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic filed Seabolt’s petition for post-conviction relief in June 2021. The petition alleged that newly discovered evidence—including recantations from key witnesses—demonstrated her innocence and exposed systemic misconduct in the investigation and prosecution of her case.

Seabolt was released on parole in May 2022 after serving nearly 19 years in prison. Despite her release, her conviction remained in place until this ruling.

The court’s decision vacates Seabolt’s conviction and grants her a new trial. However, she has not yet been fully exonerated. The State retains the option to appeal the ruling or retry the case.

The decision marks a significant development in a case that has spanned more than two decades and raises broader concerns about the use of jailhouse informants, disclosure obligations, and the integrity of criminal investigations.

Learn more about the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic at exoneration.nd.edu.

Carlos Chinchilla did not originally plan to attend law school. Instead, he aspired to be a pilot. But after becoming more familiar with the public affairs of Honduras, his home country, he found himself immersed in the political situation and increasingly drawn to the field of law.

Carlos grew up in La Ceiba, a coastal city. He credits his parents for giving him the opportunity to receive a strong bilingual education that helped to open his mind, explore different perspectives, and gain enlightening professional opportunities. After high school, Carlos attended Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, where he received his law degree. He then decided to pursue his LL.M. in International Human Rights Law, eventually landing at Notre Dame Law School.

As he observed various disparities in Honduras, Carlos became passionate about being a force for change. “Every country has its problems, and Honduras is no exception,” said Carlos. “We have many issues with civil rights, rule of law, economic and social rights, and development. If you delve into the public affairs of the country and find the roots of these issues, you can better understand them through the lens of human rights.”

His zeal for human rights deepened during his time at Universidad Nacional Autónoma when a friend invited him to attend the first meeting of the human rights moot court. This experience led to an even deeper engagement into human rights cases. Carlos said the moot court opened many professional doors, including an internship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and later a position at the Supreme Court of Honduras, a post he still holds today. These opportunities gave him keen insight into the intersection of law and politics and further strengthened his commitment to human rights work.

Carlos knew that pursuing an LL.M. would be an excellent way to advance his legal career as a foreign-trained attorney, while also strengthening his ability to work with the government and address civil rights issues at home. Initially, Notre Dame Law School was not on his radar. But after exploring programs across Europe, he came across Notre Dame’s well-regarded International Human Rights Law program, which immediately stood out and drew him to the Law School.

“Notre Dame emphasizes genuine dialogue,” he said. “They encourage human rights lawyers to seek the truth, open themselves to the experiences of other people, and not lose sight of the ultimate principle of the protection of the human person.”

Carlos has enjoyed his time at Notre Dame Law School, making fond memories in his nine months on campus. He praises his small cohort. “There are only 10 of us, but the relatively small group has been very cohesive and we have a lot of fun.”

The cohort comprises 10 students from 10 countries across the globe. Carlos has built lasting friendships and loved each member’s sharing of their cultures and traditions. The people and relationships he has built here, he said, have made his experience especially meaningful and enjoyable.

Carlos firmly believes that being a “different kind of lawyer” means emphasizing open, genuine dialogue, searching for truth, and seeking out the good for others. Following graduation, he plans to return to Honduras and continue to support his family while pursuing a career in human rights law. He hopes to keep working with the Honduran government and to apply everything he learned at Notre Dame Law School to help him best aid his country.

George Robert Blakey, the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Professor of Law Emeritus, died Friday, May 1 in Chicago. He was 90 years old.

Blakey was a towering figure in criminal law, legislation, and legal education. His career spanned more than five decades of public service, teaching, and litigation, including service at the highest levels of the federal government, and a distinguished tenure in academia, including 37 years on the faculty of Notre Dame Law School.

Widely regarded as the nation’s foremost authority on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), he helped shape the legal framework used to combat organized crime, public corruption, and complex financial offenses.

“Few have had as significant an impact on modern criminal law as Professor Robert Blakey,” said Dean G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law. "He was on the faculty when I first interviewed at Notre Dame in 1997. His work on RICO made him one of the most celebrated legal scholars in American history, a true giant of the law. He served for decades as a devoted teacher and mentor, forming generations of students with both intellectual rigor and a deep commitment to justice. A devout Catholic, he lived a life of purpose and service to others. We give thanks for his life and pray for him, his family, and all those who were blessed to know him.”

