InRe Fall 2026 by South Texas College of Law Houston

IN RE T H E M AG A Z I N E O F S O U T H T E X AS C O LLEG E O F L AW H O U S TO N

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A celebration based in tradition The investiture ceremony for President and Dean Reynaldo Anaya Valencia was partly pomp and circumstance, partly fiesta — a joyful day in the life of the South Texas Law community.

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T H E M AG A Z I N E O F S O U T H T E X AS C O LLE G E O F L AW H O U S TO N

COVER STORY

America at 250: Reflections on the Rule of Law In celebration of the country’s milestone anniversary, a collection of articles and essays on one of the core values of American democracy, authored by South Texas Law faculty, staff, and alumni.

FEATURES

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Alumni Events the past year

Enjoy highlights from the Alumni Association Awards Luncheon, the Gala, and other alumni activities from 2025.

A Final Word Commentary from the editor-in-chief of InRe

A story about an archival project with an unexpected outcome Law librarian and archivist Heather Kushnerick set out to create a digital record of the 1917 Camp Logan riot files. That process led to a better understanding of the event and ultimately helped right historical wrongs.

An out of this world story Meet Alumnus Joe Gutheinz, Jr.’96, aka the Moon Rock Hunter. He is a man with many unique accomplishments to his credit.

DEPARTMENTS

Letter from the President and Dean

Letter from the Alumni Association President

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In Brief Class Notes Faculty Notes

Cultural heritage, family, and international legal education converge Sharon Schweitzer ’89 is excited about international legal studies and proud of her Czech heritage. Her generous gift to South Texas Law has created an endowed professorship that salutes both.

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S O U T H T E X AS C O LLEG E O F L AW H O U S TO N ADMINISTRATION Reynaldo Anaya Valencia President and Dean Catherine Greene Burnett Vice President and Associate Dean for Experiential Education Nick Stinson Interim Vice President, Advancement and Alumni Engagement Robert L. Galloway ’91 Vice President, Advocacy, W. James Kronzer Jr. Distinguished Professor of Advocacy Fran Ortiz Vice President and Associate Dean for Students Tonya Jackson Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

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Stephanie Maher General Counsel & Chief Operations Officer

Fall 2026 Terri Parris Editor-in-Chief Director of PR and Communications, Marketing and Communications James McAnear Director, Creative Services, Marketing and Communications Michelle Morris, Ed.D. Consulting Editor Associate Vice President, Marketing and Communications Amber Francis Writing and Digital Media Specialist, Marketing and Communications InRe is published by South Texas College of Law Houston for the law school’s alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends. Please direct correspondence and inquiries to:

Randy Marak Vice President, Information Technology Shelby A. D. Moore Vice President, Agosto Justice Center for Leadership & Empowerment Amanda Peters Vice President and Associate Dean for Faculty

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Executive Committee Randall O. Sorrels ’87 Board Chair

Darryl M. Burman ’83 Chair of Investment

Alex Gonzalez ’12 President

Theresa W. Chang ’96 Chair of Development

Jen Stogner ’06 Immediate Past President

Mitchell Katine ’85 Chair of Board Effectiveness & Nominating

Ryan Newman ’07, President-Elect Byron Alfred ’12 Amir Befroui ’12 Lani Blake ’17 Markia Bordeaux ’20 Eric D’Olive ’11 Joe Gutheinz Jr. ’96 Katie Harrington ’14 Mira Haykal ’12 Lauren Herrera ’14 Baker Howry ’22 Lisa Ketai ’84 Avi Moshenberg ’12 Jordan Mullins ’09 Anna Pham ’23 Bill Pritchett ’14 Lisa Ray ’99 Hon. Raúl Rodríguez ’91 Hon. Donna Roth ’87 Carl Shaw ’90 Samantha Torres ’13 Dominique Varner ’94

Stewart W. Gagnon ’74 Chair of Budget & Finance

J. Kenneth Johnson ’86 Ex Officio and Chairman Emeritus

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BOARD OF VISITORS Billy Murphy, Jr. ’06, Chair J.D. Bucky Allshouse ’75 Greg Bopp ’95 M. Carter Crow Aparna Dave ’02 D. Mark DeWalch Hon. George C. Hanks, Jr. Bill Kroger David Oelman Townes Pressler, Jr. Sharon Schweitzer ’89

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chris Hanslik ’95 Chair of Strategic Planning

Advisory Directors Larry Baillargeon ’74 Gordon Quan ’77 Jim Thompson III ’86

Genora K. Boykins ’85 Immediate Past Chair

South Texas College of Law Houston Attn: Terri Parris 1303 San Jacinto Houston, TX 77002-7006 713-646-1760 news@stcl.edu

South Texas College of Law Houston provides a diverse body of students with the opportunity to obtain an exceptional legal education, preparing graduates to serve their community and the profession with distinction.

Aparna Dave ’02 Ephraim del Pozo ’97 Hon. Jennifer W. Elrod Stewart Gagnon ’74 Alex Gonzalez ’12 Chris Hanslik ’95 Michael Hays ’74 Michael Hurst ’90 J. Kenneth Johnson ’86 Mitchell Katine ’85 Nick Lanza, Jr. ’89 Maria Chapa Lopez ’86 Hon. Sharon McCally ’90 Michael Milich ’97 Dr. Setul Patel Gordon Quan ’77 Sharon Schweitzer ’89 Sydney Scott Hon. Manpreet Monica Singh ’01 Randall O. Sorrels ’87

Sharon Sue McCally ’90 Chair of Audit Michael S. Hays ’74 Ex Officio and Chairman Emeritus

Members Benny Agosto, Jr. ’95 Genora Boykins ’85 Darryl M. Burman ’83 Theresa W. Chang ’96 Michael Cokinos

A Letter From the President and Dean

iscussions regarding the importance of the rule of law happened frequently in colonial America and especially in the years between the Revolutionary War and the creation of the U.S. Constitution. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, it has once again become a regular topic of conversation in American life. We engage with this idea in the media and around the dinner table.

The “rule of law” is the simple idea that no one is above the law. It means a society is governed by clear, predictable, and publicly written rules, rather than the personal opinions or unchecked power of individual leaders, law enforcement, or judges. This issue of InRe magazine provides the opportunity for several faculty and alumni to consider this central legal topic from a variety of perspectives.

The backbone of a safe, stable, and democratic society, the rule of law provides for equal application of the law, less abuse of power, and impartial courts. We appreciate the role our alumni and all attorneys and judges play in ensuring this bedrock of democracy continues to serve as the foundation of our nation’s legal system. I hope you enjoy the cover story “Reflections on the Rule of Law” along with the other feature articles, alumni achievements, and highlights of the past year at South Texas College of Law Houston. All the best,

Reynaldo Anaya Valencia President and Dean

Their reflective essays explore the rule of law as it relates to judicial ethics, academic freedom, constitutional rights, access to justice, the role of juries, freedom of speech, and administrative law.

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Reflections Rule Law ON THE

he rule of law is one of civilization’s oldest and most enduring ideals: the belief that power must be guided by principles, not personal will. From ancient Babylon's Code of Hammurabi and the democratic experiments of Athens to the liberties secured in England's Magna Carta and the revolutionary vision of the Declaration of Independence, societies have endeavored to define the relationship between authority, rights, and accountability. This series of essays and articles offers personal reflections on the rule of law from members of the South Texas Law community, in observance of the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding.

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The Sixth Amendment and the Rule of Law

n the United States, whether rich or poor, any person accused of a serious crime has the right to a lawyer. This is critical for assuring equal justice — justice that isn’t dependent on wealth or status or class. But this has not always been the rule in American state courts where the majority of criminal prosecutions take place. So, what led us to the recognition of this right to legal representation for all?

Our national origin story is the first stop in understanding contours of the “rule of law” and the “proper role of government.” These concepts continue to impact criminal law practice and the right to counsel 250 years after our nation’s founding. Let’s focus on the goals and values that animated the founding of our nation. We find them in two vastly different documents: the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. From the vantage point of 2026, we often confabulate the two as though they were a single document with a monolithic vision of “America” — as though those two documents shared a common understanding about the role of government at the time of the nation’s birth. But these are two fundamentally different kinds of political documents. Created for different purposes and at different moments in our history, they offer vastly different views of the role of government. Think of the Declaration as articulating the values that justify self-government while the Constitution provides the mechanism to implement these values by designing a stable system — a system capable of exercising power without abusing it. The Declaration of Independence was written to justify our political

separation from Great Britain. It explains why the colonies believed independence was legitimate and necessary. Rooted in natural rights theory, it asserts that people possess inherent rights — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration sees the role of government as existing to secure those rights, deriving its power from the consent of the governed. And, because it was intended to explain why the colonists believed independence was necessary, it affirms the right of the people to alter or abolish a government if or when it becomes destructive to securing those inherent rights. At its most basic, the Declaration is a document of revolutionary intent based on political philosophy. If the Declaration of Independence is an aspirational document, the Constitution is an operational document. Significantly, it was written after the colonies had won their independence. It is the owner’s manual for a new nation. If the Declaration explains why a government should be rejected, the Constitution explains how a government should operate. Its strength lies in its institutional design and commitment to stability. While the Declaration proclaimed a right to liberty, the Constitution established how that right actually would be achieved. One of the “hows” came with the Constitution’s Sixth Amendment in the Bill of Rights. It states, “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right … to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.” In 1776, American colonists viewed government primarily as tyrannical and a threat to liberty. While distrust of government remains a persistent

Catherine Greene Burnett Vice President, Associate Dean for Experiential Education, Professor of Law, & Director of the Pro Bono Honors Program feature of 2026 American political culture, government is also seen as a provider of social and economic stability and as a protector of rights. Lawyers and the courts have played a pivotal role in shaping the contours of the law’s right to counsel provision over time. For example, indigent defendants in state felony cases did not have the right to an appointed criminal defense counsel until 1963. Previously, that right only existed for indigent defendants in federal felony cases. Prior to the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Gideon v. Wainwright, a hodge-podge of state rules existed. Some states required a lawyer only for capital crimes; some required lawyers for certain serious felony charges but not others; and still, in other states, no lawyers at all. And yet, in every state, prosecutors were governmentfunded in all cases. In Gideon, the Supreme Court recognized the complexity of contemporary criminal prosecutions when it famously declared that lawyers in criminal courts are “necessities, not luxuries.” The “noble ideal” of equal justice for all Americans could not be realized if poor defendants were forced to face their accusers alone. Drafted 250 years ago in the Constitution and strengthened through the efforts of generations of lawyers who worked to fulfill its promises of stability and protection, the framework we enjoy today enables America to navigate the complexities of the contemporary criminal justice system, celebrate the vital role of lawyers within it, and enshrine the ideal of equal justice for all.

