For the Record: Faculty Awards, Articles, Presentations and Expert Insights on Education Law, Antitrust, Environmental Law and More

News 

Simon’s Article Publishes in the Legal Writing Journal 

Clinical Professor of Law Diana Simon’s new article, “The Magic of Mistakes in Promoting Learning in the Legal Writing Classroom,” has published in the latest issue of the Legal Writing Journal. Students often fear making mistakes, seeing them as signs of failure. But research shows errors are actually one of the best ways to learn. Simon argues that legal writing teachers should treat mistakes as learning tools, not failures, using things like judgment-free question sessions and group problem solving. The goal is more-confident, resilient students. 

Howard Serves on International Tribunal Investigating Canada’s Residential Schools 

Associate Clinical Professor Seanna Howard is serving as a judge on the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, tasked with investigating missing Indigenous children and unmarked graves resulting from Canada’s residential school system. 
 
The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal is an independent opinion tribunal. While its rulings do not hold the force of law in Canada, it can be used to provide a record of evidence, build global awareness, and put pressure on domestic governments to account for its findings. 
 
After hearing testimony from survivors and expert witnesses, the tribunal issued a preliminary ruling on May 29, finding the Canadian Government’s ongoing policies amount to genocide against Indigenous peoples. The Tribunal is expected to issue a full decision on September 30, Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 

Gast Named 40 Under 40 and NALSAP Secretary 

Senior Director of Student Resources and Part-time Professor of Practice Chris Gast was named a recipient of this year’s 40 Under 40 Awards presented by Snell & Wilmer, recognizing 40 exceptional young professionals who are making a meaningful impact across Southern Arizona through leadership, innovation, service, and achievement. 

Gast was also recently named National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals (NALSAP) Secretary.  

Law Library Awards and Presentations 

The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) recently announced the recipients of its 2026 Advocacy Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to advancing access to government information and strengthening the public’s right to know, as well as exemplary advocacy efforts in support of libraries and intellectual freedom. This year’s Public Access to Government Information Award recipient is the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library in the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, for the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Library Preservation Project Team. 

AALL Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section has presented the short-form Outstanding Publication Award to Associate Librarian Cas Laskowski and the AI & Future of Law Libraries white paper. Laskowski leads this national project, including the drafting of the white paper and the project’s next steps, which are well underway. 

Law Library Fellow Tess Bradley was awarded the AALL Legal Information Services to the Public Kathy Garner Grant, which covers a significant portion of the costs associated with attending the AALL annual meeting. Shetraveled to Cleveland in July for the meeting, also with the financial support of Robert Shaffer, former Law Librarian of Congress, who supports our Fellows Program with annual donations. Bradley presented a poster about the Law Library Fellows Program. 

Foreign, Comparative and International Law Librarian Marcelo Rodriguez received a grant from the Uof A Center for Latin American Studies which supported his attendance and presentations at the recent annual meeting of the Association of Caribbean University, Research & Institutional Libraries. He gave two presentations related to his work, research and forthcoming book on law libraries and librarians in U.S. Territories. Rodriguez’s presentations featured colleagues (and their legal services and civic work) from the U.S. Virgin Islands federal district court and the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. 

Media 

Displacement of students, school evaluations violate federal law, Arizona education agency says 
Associated Press (22 pickups) 
July 28, 2026 

The Arizona State Department of Education found the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind violated federal disability law last spring when it restricted placement options for students and predetermined where they should attend. Findings come from a complaint filed by the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law’s Education Advocacy Clinic. Clinic Director Diana Newmark is interviewed. 

Displacement of ASDB students, school evaluations violate federal law, state says 
AZ Luminaria 
July 24, 2026 

The Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind violated federal disability law last spring when it restricted placement options for students and predetermined where they should attend, the Arizona State Department of Education says. In May, the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law’s Education Advocacy Clinic worked with families to file a complaint with the state. Clinic Director Diana Newmark is interviewed. 