Blakey taught and mentored thousands of students, first as a member of Notre Dame Law School faculty from 1964 to 1969, then as a professor at Cornell Law School, and returning to Notre Dame from 1980 to 2012. He taught courses in criminal law and procedure, federal criminal law, terrorism, and jurisprudence, and was known for his rigorous intellect, deep commitment to justice, and dedication to his students. Former students remembered him as a caring professor with very high standards whose teaching immensely shaped their thinking and influenced their careers.

He also played a significant role in shaping the Law School’s faculty, recruiting a number of professors who continue to have a lasting impact today. In 1985, he was named the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Professor of Law, and moved to emeritus status in December 2012.

After his initial years on the Law School faculty, Blakey took on a central role in the development of federal criminal law as chief counsel to the U.S. Subcommittee on Criminal Laws and Procedures. In that position, he drafted Title IX of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), as well as the Title III federal wiretapping statute, and went on to contribute to other significant federal and state criminal legislation over the course of his career.

Since its enactment, the RICO statute has played a significant role in both criminal and civil proceedings involving organized crime, gang-related activity, white-collar offenses, and corruption in public office. Blakey frequently argued or consulted on several cases involving RICO statutes at both the federal and state levels, including before the United States Supreme Court.

Blakey’s public service spanned decades and multiple branches of government. He served as an organized crime consultant to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, contributing to the development of landmark racketeering and wiretapping legislation. He later served as chief counsel and staff director of the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations, investigating the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and helped draft the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. He also worked in the 1980s as special counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and as a consultant to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, focusing on white-collar crime control.

Blakey received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1957 and his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1960. He began his legal career at the U.S. Department of Justice as a special attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the Criminal Division, where, under Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, he helped prosecute organized crime figures as well as corrupt public officials and union leaders.

Colleagues and friends remember Blakey not only for his extraordinary legal accomplishments, but for his legacy as a teacher, mentor, friend, and scholar.

Fernand “Tex” Dutile, professor emeritus of law, first met Blakey more than 60 years ago, when Blakey had just arrived on the Notre Dame Law School faculty and Dutile was a third-year law student.

“It was the very first year any electives were available in a curriculum that had been, until then, totally mandated,” Dutile recalled. “Giddily exercising this new freedom, I chose Bob’s course on organized crime. Our small but enthusiastic group met, some would say fittingly, in a darkened bar at the nearby ‘Five Corners.’ His course was, predictably, both enlightening and engrossing, and, as frosting on the cake, it yielded my highest grade as a law student.”

Dutile later joined Blakey as a colleague on the faculty and saw firsthand the depth of his influence.

“Bob was brilliant, indefatigable, and devoted,” Dutile said. “It’s hard to think of many scholars whose work had a more salutary influence on American society than did his development of RICO.”

Jimmy Gurulé, professor of law and a longtime colleague and friend, recalled Blakey’s extraordinary impact as both a mentor and a friend.

“In 1989, Bob recruited me from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles to join the law faculty,” Gurulé said. “For more than 23 years, he was my close friend, colleague, and mentor. Bob was a brilliant lawyer, scholar, and teacher. He was a man of uncompromising integrity and deep religious faith. He had a profound impact on my life and legal career, for which I will always be grateful.”

Gerard “Gerry” Bradley, professor emeritus of law, remembered Blakey’s reputation even before he arrived at Notre Dame, when the two overlapped at Cornell Law School.

“When I arrived at Cornell Law School in 1977, Bob was already something of a folk hero,” Bradley said. “Those of us interested in criminal justice regarded him as an icon. We revered him for his accomplishments as a scholar and legislative draftsman. He was famous for his brilliant, distinctive way of breaking down criminal statutes into their constituent elements. Everyone at Cornell knew, too, that Bob could fill an hour or two with stories about the ‘Mob.’”

Bradley noted that Blakey’s influence extended far beyond the classroom.

“During those years, he ran the Institute on Organized Crime on a federal grant, effectively providing high-level training for prosecutors at every level,” he said. “He was a kind of godfather of mob studies and the nation’s most authoritative commentator on RICO.”

“Bob was conspicuously Catholic, known widely for his pro-life convictions at a time when that was rarely seen in the legal academy,” Bradley added. “Our Lady’s University was always first in his heart and his true academic home. He was a ‘double Domer’ in the usual way—he held two Notre Dame degrees—but also in an unusual way, with two stints on the Notre Dame Law faculty, split by those years in Ithaca. From his return to Notre Dame up to his retirement in 2012, Bob went, as the Psalmist wrote, ‘from strength to strength.’ He came to be revered by another generation of law students, who left Notre Dame Law School with Blakey’s fingerprints on their understanding of criminal justice.”