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Politicizing the Texas Judicial Conduct Commission: A Setback for the Rule of Law

he politicization of state judicial conduct commissions is an emerging threat to the rule of law in the states. These constitutional entities are responsible for the enforcement of judicial ethics rules. In recent years, some state legislative and executive branch officials have sought to politicize these bodies in ways that threaten the rule of law. Unfortunately, actions in the State of Texas have created an opportunity for the Lone Star State to harbor one of the most significant threats.

State judicial conduct commissions were an important 20th-century reform. They sought to establish a mechanism for holding state judges accountable for misconduct in office while maintaining the independence of the judiciary. In the latter third of the 20th century, judicial conduct commissions emerged across the country and quickly became the primary means by which judicial ethics rules were enforced and discipline imposed. The commissions were generally established by state constitutional amendments. In most states, commissions are typically composed of judges, lawyers, and non-lawyer representatives of the public. The commission in Texas investigates complaints, files and prosecutes

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formal charges, holds hearings, makes findings of fact, and either recommends sanctions or imposes them itself. The commission works within the state court system. The actions of the Texas Judicial Conduct Commission may be reviewed by a tribunal composed of Texas judges appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas. To maintain the independence of the commission from political control by any one branch of government, the commissioners are typically appointed from a variety of constituencies. Historically in Texas, judges were appointed by the judicial branch, public members by the governor, and lawyers by the state bar. However, Proposition 12 — a state constitutional amendment adopted in November 2025 — eliminated the role of the state bar and empowered the governor to appoint a majority of the commissioners. Past actions would indicate this result had been desired by the governor’s office for some time. A few years ago, Governor Greg Abbott removed two of his appointees from consideration for appointment to the Texas Judicial Conduct Commission after they had served for nine months but before they were confirmed. He effectively fired them without explaining the cause for their removal. The two commissioners

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James J. Alfini Professor of Law & Dean Emeritus later explained in an Associated Press article that they believed Governor Abbot removed them because he disagreed with the way they were handling a case involving a judge who refused to conduct same-sex marriages. Subsequently, Republican state legislators, led by Senator Joan Huffman, worked to get Proposition 12 on the ballot. Senator Huffman argued the constitutional changes would ensure the commission maintains appropriate oversight while also increasing transparency. However, this change in the Texas constitution effectively eliminates the responsibility of the Texas Bar in the appointment of members of the Texas Judicial Conduct Commission and gives the governor the authority to appoint a majority of its members. As such, it threatens to politicize the judicial disciplinary process in Texas. Texas has now separated itself from the best practices for the enforcement of judicial ethics rules. Commentary on the composition of state judicial conduct commissions by the American Bar Association and other distinguished bodies has repeatedly argued that commissioners should come from a mix of backgrounds and be appointed by a mix of appointing bodies. Dividing the appointing power and membership in this way provides a safeguard against cooptation by any branch of government.

This constitutional change in Texas places too much power in the hands of a single official. Governor Abbott has manipulated the judicial disciplinary process in the past, and he has the opportunity and the

means to continue to do so with a majority of the commissioners under his control. Members of the Texas Bar, in particular, should be very concerned about the passage of Proposition 12. It is unclear why the

Texas Bar allowed this measure to go forward unopposed. This unfortunate power grab is a major setback for the rule of law in Texas.

Saints or Sinners? The Supreme Court and Constitutional Criminal Procedure

hen it comes to interpreting the U.S. Constitution in the context of the rules governing criminal procedure — especially the always controversial topics like confessions or searchesand-seizures — are the members of the Supreme Court saints or sinners in remaining faithful to the rule of law? This is the question our students gleefully grapple with every year. A simple example of two cases decided within two years’ time helps provide the answer. The year is 1966, the height of the civil rights movement and the counterculture revolution. The mantra is “peace, love, and dope.” Social unrest, protests against the Vietnam War, and Lyndon Baines Johnson is in the White House, implementing his Great Society program focused on civil rights and social welfare. Ever the man for the moment, Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren authors the seminal decision in Miranda v. Arizona. Warren decides that police interrogations have become overly coercive. Relying on the Fifth Amendment’s privilege against self-incrimination, Warren declares that all custodial interrogations will

require the now famous, “You have the right to remain silent….” warnings, or confessions will be suppressed. The dissenters and conservative commentators declare that the world is coming to an end. The text and history of the Fifth Amendment clearly indicate that the privilege is a trial right, merely guaranteeing the defendant may not be called at trial “to be a witness against himself….” It is not some magical language warning criminals not to confess to the police during an investigation. Warren is accused of encouraging people not to talk to the police in general and threatening the safety of ordinary citizens. Earl is on the side of the criminals! Two years later, and the year is 1968. Crime is rising. There are riots at the Democratic National Convention and more riots after the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. Civil disorder seems to be everywhere and American cities are burning. Richard Nixon wins the presidential election with his law-andorder campaign. Once again, sensing the direction of the political winds, Chief Justice Warren wades back into the jurisprudential fray with his groundbreaking opinion in Terry v.

Thomas Hogan Assistant Professor of Law Ohio. Warren proclaims that now we need to protect police officers and society from criminals. Under the Fourth Amendment, as long as there is reasonable suspicion that criminal activity is afoot, the police may briefly stop a civilian; and as long as there is reasonable suspicion that the person is armed and dangerous, the police may frisk the civilian. The dissent and liberal commentators are outraged. In an ironically textual dissent, liberal icon William “Wild Bill” Douglas argues there is nothing in the language or history of the Fourth Amendment permitting such wide-ranging and intrusive searches, pointing out that the Constitution says, “probable cause” and means probable cause. Warren is accused of ushering in a totalitarian state. Earl is in the back pocket of the police! What has happened since these backto-back, seemingly contradictory decisions? Terry was used to justify the massive New York City Police Department stop-and-frisk regime, as well as similar programs in other cities. Following Miranda, the “stop snitching” movement infected most major American cities, as shootings in broad daylight with dozens of witnesses produce a uniform “I didn’t see nothing” statement to the

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police, and the chance of somebody being convicted for any homicide has plunged to below 50% in today’s America. Our students at South Texas College of Law Houston are initially flummoxed by the decisions and outcomes in Miranda and Terry, particularly coming from the same Chief Justice in such a short timeframe. Then it hits them. The liberal, living Constitution scholars realize that if they approve of Miranda, they logically must accept Terry, because both represent the Supreme Court adapting the Constitution to the

evolving needs of society. The conservative, textualist/originalist Constitution scholars recognize that if they dislike Miranda, they must equally dislike Terry, because both are atextual and ahistorical. All the students are shocked by their dilemma at first, then they are equal parts dismayed and delighted by their discovery of the intellectual absurdity of the precedents. We have educated them, changing them from political partisans to logical, curious, and rigorous lawyers. This is what we do at STCL Houston, and what law schools everywhere should do.

The Rule of Law and Freedom of Expression

he founding of this nation marked an important shift in western history from the rule of man to the rule of law. This milestone should be celebrated, especially as the United States marks its 250th anniversary. The broader legal framework in the U.S. emphasizes the guarantee of certain personal freedoms — an emphasis codified through the Bill of Rights. Reacting to their own history, the founders knew the establishment of free speech and a free press would be crucial in maintaining a liberal democracy. From the ability to advocate for legal changes to the status quo to the ability to publish opposing viewpoints, the right to free expression is unique to modern democracies, and it should not be discounted or discouraged. However imperfect it may be, one cannot appreciate the beauty of the

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rule of law without looking back to the rule of man. Under the rule of man, penalties varied from person to person for the same crime, depending on the law-breaker’s family name, status, wealth, connections, etc. When the king’s word was law, no separate judicial system was required to oversee that legal principles were applied. Expressions against the State were considered high treason, and those responsible could be punished severely. The founders of this nation, by adding the Bill of Rights to the Constitution, were seeking to ensure future generations of Americans would be free from the tyranny of kings — and free to express their disagreement or displeasure with leaders without punishment. The freedoms in the Bill of Rights — specifically the right to speak freely or publish thoughts opposed to those in charge — signaled their vital

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To return to our original question, are the members of the Supreme Court saints or sinners when it comes to interpreting the Constitution under the rule of law? The answer is a resounding “yes!” They are both saints and sinners. The current textualist/originalist Supreme Court could tear it all down, wiping out both Miranda and Terry, but they have been curiously shy about addressing Constitutional criminal procedure issues to date. If the Court turns to these issues, will they be internally consistent and faithful to the rule of law? Keep your eyes on the saints and sinners in the black robes.

