News

In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill 82, which seeks to end “infinite arbitration clauses,” as outlined in Professor David Horton’s highly influential 2020 University of Pennsylvania Law Review article of the same name.

An illustrious group of scholars from UC Davis Law and beyond gathered on Friday, Oct. 31 for a well-attended UC Davis Law Review symposium honoring Professor and longtime Dean Kevin R. Johnson.

Professor Christopher Elmendorf was quoted in a Nov. 2 article in the Atlantic, "Mamdani Has a Point About Rent Control." The story explores the controversial housing proposal of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The plan, among other things, calls to "freeze the rent" to make housing more affordable for residents.

The eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Trial Practice Competition brought student advocates from 15 top law schools from across the country to King Hall in October.  It was the first time the competition hosted by UC Davis Law was held on site.

Through the coordinated efforts of Competition Advisor Hayley Graves, Trial Practice Honors Board President Cassidy Riedel ‘26, and the very dedicated efforts of the MLK Comp Committee, Judge Recruitment team and supporting board members, the competition showcased the law school and its Trial Practice program.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed José Apolinar Olivera ’11 as a Sacramento Superior Court judge.

A director and associate general counsel for Meta Platforms since 2019, Olivera previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California and as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Olivera serves on the King Hall Alumni Association Board.

In October, Professor and UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences Director Karrigan Börk took around 30 students to the Klamath Basin. 

The trip was part of Börk's California Environmental Cases and Places course that connects law and environmental science to allow students to learn hands-on water, environmental and public lands law.

The UC Davis Outdoor Adventures and UC Davis Fire Department provided support and Virginia Cahill ’81 sponsored the trip.

Professor Kevin R. Johnson commented for an Oct. 24 New York Times article, "Can ICE Stop People Solely Based on Their Race?" Johnson offered context about how a Supreme Court decision from 1975 is influencing immigration enforcement today.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Wendy R. Casas '04 to serve as a judge in the Solano County Superior Court. 

Since 2018, Casas has been a solo practitioner at the Law Office of Wendy Casas in Woodland. From 2005-2018 she served as a deputy public defender in Solano County and Kern County. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Christine A. Carringer.

Read the full press release.

Congratulations to Professor Lisa R. Pruitt, who has reached the 25-year milestone as a faculty member at UC Davis School of Law.

Pruitt, who arrived at the law school in 1999, will be honored Wednesday, Oct. 22 at an event celebrating the latest members of UC Davis’ exclusive Quarter Century Club.

The Brigitte Bodenheimer Research Scholar and a Distinguished Professor of Law, Pruitt received the law school’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020.

Thirty-six teams from the Class of 2028 competed in the King Hall Negotiations Team’s 14th annual 1L Negotiations Competition, held Saturday, Sept. 27.

Congratulations to winning teams Rory Yoakum and Lauren Tepper and Carter Dalke and Evan Gaudreau, and to finalist teams Nathan Nemeth and Garrett Chao and Emily Ma and Anna Bullock.

Thanks to KHNT board members and advisor Professor Sarah McBride.

In December, Carolina Academic Press will publish the fourth edition of Understanding Immigration Law, co-authored by UC Davis Law Professors Kevin R. Johnson, Raquel E.

At the Asian/Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento Gala on Sept. 17, Senior Associate Dean Donna Shestowsky presented UC Davis Law alumnus Yoshonori "Toso" Himel '75 with an award recognizing his lasting, and remarkable, contributions to the legal community.  

By Carla Meyer

In an era of extreme division, Professor Aaron Tang has found a national – and creative – platform to encourage civil discourse.

UC Davis School of Law will honor two outstanding alumni at its upcoming Reunions on Saturday, Oct. 18.

Hannah Buxbaum, the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law, has been elected to the Institut de Droit International, a leading society that promotes the development of international law.

UC Davis School of Law has appointed four luminary faculty members to open endowed chairs. The chairs were established previously through generous gifts from alumni and are awarded to faculty members who demonstrate excellence in scholarship, as well as in teaching and service.

By Carla Meyer

Michael Kahrs ’97 found his calling, at age 41, through the Civil Rights Clinic. Now Kahrs, a longtime Seattle solo practitioner who represented many incarcerated clients, has pledged $200,000 to help current and future King Hall students find a similar path.

Professor and Immigration Law Clinic Co-director Holly Cooper spoke to the Christian Science Monitor for a July 1 story that starts with a visit by President Donald Trump to the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention site in Florida.

Professor Raquel Aldana spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle on July 7 about the U.S. Department of Justice’s push to “denaturalize” U.S. citizens whom the government finds to have gained their citizenship illegally.

Professor Kevin R. Johnson spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle on July 14 about federal “border czar” Tom Homan’s suggestion that agents can question people “based on their physical appearance.”

The Wisconsin Supreme Court cited an article co-authored by Professor Lisa Pruitt in reversing a lower court ruling in Wis

In August, UC Davis School of Law welcomed Eric Toscano '09 as the new president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Toscano succeeds Errol Dauis '11 who provided excellent leadership and service as past president. 

In an op-ed published Aug. 7 in The Fulcrum, Professor Chimène Keitner discusses President Donald Trump’s position that recognizing a Palestinian state “rewards Hamas.”

Professor Kevin R. Johnson spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle for an August 18 story on the White House blaming California sanctuary policies for a fatal crash in Florida allegedly caused by an undocumented semitruck driver.