Bradley also noted that shortly after returning to Notre Dame, Blakey chaired the Law School’s Appointments Committee, where he spearheaded a period of hiring that has had a lasting impact on the Law School’s academic excellence and Catholic character. In his later years, he remained an active and influential voice in criminal law, frequently called upon as a national expert on RICO and the high-profile investigations he had helped lead.

Blakey is survived by his children Michael Blakey, Elizabeth Blakey, Marie Blakey, John Blakey (and wife Christina), Katherine Cox (and husband Michael), Christine Coury, and Margaret Clarke (and husband Kevin), as well as 18 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. All of his children are graduates of the University of Notre Dame and three are graduates of Notre Dame Law School. He was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine Menard Blakey, and his son, Matthew Blakey.

Funeral services will be held later this year at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

The entire Notre Dame community extends its deepest sympathies to Professor Blakey’s family.

Simon Brake, a third-year student at Notre Dame Law School, has been awarded first place in the Religious Liberty Student Writing Competition, sponsored by the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, for his paper, “Are Religious Nondiscrimination Clauses Religion-Neutral?”

The competition promotes legal and academic scholarship in the field of religious liberty among second and third year law students.

Brake’s paper examines a growing tension in Supreme Court religious liberty cases: whether state laws that claim to treat religious and nonreligious institutions equally are truly “neutral.” He observes that while states cannot exclude religious schools from public funding, many states impose conditions that effectively require schools to set aside their religious identity. Because “religious nondiscrimination” rules uniquely burden religious schools, he contends they are not truly neutral and should receive closer judicial scrutiny.

As the first-place winner, Brake was awarded a cash prize and the opportunity to participate in the J. Reuben Clark Law Society’s Religious Liberty Fellowship in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania this summer.

Brake, who grew up in the Washington, D.C., area, earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and later earned a master’s degree in theology from Boston College.

During law school, he served as executive notes editor of the Notre Dame Law Review and was a member of the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, where he worked on litigation matters. He spent his 1L summer as a judicial intern for Trevor N. McFadden on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and his 2L summer as a summer associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Gibson Dunn.

Following graduation, Brake will clerk for Stephanos Bibas on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

For Kathleen Casey, the path to law school began long before she ever stepped into a courtroom. Growing up on the East Coast, she was first introduced to the law through a mock trial program at her public middle school, an experience that sparked an early interest in advocacy and justice.

That curiosity developed into a lasting passion. Kathleen went on to attend the College of the Holy Cross, where she majored in political science and continued participating in mock trial. As the first aspiring lawyer in her family, she approached her path with a strong sense of purpose and discipline. During her undergraduate years, she spent a year studying in Oxford, where she took law-related courses and gained a broader global perspective on legal systems.

“Oxford really solidified my interest in the law,” she said. “It made me realize this was something I truly loved and wanted to pursue.”

When it came time to choose a law school, Kathleen was looking for more than just strong academics—she wanted a place that reflected her values.

“Notre Dame’s mission really stood out to me, especially the emphasis on serving others and taking a global approach to the law,” she said.

Although she had multiple options, Kathleen committed to Notre Dame sight unseen. A conversation with a Law School alumna and a strong sense of intuition guided her decision.

“I just had a feeling that Notre Dame was the place for me,” she said. “And it has far exceeded anything I could have expected.”

At Notre Dame Law School, Kathleen quickly immersed herself in both academic and experiential opportunities. She serves on the executive board of the Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, where she has taken on significant leadership and management responsibilities. Her Note is also set to be published in the journal. Alongside her academic work, she has been deeply involved in moot court, competing both domestically and internationally, including twice in Vienna, Austria. She also competed twice in the Justice Amy Coney Barrett Moot Court Tournament, where she and her partner reached the finals both years and had the opportunity to argue before two U.S. Supreme Court justices. Since the spring semester of her first year, she has also balanced these commitments with part-time work on campus, reflecting a strong work ethic and discipline.

Beyond these experiences, Kathleen has engaged in hands-on legal work with real-world impact. Through Notre Dame’s moot court program, she worked on a Seventh Circuit appeal involving a real client, addressing multiple legal issues in an effort to reduce his sentence. She also externed with the Innocence Project while studying abroad in London and participated in Notre Dame Law School’s Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, where she worked on an asylum case.