Katie Skelton 2026 South Texas College of Law Houston graduate importance to liberty. Therefore, it was no coincidence that they are the first listed in the Bill of Rights. The founders intended for those in the U.S. to be able to speak their minds and publish their thoughts and opinions without worrying about being punished by the government. Being able to protest freely, write without restraint, and disagree openly have been core principles of this nation since 1776, and these concepts have been central to our American identity and to the shaping of our democracy. Today there is a movement underway concerning what books should be available for people to read, particularly minors. Freedom of expression and book banning sit at the collision point of individual liberty and state power. When governments ban books, they restrict the flow of ideas, thereby violating the fundamental democratic principle that citizens must

have uninhibited access to diverse information to form their own opinions. Authors, writers, and other creators in the U.S. are free to challenge established norms. Readers are free to choose what materials they consume. Banning books is inherently an act of control over what individuals can think or discuss. The clash of viewpoints on this topic has become very real across school districts and communities in recent years. Proponents of bans argue the rule of law should be used to protect children and honor parental rights in education. Opponents and free speech advocates maintain that arbitrary removal of books based on ideological or partisan disapproval violates constitutional rights.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the First Amendment protects the right to free speech and the right to receive information. It is designed to shield individuals from government censorship. Often, decisions about what ideas can or cannot be read or seen are made by “the few” without agreement from “the many” because a handful of louder voices have power, money, or control. The banning of books decreases the ability of people to have empathy, understanding, and appreciation of different cultures, peoples, and others’ experiences. As a diverse country, the ability to understand other peoples’ perspectives is significant to a cohesive democratic society. At its core, the ongoing debate across school districts and public library

The Role of the Jury in Our Constitutional System

n the summer of 1776, a group of men gathered in Philadelphia and did something extraordinary. They pledged their lives and their fortunes to propositions that had never before been tested: that free people could govern themselves and that rights come not from kings, but from God. The Declaration of Independence listed many grievances against King George III, but one has a special place in my heart. King George had “depriv[ed] [them] in

many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.” To the founders, trial by jury was a pillar of liberty when preserved and a fatal blow to self-government when denied — something that they were all too familiar with. In the years leading up to the Declaration, Parliament and other English officials had repeatedly cut the colonists out of the justice system: giving jurisdiction over certain offenses, like smuggling, solely to

boards asks a vital question about a democratic society: Who decides what is appropriate? Banning books uses the power of the state (or school districts) to impose a singular moral or cultural viewpoint on the public. Conversely, free access upholds that a free society relies on the public’s ability to navigate controversial, unpopular, or complex ideas independently. As attorneys, we will continue to play a vital role in this debate as we lean on the Constitution and its Bill of Rights to maintain a vital democracy that protects its citizens’ rights to free thought and free expression — without fear of punishment — while ensuring the safety of the youngest and most vulnerable in our society.

The Honorable Jennifer Walker Elrod Jurist in Residence 2024-26 & Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit judges or, in the case of newly created offenses, requiring that jury trials occur in England or barring them outright. Such eviscerations effectively denied colonists the right to trial by a jury of their peers. Those offenses culminated in the Declaration of Independence’s rebuke of King George III’s deprivation of jury rights. The belief that motivated the Declaration’s grievance lives on in courtrooms across the country even

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today. Even appellate judges like me are called on to protect the jury-trial rights memorialized in the Sixth and Seventh Amendments. It is a key part of the judge’s role in defending the rule of law. But it is the jury, and not the judges, that deserves the spotlight when celebrating the Declaration of Independence on its 250th anniversary. The jury and the jury trial are golden threads that weave their way throughout the long story of AngloAmerican law. We can trace them back at least to Magna Carta, that venerable charter wrested from King John in 1215, which proclaimed that “[n]o freeman is to be taken or imprisoned,” deprived of his property, outlawed, exiled, or the like “save by lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land.” King John’s nobles saw the jury trial as a bulwark against tyranny. Our founders shared that conviction. One of the grievances the Declaration of Independence lodged against King George III was that he had “depriv[ed] [them] in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury.” And our framers, like King John’s barons, were so convinced of the jury trial’s importance in protecting freedom and rights that they enshrined it in our Constitution three times. With good reason: as John Adams put it, trial by jury (along with representative government) is “the heart and lungs of liberty.” Without it, liberty dies. And this right continues to inspire me. When I was in elementary school, I went to jury duty with my grandmother. She thought that I would enjoy it based on how often I found creative loopholes to defy the spirit of her orders. She was right. Even though my grandmother was not selected to serve on the jury, I asked my grandmother if we could return to court the next day to watch the trial. We did, even though the courthouse was quite far from her house, and I was hooked.

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That early experience stayed with me, and the jury trial became a defining feature of my career. While serving as a state-court trial judge in the 190th Civil District Court in Harris County, Texas, I was honored to preside over many jury trials. And I am still occasionally called on to interpret and apply the law related to the jury-trial right in the federal-court system or sit by designation in the district courts. This spring, I was privileged to teach Federal Courts at South Texas Law. It is a delight to instruct the next generation of lawyers about our judicial system and respect for the rule of law. They will one day play their own role in defending our constitutional structure, including the jury right, through their advocacy. The jury-trial right is guaranteed only so long as we defend it. Around the world, the right to a jury trial — in both civil and criminal cases — is unusual. The United States stands today as one of the last nations to preserve it in its full form, particularly in civil cases. And it is not immune to erosion here. Due to a variety of competing pressures, jury trials have become exceedingly rare in the federal system. Perhaps potential jurors are happy with this change: Many people work hard to avoid jury duty, despite the fundamental importance of this right. I think that these efforts reflect a failure to educate our citizens about how magical our time-tested system is and the sacrifices that were made so long ago to secure the right of citizen participation in our judicial systems. That is on all of us. For law to be king in America, as Thomas Paine said it ought to be, we as a society must cultivate respect for it. Something is lost when we quietly route justice around the people. Juries bring common sense to the process. Moreover, exposure to the courts undeniably gives confidence in the rule of law.

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We must come together to ensure that this right does not fall by the wayside. It will be in our hands to shape the legal culture that either defends this right or allows it to erode. The jury trial is the heart and lungs of liberty, and it is up to all of us to keep it breathing. The next time you have the chance to participate in, witness, or discuss a jury trial, think back to that day in Philadelphia. Go back to that summer and take a second to remember the men who pledged their lives and fortunes so that we could enjoy that hard-won liberty: a jury of our peers.

“MOREOVER, EXPOSURE TO THE COURTS UNDENIABLY GIVES CONFIDENCE IN THE RULE OF LAW.”

Access to Justice and the Rule of Law

t South Texas College of Law Houston, the staff and students of the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics have the privilege to, quite literally, provide our clients with access to justice. Access to justice means that people can fairly use the legal system regardless of income. As the reader certainly knows, without legal counsel, many Texans would not be able to protect their homes, families, or safety. The Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics work to protect our community, preserve their rights, and help deliver on the promise of the rule of law. Legal clinics serve as an alternative and supplemental course offering to the traditional doctrinal classes required of American law school students. At South Texas Law students work on real cases, involving real people with real problems. Our client base is overwhelmingly comprised of indigent community members who, almost assuredly, will never have the financial resources to retain a private attorney. Further, it is often the case that if our legal clinics cannot enable our neighbors to access justice, our neighbor will simply go without it. The question then becomes: are our indigent neighbors any less deserving of justice simply because they do not have the means to afford private counsel? Or put another way, does access to justice only apply to those who can pay for it? On the tenth floor of South Texas College of Law Houston, headquarters of the the clinics the answer to both questions is a resounding no. The thrust is to train our students to be

outstanding and upstanding legal practitioners while simultaneously serving some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Each year, the clinics impact the lives of over 500 Houstonians and provide over one million dollars’ worth of legal services to our clients. Yet again, the question becomes, is someone less deserving of access to courts, to legal counsel, to their constitutionallyguaranteed rights because they are poor? Again, the clinicians of South Texas Law answer no. Staffed by students working under the supervision of licensed attorneys to address the civil legal needs of their community, the clinics provide full-scale legal representation in the areas of Family Law, Estate Planning, Taxes, Immigration, Veteran’s Law, Debtor’s Rights, and Criminal Record Cleanup, among several others. Our clinics also regularly participate in community outreach and education, volunteering, and court advocacy to ensure our community members have as many avenues as possible to enable their access to the American system of justice. The end goal of the clinics is to plant the seed of community service among our graduates, while combatting the disparities demonstrated above. In doing so, we engage wholeheartedly in the practice of the rule of law. We are exceptionally proud to serve the clients that we can, and we are even more proud to do so on behalf of South Texas Law. With the support of our alumni and institution, we have the capability to change the narrative in Texas surrounding legal aid and to promote access to justice for every Texan.

Carlos A. V. Calderón Senior Director of Legal Services for the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics

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Academic Freedom and the Rule of Law

his year, as we celebrate 250 years of independence, most Americans think of Thomas Jefferson. It is true that the Sage of Monticello was the lead drafter of the Declaration of Independence, but Jefferson had some help. Indeed, perhaps the second most important member of the Committee of Five that presented the Declaration was John Adams. The future president does not get much credit for his work on the Declaration, but he was instrumental in drafting the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780. Section 30, in particular, offered a foundational definition of the rule of law: “In the government of this Commonwealth, the legislative department shall never exercise the executive and judicial powers, or either of them: The executive shall never exercise the legislative and judicial powers, or either of them: The judicial shall never exercise the legislative and executive powers, or either of them: to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men.” Or as Justice Antonin Scalia observed in modern times, the rule of law is a law of rules. All members of the legal profession on both sides of the bar are duty bound to maintain this sacred rule of law. Law professors, in particular, serve a very important role in this process. From the first days of law school, we attempt to instill in students an appreciation for the rule of law and demonstrate by word and deed how these future lawyers can promote our legal order. We also serve this role through our scholarship, speeches, and public advocacy. All our work is directed toward the singular goal of protecting the law.

