Faculty Roundup: The latest highlights from UCI Law’s faculty
Sameer Ashar
Professor Sameer Ashar co-authored two chapters of the book “Legal Phantoms: Executive Action and the Haunting Failures of Immigration Law” (Stanford University Press 2024), which tells the story of the nation’s Deferred Action programs, including Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) announced by President Obama in 2014 and enjoined by the Courts in 2015. DAPA, which would have allowed almost half of the undocumented population in the United States to gain temporary work authorization, was never implemented. The book was co-authored by UCI Law Professor Stephen Lee, Susan Bibler Coutin, UC Irvine professor of criminology, law and society and Jennifer M. Chacón, professor of law at Stanford.
Swethaa Ballakrishnen
Professor Swethaa Ballakrishnen has been elected to the editorial board of the academic journal Law & Social Inquiry (LSI) for the 2024 – 2026 term and has joined the Editorial Advisory Board for Law & Society Review. Ballakrishnen’s recent publications include the article, “Rethinking Inclusion: Ideal Minorities, Inclusion Cultures, and Identity Capitals in the Legal Profession,” Law & Social Inquiry, Vol. 48, No. 4 (2023), and contributions to the following books: “Professional Responsibility: A Contemporary Approach, 5th Edition” (West Academic Publishing 2023); chapter one in “Leading Works on the Legal Profession” (Routledge 2023); and chapter seven in “Out of Place: Fieldwork and Positionality in Law and Society” (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming March 2024). Ballakrishnen’s recent and upcoming speaking engagements include: “Blasé Discrimination” and “Accidental Feminism” panels, Global Forum, UCI Department of International and Global Studies (Feb. 1); Race, Racism and the Law Workshop, Harvard Law School (March 19-22); International Studies Association Annual Conference, San Francisco (April 3-6); “Rethinking Inclusion,” Abo Akedemi Law School Keynote, Turku, Finland (April 11-12).
Alejandro Camacho
Professor Alejandro Camacho has two forthcoming publications: Alejandro E. Camacho et al., “Adapting Conservation Governance under Climate Change: Lessons from Tribal Country,” 110 VA. L. REV. (forthcoming 2024); and Alejandro E. Camacho and David Dana, “A Missed Opportunity to Address Ecological Risk from Emerging Biotechnologies: President Biden’s Executive Order on a ‘Sustainable’ Bioeconomy and an Agenda for Future Reforms,” 85 OHIO ST. L. J. (forthcoming 2024). In addition, he participated in two speaking engagements: Presenter, “Governing Ecological Risk from Emerging Biotechnologies,” Pathways Towards the Safe and Effective Deployment of Engineered Microbial Technologies, Caltech Center for Science, Society and Public Policy, Feb 27-28, 2024; Panelist, “Imagining Better Structures,” What Next? The Rise, Fall, and Future of American Environmental Law, Ohio University Moritz College of Law, Feb. 23, 2024.
Adam Cowing
Professor Adam Cowing’s forthcoming article, “Equity and Ownership in Affordable Housing,” 2024 University of Illinois Law Review ____ (2024) will be published in spring. In addition, Cowing and Prof. Carrie Hempel are presenting at the Transactional Clinical Conference this spring. The presentation, “How To Buy a Manufactured Housing Park: Three Models for Helping Clients Create Resident Controlled Communities,” will highlight work UCI Law’s Community and Economic Development Clinic has done in helping low-income residents of mobile home parks in creating resident control over their communities. In late February, the CED Clinic helped a community of farmworkers close escrow on the purchase of their mobile home park. The work was featured in a writeup by KQED.
Stephen Lee
Professor Stephen Lee co-authored the book “Legal Phantoms: Executive Action and the Haunting Failures of Immigration Law” (Stanford University Press 2024), with Susan Bibler Coutin, UC Irvine professor of criminology, law and society, and Jennifer M. Chacón, professor of law at Stanford; UCI Law Professor Sameer Ashar co-authored two chapters. The book tells the story of the nation’s Deferred Action programs, including Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) announced by President Obama in 2014 and enjoined by the Courts in 2015. DAPA, which would have allowed almost half of the undocumented population in the United States to gain temporary work authorization, was never implemented.
Ji Li
Professor Ji Li’s forthcoming book, “Negotiating Legality: Chinese Companies in the US Legal System” (Cambridge University Press forthcoming May 2024), sheds light on how Chinese companies develop in-house legal capacities, engage with U.S. legal professionals, and navigate litigation in U.S. courts. Li also participated in several speaking engagements, including: Book talk, Negotiating Legality, Hong Kong University Law School (Feb 2024); Critical Issues Confronting China featuring Prof. Ji Li – How Rising Geopolitical Tensions are Impacting Chinese Firms Overseas, Fairbank Center of Harvard University (Feb 2024); Harvard China Law Symposium, Harvard Law School (Feb 2024); Book talk, Negotiating Legality, City University of Hong Kong (Feb 2024).