Her commitment to learning has extended into the classroom as well. As a teaching assistant for Professor Haley Proctor’s Evidence course, Kathleen helped guide fellow students through one of the Law School’s more challenging upper-level classes.

“I’ve been really fortunate to learn from incredible professors,” she said. “Professor Proctor’s teaching style, in particular, has had a big impact on me.”

Kathleen’s summers reflect her global and professional range. After her first year, she worked at an Irish law firm as a Dublin Honors Scholar. During her second-year summer, she joined Jones Day in Boston as a summer associate, an experience that reinforced her interest in litigation and exposed her to the firm’s collaborative, global culture.

After graduation, Kathleen will clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver before returning to Jones Day’s Boston office to work in litigation.

As she reflects on her time at Notre Dame, Kathleen points to both academic rigor and community support as defining aspects of her experience. Late in her first semester, she experienced a profound personal loss when her father passed away unexpectedly, only weeks before her final exams.

“It was an incredibly difficult time,” she said. “I didn’t know many people yet, but the support I received from the Notre Dame community was overwhelming—not just from my new friends, but also from classmates and upperclassmen I barely knew.”

That experience, she said, shaped her understanding of what it means to be a “different kind of lawyer.”

“For me, it means putting others before yourself, even when you’re under pressure,” Kathleen said. “It’s about showing up for people, doing the right thing, and persevering no matter what.”

She also sees it reflected in the broader culture of Notre Dame.

“There’s a sense here that you keep going, even when things are difficult or unfair,” she said. “You stay grounded, work hard, and trust that what you’re doing matters.”

“I’m incredibly grateful for this community,” she said. “It’s shaped me not just as a law student, but as a person.”

As she prepares to begin her career, that formation—grounded in resilience, service, and purpose—will remain at the core of the lawyer she is becoming.

Anipha Abass Mwingira, an LL.M. student in the International Human Rights Law program at Notre Dame Law School, is from Tanzania and brings more than two decades of experience in the judiciary and human rights sectors. She recently attended the 70th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Bringing both the perspective of a seasoned judge and a global legal scholar, she engaged in critical conversations on advancing gender equality through law and accountability. In this Q&A, she reflects on the insights she gained, the global connections she formed, and how the experience will shape her continued work championing women’s rights in Africa and beyond.

What drew you to attend the 70th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women? What were your expectations going into the experience?

As a woman judge, I was drawn to attend this event for its timely focus on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. This year's theme resonates deeply with my work and commitment to advancing women's rights in Africa. I expected to engage with global leaders, experts, and activists to share best practices, challenges, and innovative solutions for promoting gender equality. I was eager to learn about new strategies and frameworks that could enhance our work in Tanzania and contribute to the broader African context. I also expected to highlight the struggles women face and explore ways to address these challenges collectively.

Were there any particular discussions, panels, or moments during the session that left a lasting impression on you? What made them stand out?

Yes, one that stood out was the emphasis on the ECOWAS Gender Barometer as a tool to hold State Parties accountable for their gender equality commitments. The discussion highlighted the importance of data-driven advocacy to drive policy changes and secure resources to address gender disparities. A panelist noted that the barometer would provide a clear snapshot of progress and gaps, enabling civil society and governments to work together more effectively. The launch underscored the need for regional cooperation and ECOWAS's role in promoting gender equality across member states. The commitment from ECOWAS officials to support the implementation of the barometer's recommendations was also a significant takeaway, suggesting a potential shift toward more transparent and accountable governance in the region.

How did your background in human rights and your perspective as an LL.M. student at Notre Dame Law School shape the way you engaged with the conversations at the event?

My background in human rights and my experience as an LL.M. student at Notre Dame Law School, particularly through the Global Human Rights Clinic, gave me a nuanced understanding of international frameworks and advocacy strategies, enabling me to engage critically with the discussions. The clinic's focus on the practical application of human rights law allowed me to contribute effectively. My studies at Notre Dame emphasized the importance of leveraging international law to drive national change, shaping my perspective on the role of regional tools, such as the Gender Barometer, in advancing gender equality.

In what ways did attending the session deepen or challenge your understanding of global gender equality and the role of law in advancing it? What was your biggest takeaway?