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But to protect the law, professors need their own protection: academic freedom. The concept of academic freedom is difficult to define but simple to understand. To advocate for the rule of law without fear or favor, scholars must have security in their position. At state institutions, professors can rely on the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to safeguard the expression of their views. And at most institutions, including South Texas Law, professors can obtain academic tenure, which makes it very difficult for them to be punished based on the content of their speech. To be sure, there are limits on all forms of academic freedom, but at the most basic level, the decision falls to the professor, and not the institution, to decide how best to speak, write, and teach. With this great power, as always, comes great responsibility. Law professors must not let academic freedom go to waste. At all times, we must speak, write, and teach, to the best of our abilities, in the service of defending our legal system. We should always model this behavior for students, lawyers, and even judges.

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“FROM THE FIRST DAYS OF LAW SCHOOL, WE ATTEMPT TO INSTILL IN STUDENTS AN APPRECIATION FOR THE RULE OF LAW AND DEMONSTRATE BY WORD AND DEED HOW THESE FUTURE LAWYERS CAN PROMOTE OUR LEGAL ORDER.” Josh Blackman Professor of Law and Centennial Chair of Constitutional Law

Administrative Law and the Rule of Law

ne of the core components of the “rule of law” is administrative law, which governs over regulatory agencies. It is a set of rules agencies must follow when they promulgate new regulations or bring enforcement actions. Administrative law answers the question, so to speak, of “Who is watching the watchmen?” Such agencies are the primary way that actual governance occurs, as opposed to the political sphere. Departments, agencies, boards, and commissions implement policy set by Congress and the President. Administrative agencies carry out the day-to-day work of operating licensing and permitting regimes, making eligibility determinations and disbursements of public benefits programs like the Social Security Administration, and protecting public health and safety. Administrative law is therefore a central pillar of what we mean by the rule of law. Administrative law acts as a restraint on the activities of government partly through a collection of statutes, such as the Administrative Procedure Act (mandating procedures agencies must follow when making or changing regulations), partly through government transparency laws like the Freedom of Information Act and open meeting statutes, and most importantly, through the statutory authorizations by which Congress gives agencies their mission and scope of responsibilities. The relevant statutes work in tandem with a large body of court precedent – most agency decisions, whether in the forms of a new regulation or an enforcement

action – are subject to judicial review, and the body of judicial precedent that comprises a subset of administrative law helps guide the courts when a government agency is one of the parties in litigation. Administrative law, and the officials that work under its rules, have been with us since the founding of our country. We have had executive branch departments and officials, and some federal boards and commissions, since 1789. The First Congress debated extensively about whether the President could fire executive branch officers without Senate approval. Then, in the aftermath of the Civil War, the federal government emerged ascendant and took on more tasks associated with centralized national government. In the 20th century, as the country suffered through the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president with a popular mandate to implement broad sweeping changes, which he did through the creation of numerous new federal agencies and commissions, with Congressional authorization. Congress and the courts followed this wave of bureaucratization with a raft of new statutes and judicial precedents that shaped the modern landscape of administrative law. After decades of relative stability, administrative law has recently entered a period of great upheaval, with the Supreme Court overturning longstanding precedent about the president’s power to appoint and remove agency officials and about the deference that courts should give to agency decisions. The upshot so far has been that the president has more power to appoint and remove agency

Dru Stevenson Professor of Law, Vinson and Elkins Research Professor directors, and Congress has less latitude to restrain such turnover or set conditions for when such turnover may occur. At the same time, courts now give less deference to the decisions of the executive branch agencies themselves, whether agency decisions about how to interpret applicable statutes and regulations, or agency determinations about individuals (such as whether a regulatory violation has occurred, or whether an individual satisfies the eligibility rules for a government program). Most agencies operate under the direction of the president, so even though the president has more freedom to hire and fire officials, those officials face a higher burden in court when in defending the president’s specific policy approaches. This new era of upheaval introduces uncertainty into both the legal system and financial markets, as there is less predictability about how quickly rules will change (more turnover at the top of an agency usually means more abrupt policy reversals), and whether such changes will stick when the courts assess what the agency has done. For important industries concerned about regulatory compliance, including the financial sector, the unpredictability can be its own type of burden, beyond the burden of what complying with the rules themselves might entail. It is not clear exactly how long this time of turmoil will continue to shake up administrative law, but eventually things will settle down into a new equilibrium. As the new judicial precedents become clearer and more entrenched, Congress

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will begin to legislate with the new landscape in view, perhaps delineating more specific guidelines that the president’s appointees must follow. Agencies will anticipate a higher burden of persuasion when they are in court proceedings, and agency personnel will plan ahead by bulking up their evidence to

support their decisions so that their reasoning will be more persuasive when challenged. The regulated industries will find ways to adapt to the new regulatory environment as well. What is unknown is whether the recent changes will, in the long run, result in more government regulation or less, and which result would be

The American Dream, the Rule of Law, and the Work of Keeping Its Promise

still remember the first time I truly understood what the rule of law meant. It was not in a classroom or a casebook. It was in the quiet realization that in this country, systems existed that could be fair, that outcomes were not entirely predetermined, and that there was a path to rising beyond the circumstances you were born into.

As an immigrant, that idea was everything. I did not come from wealth or privilege. Like many families who arrive in this country, we started with very little. What we believed

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in was something less tangible than money or position, but far more powerful: that in America, if the rules were applied fairly, there was a real opportunity to build something better. The rule of law was not just structure or order. It was the foundation of the American Dream. At its core, that promise is captured in the words, “establish Justice” and “secure the Blessings of Liberty” for us and for future generations. Those are not just aspirations. They are commitments. And if the rule of law is to mean anything, they are promises that must be kept.

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more beneficial for society. In the end, the stability of our administrative institutions will continue to shape how the rule of law functions in everyday life.

Thai-Anh Nguyen ’09 Supervising Attorney, Lone Star Legal Aid Years later, as a legal aid attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid, I see how fragile that promise can be. One of the clearest examples can be found in the area of criminal records. I have been seated across from clients who did everything they were supposed to do. They completed their cases, paid their fines, and rebuilt their lives. But the record stayed with them. It followed them into job interviews, housing applications, and background checks. It showed up long after the legal system had finished with them.

For many, the law provides a solution. Texas allows certain records to be cleared or sealed. On paper, that remedy is powerful. In practice, it is often out of reach. The process is complicated. It requires understanding eligibility rules, navigating different courts, and preparing detailed legal documents. Most of the people who need this relief cannot afford an attorney. Many do not even know the option exists. The result is a gap between what the law promises and what people actually experience. I think about one client who had been denied job after job because of an old record. He had done everything right since then; he just needed a chance. When we were able to clear his record, the change was immediate. He found stable employment. He was able to support his family. His confidence returned. Nothing about the law had changed. What changed was his ability to access it. That is the difference access to justice makes. But stories like his should not depend on a person’s financial ability to access legal representation. The need is far too great. Across Texas, there are hundreds of thousands of people in similar situations, each one facing barriers that the law already has the power to remove. The challenge is scale. Legal aid and pro bono attorneys are committed to this work, but there are limits to how many cases can be handled one at a time. If we are serious about making the rule of law meaningful, we must rethink how we deliver legal services. That is where innovation is beginning to shift what is possible. A new statewide effort known as ClearPath TX is nearing its rollout later this year. Supported by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the project is designed to give individuals a clear, accessible way to understand whether they may qualify to clear or seal their criminal records, and to help them take the next step.

Through guided screening, the tool will walk users through eligibility in plain language. For those ready to take action, it will generate pro se documents tailored to their situation. At the same time, it will support legal aid programs and volunteer attorneys by producing more advanced pleadings, allowing them to take on cases more efficiently and consistently. There is real momentum behind this work. For those of us who have spent years seeing clients turned away by complexity or lack of resources, the idea that we can reach people at scale is both exciting and long overdue. This kind of approach does not replace attorneys. It strengthens their ability to serve. It extends the reach of legal aid. And it gives individuals a meaningful starting point in asserting their rights. As we approach 250 years of the rule of law, the question is not whether the system works. In many ways, it does. The question is who it works for. For the rule of law to remain meaningful, it must be accessible. It must be practical. It must reach people in their everyday lives, especially at moments when the stakes are high and the path ahead is unclear. Criminal record clearing is one way to close that gap. It restores opportunity, removes barriers, and allows people to reclaim their place in the economy and their communities. For me, that promise has always been personal. It is the same promise I believed in when I first came to this country with very little, trusting that the law could create opportunity where none existed. It is the promise I now work every day to make real for others, so that the American Dream is not just something we believe in, but something more people can actually reach.

“FOR THE RULE OF LAW TO REMAIN MEANINGFUL, IT MUST BE ACCESSIBLE. IT MUST BE PRACTICAL. IT MUST REACH PEOPLE IN THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES...”

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THE VOICES OF HOUSTON’S 1917 RACE RIOT: How Creating a Digital Archive Changed a Librarian’s View of Justice

eather Kushnerick, M.A, M.L.S., C.A. — special collections librarian and archivist in The Fred Parks Law Library at South Texas College of Law Houston — inspired law librarians from around the world with her story about a collection of military records that led to long-delayed justice.

She presented at the 43rd Annual Course of the International Association of Law Libraries, a prestigious event that took place on campus last year. Partnering with criminal attorney and military law expert Terri Zimmermann, an adjunct professor at STCL Houston and a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Kushnerick discussed creating a digital collection of military records that ultimately led to justice for more than 100 Black World War I soldiers denied a fair trial in 1917.