State finds Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind violate US law in move 
Arizona Daily Star 
July 23, 2026 

The Arizona Department of Education ruled that the Arizona State School for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB) violated federal special education law in its plan to close its Tucson campus and move operations to Oro Valley. The ruling followed a complaint from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law’s Education Advocacy Clinic, which argued ASDB made placement decisions for some students before completing the legally required individualized review process. Clinic Director Diana Newmark is interviewed. 

Arizona orders ASDB to revisit student placements after finding special education law violations 
KGUN 9 
July 22, 2026 

The Arizona Department of Education has ruled that the Arizona State School for the Deaf and the Blind violated federal special education law during its plan to close its Tucson campus and shift operations to a new campus in Oro Valley. The decision stems from a complaint filed by the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law’s Education Advocacy Clinic, which argued that ASDB made placement decisions for certain students before the legally required individualized review process had taken place. Education Advocacy Clinic Director Diana Newmark is interviewed.  

ASDB found in violation of federal special education law over campus move 
KOLD 13 
July 22, 2026 

The Arizona State School for the Deaf and the Blind has been found in violation of federal special education law following a complaint that the school failed to accommodate the individual needs of blind and visually impaired students when it decided to relocate to Oro Valley. The Education Advocacy Clinic filed a complaint alleging the school broke federal and state law in making that decision. The clinic’s director, Diana Newmark, is interviewed.  

State finds ASDB violated federal special education law ahead of Tucson campus move 
KVOA 4 
July 22, 2026 

The Arizona State School for the Deaf and the Blind has been found in violation of federal special education law following a complaint filed by the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law’s Education Advocacy Clinic. Clinic Director Diana Newmark is interviewed. 

Europe beats heat records and battles wildfires – and other climate and nature news 
World Economic Forum 
July 20, 2026 

This round-up contains the key nature and climate news from the past month, which includes the New York Times article covering the Trump administration’s change to the Endangered Species Act, quoting Professor of Law Justin Pidot.  

Trump rule would allow drilling, mining on critical species habitats 
The Arizona Daily Star 
July 17, 2026 

The Trump administration moved to open the habitats of imperiled animals to farming, drilling, mining, real estate development and other activities in what environmentalists characterized as the most severe erosion of protections for wildlife in half a century. Professor of Law Justin Pidot, who holds the Ashby Lohse Chair in Water & Natural Resources and co-directs the Environmental Law, Science and Policy Program, weighs in. 

Blue-State AGs Threaten Trump’s Dream of a ‘Normal’ CNN 
NYMag 
July 14, 2026 

States are suing to block Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on antitrust grounds. Barak Orbach, Robert H. Mundheim Professor of Law and Business, offers his expert perspective. 

Can a dozen blue states block the Paramount-Warner merger? 
MSN.com 
July 13, 2026 

The Justice Department looked at Paramount’s proposed $81 billion deal for rival Warner Bros. Discovery and saw a deal that would benefit Hollywood and consumers. A dozen Democratic-led states, anchored by California, saw a different script at work and sued to block the merger in federal court. Barak Orbach, Robert H. Mundheim Professor of Law and Business, is interviewed. 

Trump, Ending Decades of Protection, Opens Wild Habitats to Drilling and Mining 
The New York Times 
July 10, 2026 

The Trump administration moved to open the habitats of imperiled animals to farming, drilling, mining, real estate development and other activities in what environmentalists characterized as the most severe erosion of protections for wildlife in half a century. Professor of Law Justin Pidot, who holds the Ashby Lohse Chair in Water & Natural Resources and co-directs the Environmental Law, Science and Policy Program, weighs in.  

EJIL: The Podcast! Episode 44: One Strait, Many Chokepoints: International Law and the New Geopolitics of Energy 
EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law 
June 15, 2026 

Evo DeConcini Professor of Law Sergio Puig is a guest on this episode of EJIL: The Podcast! in which they discuss recent energy crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East as its point of departure, zooming in on how international law organizes the global energy economy at the center of this war and zooming out to ask what role it plays in the deeper structural shift now underway. From the old geopolitics of oil and gas, this episode traces a path to new geopolitics of energy.