Attending the session deepened my understanding of global gender equality by showing how regional tools, such as the ECOWAS Gender Barometer, can turn treaty commitments into measurable accountability. It challenged me to think beyond national frameworks and to view law not only as legislation but also as a mechanism for data-driven monitoring and cross-border advocacy. My biggest takeaway was that real progress on gender equality requires linking international legal obligations to concrete, region-specific accountability tools. As judges and lawyers, we have a direct role in making those tools effective on the ground.

How do you hope to carry and implement what you learned at the session into your future work in human rights or legal practice?

My experience at the ECOWAS Gender Barometer session, combined with my background as a judge, human rights lawyer, and LL.M. candidate at Notre Dame Law School, has deepened my understanding of women's rights through both judicial and justiciable lenses. Moving forward, I aim to amplify my advocacy beyond Tanzania to the broader African continent and globally. I'll leverage these insights to strengthen regional accountability mechanisms for women's rights; support data-driven advocacy using tools such as the Gender Barometer; collaborate with judges, lawyers, and civil society to make women's rights more justiciable; and expand my work with women's associations and human rights organizations. I'm committed to intensifying my efforts to promote women's rights and to ensure they receive the attention they deserve. The global stage is next.

Notre Dame Law third-year student Joshua Robe has received the 2026 Eaton Award, presented by the Federalist Society at the University of Chicago.

The national award recognizes emerging scholarship in constitutional law and supports the development of early-career scholars. Robe was honored for his essay, “The Founders’ Unwritten Law Grounding the Presumption Against Preemption,” which argues that the presumption arises from the Constitution’s text, understood in light of Founding-era background interpretive law. This gives firmer legal footing for this presumption, which has been a longstanding but controversial principle for determining when federal law preempts state law. Robe had the opportunity to discuss his paper at a Federalist Society event at the University of Chicago, with remarks by Professors William Baude and Samuel Bray.

Originally from Ohio, Robe attended Bryan College, where he double-majored in History and Government. He then earned an M.A. in Politics from Hillsdale College before attending Notre Dame Law School.

While at Notre Dame Law School, Robe served as senior articles editor for the Notre Dame Law Review. During his first-year summer, Robe was a research assistant for Professor Emily Bremer assisting with administrative law research. During his second-year summer, he was a summer associate at Jones Day in Cleveland, Ohio.

After graduation, Robe will clerk for Judge Edith Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Notre Dame Law alum Jack Ferguson ’24 J.D. received the Eaton Award in 2024.

More information about the Eaton Award is available on the University of Chicago Federalist Society website.

Rev. Patrick E. Reidy, C.S.C., associate professor of law, has been selected by the Notre Dame Law School Class of 2026 as the recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award. He will deliver the commencement address during the Law School’s Hooding Ceremony on May 16.

The Distinguished Teaching Award, awarded annually by each graduating class and coordinated by the Student Bar Association, recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies excellence in leadership, mentorship, legal scholarship, and teaching.

Father Reidy joined the Notre Dame Law School faculty in fall 2023, at the same time the Class of 2026 began law school. He teaches courses in Property, Land Use, and Historic Preservation and also serves as a faculty director for the Church Properties Initiative within the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate.

An ordained Roman Catholic priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross, Father Reidy’s teaching and scholarship focuses on the intersection of property law and religion. His research examines how legal institutions understand religion in the context of property claims, as well as how property doctrines can either support or constrain religious practice—including work exploring how faith communities can repurpose church-owned land for affordable housing and invoke religious liberty protections to overcome exclusionary zoning and local opposition. His work has been published in leading journals, including the Yale Law Journal, Virginia Law Review, and Florida Law Review.

Before joining the Notre Dame faculty, Father Reidy served as a visiting lecturer in law and fellow in private law at Yale Law School. He clerked for Justice Brett Kavanaugh of the Supreme Court of the United States, and for Judge Thomas Hardiman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Father Reidy earned his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was editor of both the Yale Law Journal and the Yale Journal on Regulation. He also holds a Master of Divinity from the University of Notre Dame, where he received the M.A. Schumacher Award for Academic Excellence as the top graduate seminary student, and a B.A. in political science from the University of Notre Dame, graduating as the 2008 salutatorian.

In addition to his academic work, Father Reidy serves on campus as a priest-in-residence for Morrissey Manor. He previously served as rector of Keough Hall at Notre Dame, and he has provided chaplaincy support across campus, including serving as the Law School’s chaplain from 2016-18. Father Reidy also serves on the Board of Regents for the University of Portland.

Notre Dame Law School’s 2026 Hooding Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 16 at 9:00 a.m. at the Joyce Center, Purcell Pavilion.