The Historical Event

On a sweltering August night in Houston, gunfire erupted. Within a few days’ time, the nation would read headlines about one of the deadliest racial incidents in U.S. military history — the Houston Race Riot of 1917. The tragic events began just outside Camp Logan, a military training base under construction on the city’s outskirts. The soldiers assigned to guard the base were members of the 3rd Battalion, 24th U.S. Infantry Regiment, a highly decorated, all-Black unit. They had fought bravely on the frontier during the Indian Wars, hence they were nicknamed “Buffalo Soldiers”

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by the Native Americans. Later, the men of the 24th also battled fiercely in the Philippines. However, in segregated, Jim Crowera Houston, neither their history of bravery nor their U.S. Army uniforms offered any protection from racism. The soldiers endured daily slurs and harassment at the hands of white police officers and the citizens of Houston. The tension was combustible, and on Aug. 23, 1917, it finally exploded. That afternoon, two Houston police officers arrested a Black woman and brutally beat a Black soldier who tried to intervene. When a corporal from the 24th Infantry went to inquire about the soldier’s arrest, he was pistolwhipped and taken into custody. False rumors soon spread through the camp that a white mob was approaching with the intent to kill soldiers. In fear and fury, more than 100 armed soldiers marched toward the city. Along the way, confusion and panic took hold. They exchanged fire with police officers and armed, white civilians. By the time the violence ended hours later, five Black soldiers and 15 white Houstonians were dead. The military’s response was swift and severe. Martial law was declared, and the 24th Infantry was disarmed. In December of that same year, 63 Black soldiers were court-martialed as a group at Ft. Sam Houston, in San Antonio. Thirteen were hanged within days — the largest mass execution of American soldiers by the U.S. Army. Forty-one others received life sentences. Two other trials followed. In total, 110 soldiers were convicted. Nineteen of them were

executed. No white civilians or police officers faced trial.

How Kushnerick’s Project Came About

“As a historian with a master’s degree, educated in Texas, I was truly shocked I had never heard of the 1917 Houston Race Riot, or its consequences,” Kushnerick said. “I was new on campus when I first heard about it from my former colleague, Jessica Alexander.” Alexander, a reference librarian at the time, told Kushnerick about the event and informed her of a microfilm collection the library owned — the Houston Mutiny and Riot Records. “The collection is 16 reels of microfilm containing the military and trial documents of this event, which are housed in the National Archives,” Kushnerick said. “Many research institutions across the country also have these records; we were just the first ones to think about digitizing them.” Fresh from a conference about digital preservation methods, Kushnerick had already been planning to start a digital archive. “This was the perfect opportunity to create a purposeful digital collection, one that would bring this hidden collection into the light,” she said. “I knew getting these documents online would provide researchers everywhere unlimited access from their living rooms.” The Law Library partnered with a vendor to digitize the microfilm. In total, 15,000 digital files were reviewed, organized, and put back together into their original form — and it took two years.

Given the importance of these records, petition for review with the Army Board the library team decided in 2012 to for Correction of Military Records, make the legal community aware of complete with letters of support. its online collection. What began as a “We in the library assisted in the plan for a continuing legal education seminar became a daylong, packed-full, research, pulling things from different archives and other sources open-to-the-public symposium with as they worked on the petitions,” multiple guest lecturers — including Kushnerick said. “I am proud I was Angela Holder, a local history part of this team.” professor and the great-niece of one of the executed soldiers. In examining the case, the review board found the original trials were Word spread that a treasure trove of flawed with procedural deficiencies: information was available to anyone the soldiers had no civilian-licensed interested in learning more about the defense counsel, had only a few riot and the soldiers. “The creation of days to prepare, and much of the the digital archive at the Law Library evidence consisted of inconsistent or and the connections made at our speculative identification of accused symposium were really the starting men under poor lighting. Executions point for the clemency process,” were carried out within 24 hours Kushnerick said. without meaningful appeal. These Without access to this digital archive, systemic defects played a key role in the riot/mutiny and subsequent the Army’s decision. courts-martial might have remained In late 2023, Secretary of the Army unnoticed by historians and Christine Wormuth accepted the eventually forgotten. board’s unanimous recommendation “As I understand it, the families had to set aside the convictions of all 110 been trying to get pardons for the soldiers. She called the move “setting executed soldiers,” Kushnerick said. the record straight,” acknowledging that “The military legal experts involved the men had been denied due process determined pardons were not going to and punished because of their race. be possible. Crimes were committed, and people died. What seemed possible, “The outcome of this story is extremely important,” Kushnerick said. “You however, was to seek clemency for all don’t see the righting of historical the soldiers based on the failures in wrongs very often, if at all. But this is trial procedure.” the kind of thing we strive for at South By the end of 2022, the team of legal Texas College of Law Houston. When experts from STCL Houston — fullthe whole community comes together, time faculty, adjunct professors, and we can move mountains. I think in dozens of law-student researchers in the today’s world this lesson is more law school’s Actual Innocence Clinic — important than ever.” and the NAACP had filed a 129-page

Going through the records proved to be an emotional experience for Kushnerick. “I read their testimony, their letters, and their families’ letters as I transcribed them, and I wanted to cry sometimes as I typed,” she said. “The unfairness of the trials was so obvious. It was infuriating." The Buffalo Soldiers had been given little notice of their death sentences. Most of them wrote to their families immediately, knowing they would most likely be hanged before their letters were delivered. Many claimed they were innocent of the charges against them.

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THE MOON ROCK HUNTER 18

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estowed the nickname “The Moon Rock Hunter” by a reporter from the New York Times, Joe Gutheinz ’96 is a singular figure in legal and space history. Beginning his career in the U.S. Army, Gutheinz became an intelligence officer and helicopter pilot. He worked for the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and he holds teaching credentials in six subjects.

Lt. Col. Michael John Gutheinz ’06 and Lt. Col. James O’Leary Gutheinz ’10

Framed copy of a feature story appearing in The Saturday Evening Post.

Joe Gutheinz and wife, Lori Ann Gutheinz, filming the movie "Operation Lunar Eclipse" at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

While serving as a senior special agent for NASA’s Office of the Inspector General, he led an undercover sting operation to secure the Honduras Goodwill Moon Rock, which had been offered for sale illegally. (Nations around the world, including Honduras, and most U.S. state governments, had been gifted with moon rocks by the U.S. government. Many of them had gone missing or were misplaced.)

Gutheinz was born into a military family, started college at age 14, and earned six degrees, including a master’s in systems management from the University of Southern California and a J.D. from South Texas Law. He knew he wanted to study law at some point in his career to follow in the footsteps of his father, a highly decorated U.S. Marine who later became an attorney.

at an international conference of law librarians planned and hosted by the staff of The Fred Parks Law Library at South Texas Law. Now in private practice with two of his six sons, Gutheinz is having a good time. “I like working with my sons, who are both South Texas Law graduates — Michael in 2006 and James in 2010.” Both are lieutenant colonels in the U.S. Army Reserve and like their father, were commissioned honorary admirals in the Texas Navy by Gov. Greg Abbott.

For his extraordinary work, Gutheinz received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal — rarely given, then usually to astronauts after a successful space mission. Since retiring from NASA, which Gutheinz describes as “the hardest thing I have ever done,” he has led the Moon Rock Project, teaching undergraduate and graduate students how to hunt down moon rocks all over the world. “Thanks to my students, many have been recovered and put on display.” Gutheinz feels strongly about the missing moon rocks. “I know an astronaut who initially wanted to be a pilot when he was a kid,” he said. “Then he saw a moon rock on display at a museum, and it completely changed the course of his life. Moon rocks have that kind of power.” The Moon Rock Hunter and the lunar treasures he seeks to locate and protect have been the subject of numerous articles and interviews, a novel inspired by his project, and an Emmy award-winning documentary. An independent movie titled “Operation Lunar Eclipse” has wrapped production.

“I had been transferred to the Johnson Space Center during my time with NASA and saw South Texas Law’s part-time program as a perfect way to achieve my goal,” Gutheinz said. “I had a wife and six sons, so I needed to work while I went to law school.” Part of many important and highprofile projects, Gutheinz was chosen to investigate the Space Station Mir fire and collision. He also conducted the largest fraud investigation in the history of NASA — of government contractor Omniplan — that resulted in a 270-count indictment, 180 felony convictions, the closure of seven companies, and millions in court-ordered settlements. “That was definitely my career case,” he said. Gutheinz is an attorney licensed to appear before multiple courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He was honored with the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal, received commendations from six federal agencies, and holds a commission as an honorary admiral in the Texas Navy. He has authored or co-authored numerous articles and is a highly sought-after public speaker. His welltold stories recently fascinated attendees

Gutheinz Law Firm is dedicated to the memory of his father and handles a variety of cases, including criminal, family, civil, military, aviation, and space law. “I definitely think the next legal frontier is space law,” Gutheinz said. “There is so much to be figured out as we continue to privatize space and head back to the lunar surface. Who owns the moon, and its native elements?” Recently, Gutheinz has become a member of South Texas Law’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. “I treasure having an opportunity to serve the law school that has allowed me to pursue my dream.” He is lightning quick to credit his wife of 50 years, Lori Bentley Gutheinz, with making his varied and vast accomplishments possible. “She is the best partner anyone has ever had,” he said. “I owe her so much.” After having such a celebrated and storied career spanning the military, law enforcement and law, Gutheinz still has unmet goals. At the top of his list? Going to the moon as a civilian, of course.

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Gift Creates Endowed Professorship, Boosts International Studies

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outh Texas College of Law Houston alumna Sharon Schweitzer ’89 and her husband John H. Robinson recently made a generous gift to her law school alma mater to fund the Schweitzer Uprka Endowed Distinguished Professorship.

