For the Record: Faculty Awards, Presentations and Expert Insights on Antitrust, Constitutional Law and More

News 

Gast Named Recipient of University of Arizona Staff Award for Excellence  

Director of Student Resources Chris Gast was awarded the 2026 University of Arizona Staff Award for Excellence. The university-wide honor is awarded each year to only nine staff members out of nearly 10,000 University of Arizona employees, recognizing exceptional performance, meaningful contributions beyond regular job duties, and a commitment to strengthening the University community. 

Jane Receives Rebuilding Justice Award

Director of Innovation for Justice Stacy Rupprecht Jane was named the recipient of the Rebuilding Justice Award from the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. Jane was recognized in the Center the People category for her research that centers community perspectives in civil justice reform.  

Law Library Awards and Recent Presentations  

The Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library received the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Public Access to Government Information Award for the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Library Preservation Project Team. A principal tenet of the AALL is the right of equal access to information for all to ensure an informed citizenry and to promote a just and democratic society. Established in 1998, the Public Access to Government Information Award is given to recognize persons or organizations that have made significant contributions to protect and promote greater public access to government information. 

On March 27, Associate Dean of Legal Information Innovation, Director of the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library, and Professor of Law Teresa Miguel-Stearns spoke about the Morrill Land-Grant article and project at the Southwestern Association of Law Librarians. Her talk was titled, “Understanding Our Past to Imagine the Future: A Law Library’s Role in Institutional Accountability.” 

On March 27, Associate Librarian Cas Laskowski was on a panel at the University of Montana Law School discussing AI, legal education and the practice of law. The panel explored how artificial intelligence and human-centered design are reshaping both legal education and the practice of law.   

On March 3, Head of Collections Jessica Ugstad spoke at the ER&L (Electronic Resources & Libraries) Annual Library Conference on collection development strategies. Ugstad’s presentation, “Evolution of a Belonging Collection: Subdued Collection Development,” focused on the title, organization, and descriptive evolution of one curated guide of online resources and its corresponding print monograph collection. 

In April, Foreign, Comparative and International Law Librarian Marcelo Rodriguez presented “Joy in the Library,” during National Library Week alongside the President of the Arizona Library Association. 

Lett and Salmon Elected to Board of Directors of the Legal Writing Institute 

Associate Clinical Professor of Law Sylvia Lett and Director of Legal Writing and Clinical Professor of Law Susie Salmon have been elected to the Board of Directors of the Legal Writing Institute (LWI), the largest organization of legal writing teachers and scholars in the world. They will begin serving their four-year terms of office at the 2026 Biennial Conference.  

Orbach Appointed as a Non-Governmental Advisor to the International Competition Network 

Robert H. Mundheim Professor of Law and Business Barak Orbach was recently appointed by the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division to serve as a Non-Governmental Advisor to the International Competition Network (ICN). ICN is a multilateral forum of more than 140 antitrust agencies from around the world. It develops best practices and recommendations for antitrust agencies through collaborative working groups. 

In April, he attended an ICN conference in Prague on monopolization and enforcement trends.  In addition to the working group discussions, Orbach delivered remarks on trends in U.S. enforcement and the effects of AI on dominant firms in traditional industries. 

Pidot Elected as American College of Environmental Lawyers Fellow 

Ashby Lohse Chair in Water & Natural Resources Justin Pidot, co-director of the Environmental Law, Science and Policy Program, was recently elected as a fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL). Pidot is one of 19 new fellows elected, each a prominent environmental practitioner in private practice, academia, a not-for-profit organization or the government.  

The ACOEL is a professional association of approximately 320 distinguished lawyers who practice in the field of environmental law. Membership is by invitation. 

Roisman Presents Paper at UChicago Con Law Conference 

Professor of Law Shalev Roisman presented a paper on “The Exclusive Powers Presidency” at the 2026 UChicago Constitutional Law Conference. He joined a panel that discussed the battle of the branches. The second annual conference focused on the theme of constitutional structure. 

Richotte Develops Supreme Court Indian Law Database  

Director of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program and Professor of Law Keith Richotte, Jr. and faculty and staff from the University of Arizona Law Library have developed the Supreme Court Indian Law Database. The database identifies every Indian law case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court and is intended as a resource for legal researchers, lawyers, tribal advocates and judges, and tribal law practitioners. 

Schwartz Presents on Role of Emerging Technology in Eyewitness Identification of Criminal Suspects  

On April 17, Associate Clinical Professor of Law Bryan Schwartz presented at the District of Arizona Annual Conference with University of Birmingham (UK) Professor Heather Flowe on the impact of emerging technology on eyewitness identification. They discussed the use of interactive lineups, exploring how AI could improve eyewitness identification and whether current legal rules can handle these new technologies fairly. 

Media 

Controversial plan confronts reality of climate change 
AZPM 
April 23, 2026 

One of the topics associated with climate change is called Managed Retreat, the idea that people should be preemptively relocated from areas subject to massive storms and severe flooding. Desmond and Jean Ruley Kearns Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Environmental Law, Science and Policy Program Stephanie Stern discusses Managed Retreat.  

'Energy dominance' agenda sidelines tribes 
High Country News 
April 13, 2026 

An article examines changes to the National Environmental Policy Act. According to Professor Justin Pidot, who previously served as general counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the resulting uncertainty could have serious consequences. 

University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law Names Jason Kreag New Dean 
BizTucson 
April 7, 2026 

Jason Kreag has been appointed dean of the James E. Rogers College of Law. Kreag served as interim dean since January 6, 2025, and as a member of the law faculty since 2013.  

Opinion: Trump will lose the birthright citizenship case. But in a way, he's already won. 
The New York Times 
April 2, 2026 

The Trump administration appears poised to lose the U.S. Supreme Court case on birthright citizenship argued Wednesday by U.S. solicitor general John Sauer. Milton O. Riepe Chair in Constitutional Law Andrew Coan is quoted.