Law Review Symposium Honors Professor and Longtime Dean Johnson

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.

The symposium celebrated Johnson’s profound impact on King Hall, legal education, the academy, and the study of immigration law. One of the most – if not the most – cited immigration law scholars, Johnson was also UC Davis Law’s longest-serving dean, leading the school from 2008-2024.

During that time, Johnson helped open doors to talented students and faculty from all backgrounds while encouraging greater inclusivity throughout the academy. A devoted mentor to junior scholars, law school administrators and others, Johnson won the Association of American Law Schools’ inaugural Michael A. Olivas Award for Outstanding Leadership in Diversity and Mentoring in the Legal Academy in 2023.

In her welcome remarks, Dean Jessica Berg praised Johnson’s “unwavering commitment to a vision of King Hall that unequivocally and inextricably links excellence and diversity to each other and the success of this institution.”

Professors Katherine Florey, Lisa Ikemoto, Irene Joe and Aaron Tang moderated panels and Professors Afra Afsharipour, Raquel Aldana, Gabriel “Jack” Chin and Leticia Saucedo served as panelists. 

Several former UC Davis Law faculty members or visiting scholars also participated, including Stanford Law School Professor Jennifer Chacón, Rutgers Law School Professor Rose Cuison-Villazor, Southwestern Law School Professor Meera Deo, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Professor Jasmine Harris, Boston University School of Law Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig and Georgetown University Law Center Professor Madhavi Sunder.

Afsharipour, Cuison-Villazor and Onwuachi-Willig wrote the proposal for the symposium.

Read more about the symposium.