The Uprka name carries deep meaning. Schweitzer’s great-grand uncles, Joža Uprka and Franta Uprka, were celebrated Moravian artists whose sculptures, paintings, and folk-inspired works remain a cherished part of Central European cultural history. Their great-niece, Schweitzer’s mother Evelyn Laga Schweitzer, carried that legacy forward across generations and across an ocean. For Schweitzer, naming the professorship in their honor is both a family tribute and a bridge between her Czech and Moravian roots and the global legal education she believes in deeply. The inaugural holder of the distinguished professorship will be Professor of Law Katerina Lewinbuk, South Texas Law’s director of international programs, whose own life and career reflect a remarkably similar spirit of crossing borders with purpose. A double Fulbright award recipient, first-generation immigrant, and internationally recognized scholar, Lewinbuk regularly teaches, lectures, and presents at institutions around the world. Distinguished professorships recognize exceptional scholarship, teaching excellence, and significant contributions to the legal field. “Distinguished professors are the heartbeat of academic excellence, and Professor Lewinbuk exemplifies everything this honor represents,” said President and Dean Reynaldo Anaya Valencia. “South Texas Law is deeply grateful to Sharon and John for their generosity, their genuine engagement with our students, and their championship of our outstanding faculty.” The gift will support Lewinbuk’s ongoing scholarship, research, and service, while advancing her vision of establishing and expanding a global footprint for South Texas Law. As she marks 20 years at the law school, Lewinbuk has embraced a renewed sense of purpose in helping law students broaden their perspectives

Standing: Randall O. Sorrels ’87, Prof. Katerina Lewinbuk Seated: Sharon Schweitzer ’86, Dean Reynaldo Anaya Valencia

“Distinguished professors are the heartbeat of academic excellence, and Professor Lewinbuk exemplifies everything this honor represents.” through international travel and meaningful collaboration with students and faculty across the globe. Schweitzer believes strongly in the work Lewinbuk is doing and is delighted she will be honored as the inaugural holder of the new distinguished professorship. “Professor Lewinbuk opens doors for students that most people don’t even know exist,” Schweitzer said. “My goal is to keep those doors wide open.” “I am deeply honored and grateful to be named to this distinguished professorship,” Lewinbuk said. “Sharon Schweitzer’s generosity and her steadfast commitment to our school exemplify the highest ideals of service, intentionality, and leadership. It is a privilege to collaborate with her and to witness firsthand the profound impact her dedication to global outreach has on our students. She is an inspiration and a role model to our entire community.” Schweitzer is an internationally recognized expert on global mobility, cultural competency, and international protocol. She serves on the South

Texas Law board of directors, the school’s board of visitors, and is an adjunct professor. She has personal and professional ties to the Czech Republic, traveling regularly with students and faculty for the annual Study Abroad program in Prague and providing cultural competency training for students and faculty preparing to travel there this summer. As her career and philanthropy have grown together, Schweitzer has established the Uprka Laga Schweitzer Study Abroad Award for students studying abroad in Prague, endowed that scholarship so it supports students every year, funded an endowed advocacy scholarship, and made a planned gift with her husband. Schweitzer hopes her gifts inspire others to consider what is possible. “My J.D. from South Texas Law is one of the greatest investments I ever made in myself, and so is every degree that came before it,” she said. “It is a remarkable institution with exceptional faculty and students. If my gifts encourage even one other alum to give back, then they have already multiplied.”

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A Note From the Alumni Association President

With the support of what I would argue is the nation’s best Bar Readiness team — including some amazing alumni mentors — our graduates from South Texas Law continue to pass the bar at high rates (among the highest in the state!). This gives our graduates better opportunities to move quickly into their professional roles as associates, clerks, etc. The Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics, the championship Advocacy Program, the innovative Transactional Practice Center, and the excellent Frank Evans Dispute Resolution Center all benefit from the knowledge and guidance offered by alumni coaches and adjuncts. Our alumni are providing career and life insights through panel discussions, lectures, partnerships with student groups, and other programs on campus. South Texas Law is blessed with a positive, talented president and dean who continues to strengthen the culture of academic excellence, student support, and strong alumni connections. Our Board of Directors and Alumni Association Board of Directors also continue to give their time and effort to advance the mission and goals of the law school in bold and important ways. Thanks to each of you for continuing to support South Texas Law — with your time, your talent, or your treasure. For more than a century, this law school has thrived because our alumni keep giving back and showing the next generation of attorneys how to lead and serve with distinction.

t has been incredible to see our law school continue to gain visibility and grow stronger in every way. Since beginning my term as president of STCL Houston Alumni Association in January 2025, I have been privileged to interact with various departments and offices at the school who are making a big difference for our students while also working with our alumni to build connections and highlight their many accomplishments.

Through the excellent work of the Career Resource Center and our vast alumni network, our recent graduates are getting great jobs across the spectrum of the legal field — from Big Law firms to solo practitioners and from corporate offices to courtrooms. Our alumni serve the profession with distinction, and they give back by hiring exceptional STCL Houston graduates.

I invite you to nominate colleagues for alumni awards, volunteer, donate, share your own achievements, and attend events including the fall gala, the Alumni Association Awards Luncheon, and next spring’s Crawfish Boil. You make a huge difference in the success of South Texas Law. Thank you! I am honored to lead and serve with you.

Alex Gonzalez ’12 2025-26 President STCL Houston Alumni Association

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Alumni Events 2025 Raising Funds, Giving Praise, Creating Community

uring Reunion Week in October, the Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement hosted its annual South Texas Law Gala — an elegant and energetic evening — which raised $400,000 for student scholarships. The event’s theme, “The Spirit of South Texas Law,” came to life as alumni, faculty, and friends filled the venue, celebrating the connections that define the law school’s community. Acrobatic performers and aerialists added excitement throughout the evening, , entertaining more than 300 guests who enjoyed a gourmet dinner catered by A Fare Extraordinaire and ended the evening dancing to the sounds of The Mockingbirds Band. At the annual Alumni Luncheon and Awards Ceremony, the Alumni Association honored three local attorneys with its top awards. Juan Garcia ’04, founding partner of Johnson Garcia LLP, received the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award; Thai-Anh Nguyen ’09, supervising attorney for Lone Star Legal Aid, received the Public Service Award; and Sean Berwald ’18, senior attorney with Sadler Law Group PLLC, received the Young Alumni Award. Earlier in the year, the annual Crawfish Boil, now hosted each year in May at Karbach Brewing Company, brought together students, alumni, and friends for crawfish, music, and networking.

Juan Garcia ’04, Sean Berwald ’18, Thai-Anh Nguyen ’09

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Alumni Events 2026 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS

Alumni Association Awards

Distinguished Alumni Award: Juan Garcia ’04 A devoted husband and father, Garcia enjoys time with his family. He also serves the community as a volunteer. He is a past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston and remains on its board of directors. Garcia also is a lifetime member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) and is the first Hispanic member of its executive committee. Additionally, he serves as board chair for the Harris County–Houston Sports Authority, which was instrumental in bringing FIFA’s World Cup events to Houston, and of the Houston Sports Foundation.

Public Service Award: Thai-Anh Nguyen ’09

This is the highest honor presented by the Alumni Association. It recognizes a graduate whose work has made a lasting civic impact, demonstrated professional leadership, and reflected a strong commitment to South Texas College of Law Houston. Juan Garcia’s life is an inspiring story of hard work and dedication. He began his career in retail management, working his way up from grocery store clerk to store director while attending college at night. He later left a high-paying job to pursue law, graduating summa cum laude from South Texas Law. A dedicated law student, Garcia became a national champion moot court advocate and served as a member of the South Texas Law Review. Graduating summa cum laude in 2004, he was among the top students in his class. Garcia’s academic achievements resulted in numerous scholarships and awards, and he was recruited by prestigious law firms looking to hire associates. Since then, he’s made partner at two national firms and cofounded Johnson Garcia LLP, a successful litigation firm with nearly 30 employees. His firm has donated millions to educational causes, including the creation of an endowed lecture series at the law school that he contributed with his law partner Daniel Johnson ’04 — his best friend since they were first-semester study partners at South Texas Law. He has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer® and Minority Powerbroker by Law360.

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This award recognizes an alumnus who has devoted their legal career to public service and made a sustained impact on the community. For over 16 years, Thai-Anh Nguyen has worked as a legal aid attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid. He provides critical services to low-income clients across Southeast Texas, often driving long distances to meet people who would otherwise have no access to representation. Thai-Anh also is a vital voice in immigrant communities, offering culturally competent legal support to Vietnamesespeaking clients. He is especially known for his patient, compassionate work with seniors and vulnerable individuals. While he’s never sought recognition, his consistent, lifechanging work has made a deep and lasting impact.

Alumni Events 2026 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS

Born in Vietnam in the early 1980s, Nguyen spent his earliest years in a country with a post-war system struggling to sustain its people’s basic needs. When he was only five years old, his family left Vietnam and spent the next two years in a refugee camp in the Philippines, which ultimately hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees awaiting resettlement. His life experiences impacted the direction of his career. Nguyen’s legal aid work ranges from housing to expunctions to reentry support for formerly incarcerated individuals. He has represented hundreds of clients in eviction defense and debt cases. “Often, my clients are low-income, uneducated, and don’t speak English,” Nguyen said. “I want to advocate for them and give them a voice. Without legal aid, many end up in shelters or cars. For survivors of violence, it can mean safety and a new beginning.” Nguyen credits law school with preparing him for this fight. “I owe my professional career and everything I do to this school,” he said. “Without South Texas Law, I wouldn’t be a lawyer, I couldn’t provide for my family, and I couldn’t do this work. I’m truly indebted.”

other and to the law school. His thoughtful, behind-thescenes leadership has made a meaningful difference in the lives of recent grads. Today, as the co-managing attorney at Sadler Law Group, Berwald leads a team of attorneys and paralegals in the energy capital of the world. His path to law was shaped by international experiences in Russia and Lithuania, where he first recognized the vital role attorneys play in the global energy sector. When he came to South Texas Law, he poured his energy into revitalizing the Oil and Gas Law Society, growing it from a handful of students to more than 100 and creating connections that led classmates to positions at major firms, right out of law school. Regarding the Young Alumni Award, Berwald said, “This award isn’t just for me; it’s for the entire community that supported me in getting here. I am very grateful for all the encouragement and support.”

