What are the legal remedies for art and artifacts unlawfully taken in times of war and injustice? A recent Fordham Law symposium brought together scholars, policymakers, advocates, and students to discuss thorny questions at the intersection of art, history, and the law. The symposium was timely given new legal developments shaping how people, societies, and governments address looted art and cultural artifacts. To date, 31 countries have endorsed updated best practices on the question of Holocaust-era art that among other things urge that countries make it easier for claimants to find justice by easing burden of proof requirements. In addition,…
Author: Sejla Rizvic
Professor John Pfaff, the Joel Reidenberg Distinguished Research Scholar at Fordham Law, is a leading expert on criminal legal reform who has written widely about mass incarceration, criminal sentencing, and prosecutorial discretion. Pfaff is the author of Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform, which explores how changes in prosecutorial behavior beginning in the mid 1990s led to massive increases in incarceration rates. He teaches courses on criminal law, sentencing law, and statistics for lawyers. In the Q&A below, Pfaff discusses his most recent scholarly research—a first of its kind empirical look at…
Fordham Law students Amora Haynes ’27 and Jessie Lopez-Garay ’27 have been selected for the highly competitive New York City Bar Association (NYCBA) Diversity Fellowship Program, which provides summer internship opportunities to first-year law students who have encountered barriers on their path to a legal career. “I am thrilled that two of our students have been selected for this distinguished fellowship. The selection process was incredibly competitive this year, making their achievement even more impressive,” said Bryna Beckler-Knoll, Esq., director of career planning and diversity at the Law School’s Career Planning Center. Fellows have the opportunity to gain experience at…
Darcy Gallego ’25 has been selected for the highly prestigious Skadden Fellowship, which will allow her to work on an innovative legal project that fills a crucial legal gap affecting unrepresented asylum seekers in New York City. The Skadden Fellowship brings together a select group of recent graduates chosen from across the country to work on ambitious legal projects and launch their public interest careers. Gallego said she was “ecstatic” when she heard that she had been selected as a fellow. “It felt like a validation of all the hard work I had done, not only preparing the application, but…
This year’s class of 21 Fordham Law Stein Scholars includes students pursuing public interest law in areas that range from labor justice to education and housing equity, among other issues, all embodying the Law School’s motto of working “In the service of others.” The multifaceted, student-driven program trains students for public interest careers while building a diverse community of social justice advocates at Fordham Law and beyond. Stein Scholars receive mentorship and guidance from faculty and alumni throughout their law school journey, complete academic coursework, and obtain hands-on experience that prepares them to practice as public interest lawyers. “I am…
Professor Jennifer Gordon, who holds the John D. Feerick Chair at Fordham Law School, has been a leading voice in immigration and labor for over three decades. Her groundbreaking work on workers’ rights and migration is influential among advocates, in academia and with policymakers. Gordon has presented her findings to government agencies in the U.S. and abroad as well as global organizations. Before joining Fordham Law in 2003, Gordon was the J. Skelly Wright Fellow and visiting faculty lecturer at Yale Law School, and the founding executive director of The Workplace Project, a nonprofit that fights for fair treatment of…
As Fordham Law students return to school for the spring semester on January 15, they can look forward to 14 new courses, prestigious visiting speakers, and a slate of thought-provoking programs and activities. Fordham Law currently has 1,585 enrolled students starting off the semester: 1,319 J.D. students, 146 LL.M. students, 112 M.S.L. students, and eight S.J.D students. This semester, students can choose from a range of new courses on offer, including Critical Evidence with Professor Bennett Capers, Cybersecurity Law with Professor Aniket Kesari, Comparative Constitutional Law with Professor Eleanor Bottini, and Law of Democracy with Professor Zephyr Teachout, among others.…
Dora Galacatos ’96, adjunct professor of law and executive director of the Feerick Center for Social Justice, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of American Law Schools at its annual meeting, in recognition of her years of commitment to public service. Galacatos was presented with the prestigious award at the AALS Section on Pro Bono and Access to Justice on January 9 in San Francisco. Over the course of her nearly three-decade career in public interest law, Galacatos has made a series of landmark contributions to expand access to justice for people in need. Galacatos has…
Two Fordham Law professors will be honored and nine faculty members will speak at the 2025 Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Meeting, held this year from January 7 to 11 in San Francisco. The yearly conference brings together legal scholars from around the country to share their expertise and legal knowledge. Fordham Law will be represented at the event by faculty members from several areas, including employment law, legal education, and internet law. This year’s theme is “courage in action” highlighting the work of lawyers in public service and advocacy. “Lawyers are, and have always been, courageous advocates…
The Center on Asian Americans and the Law’s Third Annual Fall Symposium shined a light on the under-explored history of accusations of espionage against Asian Americans, delving into historical cases and present-day policies. Judge Denny Chin ’78 and Professor Thomas Lee, the Center’s co-directors, reviewed three historic cases targeting Asian Americans dating back to World War II. They included the 1949 treason trial of Iva Toguri D’Aquino (also known as the “Tokyo Rose”), the 1950 spying accusations against Professor Qian Xuesen of Caltech, and the 1999 allegations against Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee. Following the historical presentation, Professor Lee…