Omri Marian
Professor Omri Marian's forthcoming article, "Income Taxation and the Regulation on Justices' Conduct," 110 Cornell L. Rev. (Forthcoming, 2024), will be published in the Cornell Law Review. Marian was recently appointed the United States national reporter for next year’s 77th Congress of the International Fiscal Association (IFA), a nonprofit global platform where representatives of all professions and interests can meet and discuss international tax issues at the highest level. The annual Congress will be held in Lisbon, Portugal October 5-9, 2025, themed “Residence for Corporate Income Tax Purposes.”
Carrie Menkel-Meadow
Professor Carrie Menkel-Meadow has the following forthcoming publications: International Conflict Resolution Processes (book, forthcoming 2024, Carolina Press; “Conflict Resolution,” Encyclopedia of Peace (book, forthcoming 2024, Elgar); “Advanced Introduction to Alternative Dispute Resolution” (book, forthcoming 2025, Elgar); “Can Mediation be Scaled up to Facilitate Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making,” Competence and Fairness in Citizen Participation: Evaluating Models for Environmental Discourse (book chapter, forthcoming 2024, Springer). In addition, Menkel-Meadow participated in two recent speaking engagements: Harvard Law School, Program on Negotiation Live Book Talk, “Everything You Always wanted to Know about Negotiation—Very Short Introduction to Negotiation” (March 19, 2024), and “Mediation and Best Settlement Practices for U.S. Federal Magistrate Judges” (March 21, 2024). Menkel-Meadow also served as producer of “Fatherland,” which premiered on March 3 at Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles. The play is based on the real case and legal transcripts of a son turning in his father to law enforcement for his participation in the “January 6” scaling of the U.S. Capitol. The play will run through May 26 (view details).
Emily Taylor Poppe
Professor Emily Taylor Poppe was appointed Reporter to the Uniform Law Commission Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) Drafting Committee. In addition, she co-hosted the Access to Justice and Federal Agencies Workshop in Washington, D.C. in January with Rebecca Sandefur (ASU and the American Bar Foundation), Matthew Burnett (American Bar Foundation), and Lauren Sudeall. With support from the National Science Foundation, the day-long event brought together access to justice scholars, members of the Department of Justice Office for Access to Justice, and representatives from multiple federal agencies.
Ezra Ross
Professor Ezra Ross has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). Membership is limited to just one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by their peers and selected by the ABF Board. The ABF Fellows is a global honorary society that recognizes attorneys, judges, law faculty and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities. In addition, his article, “Legal Writing and Faculty Pro Bono,” 28 Legal Writing 353 (2024) was published on Feb. 15 in volume 48 of Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute (JLWI), a peer-edited journal that provides a forum for an exchange of scholarly ideas and opinions about legal writing.
Ji Seon Song
Professor Ji Seon Song’s article, “Patient or Prisoner,” 92 George Washington Law Review 1 (2024), was published on Feb. 26 in volume 92 of the George Washington Law Review. In addition, she presented her paper, “On Probation,” at three faculty workshops: UC Berkeley Law (Feb. 13), University of San Diego Law School (Feb. 16), and Loyola Law School (Los Angeles) (Feb. 22).
Heather Tanana
Visiting Professor Heather Tanana was a panelist on “Environmental Justice Future” at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law’s Journal Symposium 2024 on Feb. 23. Tanana continues to be engaged in Colorado River governance work, focusing on protecting tribal water rights. She attended the Colorado River Symposium on Feb. 15 at the University of Arizona, where about 100 community members, water professionals and conservation advocates gathered for “the most comprehensive discussion of the year examining Colorado River governance and policy.” In addition, the Universal Access to Clean Water for Tribal Communities, an initiative led by Tanana, will present a new handbook — designed to help tribes utilize the historic investment by Congress through appropriations in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for tribal water infrastructure projects — at the National Indian Health Board annual conference in May 2024, followed by participation in Vessel’s WASH Conference in May 2024 where Tanana will facilitate a session on tribal water access.
Ari Waldman
Professor Ari Waldman’s forthcoming article, “Legibility Double Binds,” will be published in the Boston University Law Review. His article, “Opening the Gender Box,” Law & Social Inquiry (2024), was published on Jan. 2. In addition, he recently participated in several speaking engagements: New York University, Privacy Research Group, “Compromised Advocates” (Feb. 28, 2024); Escuela de Gobierno y Transformación Pública, Mexico City, Mexico, “Privacy in the Face of Platforms and AI” (Feb. 28, 2024); University of Oregon School of Law, Faculty Colloquium, “The Algorithmic Dead Hand” (Feb. 29, 2024).