Young Alumni Award: Sean Berwald ’18 This award recognizes a graduate of the past 10 years who has made an early mark on the profession and stayed connected to the South Texas Law community through service and leadership. Sean Berwald stands out for his commitment to mentoring students and young alumni. As an adjunct professor, he teaches Oil and Gas Title Examination and goes beyond the classroom to support his students with job leads, check-ins, and career advice. As an attorney, volunteer, and mentor, Berwald has helped strengthen the bridge between law students and a thriving professional network. Nearly all the students who complete his title examination course secure positions in the field right after graduation. “Seeing students walk into life-changing opportunities is incredibly rewarding,” Sean said. “It’s proof of the practical, hands-on training South Texas Law provides. There’s unlimited opportunity here.” Berwald has helped revitalize the alumni chapter of the Oil and Gas Law Society and regularly connects alumni to each

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Alumni Events 2026 CRAWFISH BOIL

Baker Howry ’22, Ivan De Leon ’24

Eric Zehnder, Erica Zehnder, Elisabeth Flood, Alan Magenheim ’83

Rosemary Cruthirds, David Cruthirds ’90, Melanie Cruthirds ’21, John Hermes

Lori Gutheinz , Joe Gutheinz, Jr ’96

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Maxi Romero, Yarin Romero ’20, Luis Romero

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Monique Sapp ’23, Rashad Cave

Alumni Events 2026 GALA

Hon. Christine Weems ’00, Hon. Donna Roth ’87, Hon. Tanya Garrison

Alexandra Farias-Sorrels, Randy Sorrels ’87

Nichole Agosto, Benny Agosto, Jr. ’95

Roland Garcia ’86

Alex Gonzalez ’12, Isis Mercado, Brenda Lanza, Nick Lanza ’89

Juan Garcia ’04

Daniella Landers, Commissioner Melanie Miles-Bazil ’96

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Alumni Events 2026 ALUMNI LUNCHEON

Dominique Varner ’94, Eric D’Olive ’11, Kami D’Olive ’10

Pati Limón de Rodriguez ’24, Genora Boykins ’85, Hon. Ursula Hall ’95

Markia Bordeaux ’20, Clarissa Wingard ’20, Fallon Hamilton

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Juan Garcia ’04, Sean Berwald ’18, Dean Reynaldo Anaya Valencia, Thai-Anh Nguyen ’09

Gordon Quan ’77, Judith Snively ’86

Randy Sorrels ’87, Prof. Pamela George, Prof. Katerina Lewinbuk

Alumni Events 2026 HOLIDAY PARTY

Sam Kaminsky ’25, Brooke Skiles ’25, Tevin Long ’25, Madison Schrutka ’25, Miles Miller ’25

Leslie Hassen ’00, Erin Pikoff ’99

Joel Ephross ’93, Tracie Ephross

Diana Davila ’22

Delaram Falsafi ’18, Daniela Bravo ’18, Fanny Turcios ’18, Urvashi Morolia ’17

Ryan Zehl ’04, Laura Zehl

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IN BRIEF Bagpipes and Mariachis: Investiture Ceremony Honors New Dean

he fall investiture of South Texas College of Law Houston’s new president and dean, Reynaldo “Rey” Anaya Valencia, featured inspiring stories from family and friends, bagpipes and a mariachi band, and the presentation of the dean’s medal, followed by a grand reception.

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This special occasion marked the start of a new chapter in leadership and vision for Houston’s oldest law school. “I greatly appreciate the mission and values at South Texas Law and the law school’s strong tradition of excellence and community culture,” Valencia said. “My life is a testament to the power and impact of a formal education as the first in my family to go to college and to earn a law degree. I am deeply humbled and honored to be the first Hispanic and the first person of color appointed to this position.” The new leader’s love for his family, his broad-reaching ties to the legal profession and legal education, and his ability to create lifelong connections with friends and colleagues was evident throughout the day’s events. Valencia’s brotherin-law, Deacon Jesus Cantu of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lubbock, offered the invocation. His sisters, Sylvia Cantu and Laura DeLeon, shared heartwarming stories about their family — and about the drive to learn and excel they always saw in their brother. Valencia attended Stanford, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees — with honors — in an accelerated program.

Valencia then applied to and was accepted into Harvard Law School. During the ceremony, Genora K. Boykins ’85, then chair of the South Texas Law board of directors, described the national search that brought the Harvard Law graduate to the law school, and she presented him an engraved dean’s medallion — a symbol of academic and professional distinction. “We were looking for someone thoughtful and courageous, highly credentialed but with the humility and heart of a servant,” Boykins said. “Someone who understands the significance of providing opportunities for first-generation law students and who embraces the responsibility of educating future attorneys, judges, and community leaders. And someone who would strengthen the sense of community that thrives at South Texas Law. The board found those characteristics and so much more in Reynaldo ‘Rey’ Anaya Valencia.” Vice President and Associate Dean Amanda Peters noted, “Since he began, I’ve witnessed a dean who skillfully leads with intellect, humor, wisdom, transparency, experience,

humility, and compassion. His gifts and strengths demonstrate why he already fits so well into the fabric of the law school.” During the ceremony, Valencia was welcomed with greetings from Alumni Association President Alex Gonzalez ’03, Student Bar Association President Marchion Wynne ’26, and Harvard Law school classmate Ivette Peña. Many current law school deans, law faculty, former classmates and students of Valencia’s, and other friends from the legal community also helped celebrate him. In Valencia’s remarks, he referenced the theme he chose for the ceremony: “The arc of the moral universe bends toward justice” — an excerpt from a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King. He praised South Texas Law for being a school of access and opportunity since its founding in 1923 — and continuing today. “We have been producing excellent lawyers for the needs of Greater Houston, Texas, and beyond for more than 100 years, and we are still going strong,” he said.

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IN BRIEF Board Thanks Outgoing Chair; Gains New Leadership, New Members

n the 2025-26 academic year, Board Chair Genora Boykins ’85 completed her leadership term and passed the gavel to Randall O. “Randy” Sorrels ’87. Also, four new members joined South Texas College of Law Houston’s governing body.

Thank You, Genora

Boykins’ four years as chair were significant ones for the law school as it celebrated its centennial, hired a new president and dean, experienced success on numerous fronts, and made plans for its second century.

“I believe strong board leadership starts with passion for the institution you’re governing,” Boykins said. “I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without my education at South Texas. I want that excellent legal education to continue for generations to come. Therefore, I tried to ensure that everything I did as chair would advance the institution and help sustain it for the next 100 years and beyond.” Boykins’ favorite aspect of her board leadership role was the opportunity to meet and interact with alumni and students — “to gain a greater understanding of the impact of the actions we take as a board,” she said. Boykins transitioned to immediate past chair of the board Jan. 1, and Sorrels was unanimously selected to follow her as board chair. “Randy is a proven leader,” Boykins said. “I look forward to working with him, and I know he will do a fantastic job because of his strong commitment to the law school. Like me, he is grateful for his legal education, and leadership starts with the heart. He’s

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very smart and very prepared, and I know he’ll be a great leader to advance South Texas Law into the next century.”

Welcome New Chair

Sorrels, past president of the State Bar of Texas and co-founder of Sorrels Law, has served on the board since 2013 and will serve a four-year term as chair. “I am proud to give back to a law school that gave me so much — a worldclass education, a lifelong respect for passionate advocacy, and the skillset to practice law at the highest level,” Sorrels said. “South Texas opened every door in my career, and being named chair of the board is both humbling and deeply meaningful.” Sorrels and his wife, Alex FariasSorrels, founded Sorrels Law in Houston in 2021 and rapidly expanded from two lawyers to 32 lawyers with offices in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Beaumont. Today, the firm is recognized as one of Texas’ most influential plaintiff powerhouses. Sorrels began his litigation career as an associate at what is now Norton Rose Fulbright, and then spent three decades at Abraham Watkins before launching the new firm. While Sorrels earned his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Houston Christian University in 1984. He played on the NCAA

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Division 1 soccer team and was an Academic All-American. The HCU Soccer Field is named after him. Sorrels graduated magna cum laude from South Texas Law in 1987. He was on the board of advocates in law school, competing in the mock trial program, and was a member of the South Texas Law Review. The law school has honored Sorrels multiple times: with its highest honor, the Dean’s Medal, with its Public Service Award, and with the Distinguished Alumni Award. He is the namesake of the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics — basically a pro bono law firm that lives within the law school and serves the community with free legal services while giving students real-world experience working with clients. “What makes South Texas exceptional isn’t just the quality of its education,” he said. “It’s the people. It is the faculty, the administration, the staff, and the alumni community. Chair Genora Boykins is a perfect example. The first female and the first Black chair of the board, Genora’s tenure as chair was marked by exceptional commitment, strategic thinking, and an unwavering focus on excellence. She has set a standard of leadership that will continue to inspire us all.” Sorrels has served as president of both the Houston Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas. Named Attorney

of the Year in 2022 by ALM Media and Texas Lawyer, he holds the unique distinction of being the only Texas board-certified plaintiffs’ lawyer to receive this prestigious award while also serving as head of the State Bar of Texas. “Building on over a century of excellence, South Texas continues to play a critical role in shaping practice-ready attorneys who are fierce advocates, corporate and community leaders, and dedicated public servants,” Sorrels said. “Our mission remains clear: to empower our students to lead with integrity, ensuring they stand as a bulwark against injustice and a driving force for the rule of law in our society.”

Welcome New Members

South Texas Law’s board of directors unanimously elected three new members and one returning member at its December meeting. New to the board are Maria Chapa Lopez, Sydney Scott, and the Hon. Manpreet Monica Singh, and returning to the board is Gordon Quan. Read more about the recently elected directors below.

Maria Chapa Lopez ’86 Maria Chapa Lopez is a career public servant, legal leader, and international rule-of-law expert with more than three decades of experience in federal prosecution, military justice, and global justice reform. She served as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida from 2018 to 2021, following nearly two decades as a federal prosecutor in the same district. Her work at the Department of Justice focused on complex transnational criminal organizations, and she led numerous high-impact investigations requiring coordinated efforts among federal, state, and international partners. From 2016 to 2018, Chapa Lopez served as the Department of Justice deputy attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. In that role, she

Maria Chapa Lopez ’86

Gordan Quan ’77

supported critical bilateral criminaljustice initiatives and major crossborder cases. Prior to her DOJ career, she served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Preeminent Rating by MartindellHubbell. In 2016, he received a Professional Excellence Award for Lifetime Achievers from Texas Lawyer and the Distinguished Alumni Award from STCL Houston.

Internationally, Chapa Lopez is recognized for her contributions to judicial reform, maritime security, and capacity-building throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. She has served as a consultant and instructor with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Maritime Crime Program, the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies, and the Pan American Development Foundation.

Following his graduation from the University of Texas at Austin, Quan began his professional career teaching in Houston’s Fifth Ward. He later served as coordinator of a federal program teaching appreciation of the various cultures that made Houston home. During this time, he earned his master’s degree in guidance and counseling at the University of Houston.

Chapa Lopez earned a B.A. from the University of Texas, a J.D. from South Texas Law, and an LL.M. from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia. She brings national and international legal expertise and a deep sense of pride in returning to serve the institution that launched her career.

Gordon Quan ’77 Gordon Quan is a nationally renowned specialist in U.S. immigration and nationality law and senior partner of the Quan Law Group, PLLC. He has earned an AV

He earned his J.D. degree as a part-time student at South Texas Law. He served as a founding member of the Asian American Bar Association of Houston and the Asian Pacific American Heritage Association, was elected chair of the Texas Chapter and later to the national board of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and helped found and chair the Immigration Section of the State Bar of Texas. He also serves on the board of the Asia Society-Texas Center and chairs the board for the East Downtown Redevelopment Authority. He was honored by the Houston Independent School District on its 100th anniversary for his impact on the law. In 2000, he became the first

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IN BRIEF Asian American elected to an at-large position on the Houston City Council. In his second term, he was selected mayor pro tempore. He also served as president of the Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials of the National League of Cities. Quan is pleased to return to the board of directors at South Texas Law after serving on the advisory board.

Sydney Scott Sydney Scott is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Houston office. She has represented plaintiffs and defendants in every stage of litigation in a wide array of complex commercial disputes. She also has represented defendants in white-collar criminal matters. Benchmark Litigation named Scott to its 2022 and 2024 “40 & Under List South,” which identifies the best and brightest litigators across the nation and Canada. She is recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Scott received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as an articles editor for the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. degree in English. At Dartmouth, Scott won three Ivy League Championships with the women’s basketball team. After college, she played two seasons with B.K. Amager in Copenhagen, Denmark, and won the Danish Women’s League Championship during her first season. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Scott practiced at Smyser Kaplan & Veselka, L.L.P., where she was elected to the partnership, and at Vinson & Elkins, LLP. She also clerked for the Hon. Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Hon. James J. Brady on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

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Sydney Scott

Hon. Manpreet Monica Singh ’01

Scott is admitted to practice in Texas and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Member award and the Public Service award from the South Asian Bar Association, and earned a companywide award for Passion for Excellence.

The Hon. Manpreet Monica Singh ’01 Singh, a Houston native, took her place on the bench in 2022 as judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law 4, making history as Texas’ first elected Sikh judge. With more than two decades of legal experience, she has been a licensed attorney since 2001, specializing in trial advocacy. Over the course of her career, Singh has served as lead counsel in more than 100 jury trials. She is also a certified ad litem and mediator, actively contributing to dispute resolution since 2002. Committed to advancing diversity and empowering women, Singh holds directorship positions in prominent organizations such as the Sikh National Bar Association, Texas Lyceum, and the Sikh Coalition. She previously served on the board of the ACLU Texas and has been recognized for her advocacy efforts. She was honored as a Diversity Champion by the State Bar of Texas, received both the Distinguished

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In addition to her legal contributions, Singh engages in various community endeavors. Most recently, she founded the Sikh National Bar Association. She serves as a chapter representative for ABOTA Houston, completed the FBI Citizen’s Diversity Academy, and is a graduate of the American Bar Leadership Academy, Leadership Houston, American Leadership Forum, and the Harvard Leadership Program. Moreover, she has conducted numerous continuing legal education sessions on topics ranging from ad litem duties to defense perspectives in personal injury litigation. Beyond her professional commitments, Singh dedicates herself to community outreach, collaborating with Interfaith Ministries, educational institutions across Harris County, law enforcement agencies, and the Boniuk Center.

Alumni and Dean Admitted to Practice Before SCOTUS

leven South Texas College of Law Houston alumni and the law school’s President and Dean Reynaldo Anaya Valencia shared the distinctive experience of being admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), traveling to Washington, D.C. in March 2025.

Taking the oath during the prestigious swearing-in ceremony were Daniel B. Armentor ’22, Randall L. Beaty ’16, Alan D. Borden ’08, Hayley D. Harrison ’17, Kevin D. Hunter ’14, Maria Virginia Ivanez ’16, Jose S. Lopez ’03, Lisa A. Louck ’91, Jennifer E. Peltier ’21, Marca EwersShurtleff ’14, Reynaldo Valencia, and Michael C. Watson ’99. Ewers-Shurtleff felt particularly drawn to this opportunity. As a law student, she studied comparative criminal justice under Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts while attending South Texas Law’s Study Abroad Program in Prague. “That experience remains a highlight of my academic, professional, and personal life experiences,” EwersShurtleff said. “When the opportunity

arose to obtain admission to the Supreme Court Bar, I couldn’t sign up quickly enough!” The trip, organized by the South Texas Law Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement, included a private breakfast prior to the event for the attorneys being admitted and their guests. Accompanying the group was Josh Blackman, South Texas Law’s Centennial Professor of Constitutional Law, who had the honor of making the motion to admit them. “It was a special day for me,” Blackman said. Five of the lawyers seeking admission to practice before the nation’s highest court were Blackman’s former students. Those being sworn in from South Texas Law were recognized by name in open court by the justices. They took the Supreme Court Admission Oath: “I, [Name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that as an attorney and as a counselor of this court I will conduct myself uprightly and according to the law, and that I will support the Constitution of the United States.” Reading from a script he prepared, Blackman began: “Mr. Chief Justice and may it please the court, I move

the admission of the following attorneys.” Then he read the attorneys’ names and concluded with “I am satisfied each possesses the necessary qualifications.” The Chief Justice said, “Your motion is granted,” and the clerk issued the oath. Admittance to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar is a lifetime membership that authorizes lawyers to argue cases before the court, submit amicus briefs, and receive a formal certificate of admission. In addition to the swearing-in ceremony, participants receive preferred seating for oral arguments, access to the Supreme Court’s library, and recognition as a member of the highest court’s Bar. Shurtleff said, “This entire experience — from entering the SCOTUS courtroom, to taking the oath, to hearing SCOTUS opinions live and witnessing oral arguments — will have a resounding effect on the way I practice law. Entering the hallowed halls of the SCOTUS and directly witnessing the pinnacle of the justice system in action provided me a refreshing and energizing reminder of why many of us were called to this profession.”

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Tevin Long ’25

Juan Garcia ’04

Highlights From December, May Commencement Ceremonies

outh Texas College of Law Houston presented Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degrees to 76 graduates in December 2025 and 235 in May 2026, welcoming them to the powerful network of alumni who serve the legal profession with distinction across the country.

The December crowd was inspired by messages from valedictorian Tevin Long ’25 and commencement speaker Juan Garcia ’04. Long — a University of Houston graduate who was in construction management prior to attending law school — said, “South Texas Law has guided us on this journey, and no one got here alone. Our loved ones sacrificed for us, professors taught us and volunteered extra time for us, alumni came back to mentor and coach us, and our fellow students studied and stood with us.” He continued, “As we go into our future as attorneys, true success is derived from what we give — time,

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energy, compassion. It’s about how we make others feel and how we impact lives with our profession. It’s not about how high we fly, but how many people we lift up along the way.”

the call to serve when it comes.” For the May ceremony at the George R. Brown Convention Center, President and Dean Reynaldo Anaya Valencia spoke — acknowledging the board and special guests, recognizing the exceptional faculty, and introducing valedictorian Ryanne Jaroudi ’26.

Garcia, founding parter of Johnson Garcia LLP and recipient of the law school’s 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award, told graduates the key to opportunities in their lives is to get involved and to serve. He is the first Hispanic member to serve on the executive committee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and he chairs the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority board of directors — the organization that brought seven games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Houston.

Jaroudi, who earned the highest grade in four classes her first year of law school despite surgery for a brain tumor, described her South Texas Law experience as “intense.” She remained laser-focused on her goal of earning her J.D. and making a difference in people’s lives, graduating with the highest grade point average in her class.

“I earned the opportunity and privilege to serve because I earned my J.D.,” he said. “You will have the opportunity to serve clients; serve them with passion, dignity, and loyalty. You will have the opportunity to make more money than you can imagine, but your degree is your key to service, to making others’ lives better. Answer

“Class of 2026, we made it through something genuinely hard,” she said. “The world does not need lawyers who will play it safe and stay in their comfort zones. We reach our full potential at the end of our comfort zones. The world needs bold lawyers who will fight for justice for their clients. The world needs us.”

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Ryanne Jaroudi ’26

May Commencement speaker Augustin “Augie” Rivera, Jr., chair of the Texas Board of Law Examiners and general counsel for the Del Mar Community College District in Corpus Christi, noted our legal system exists “to ensure that the powerless can co-exist with the powerful in this country… with human dignity, justice, empowerment, and fairness to all.” Unfortunately, he said, many situations occurring today do not

Augustin "Augie" Rivera

represent the best of that system, nor do they feel humane.

up with 10-year-olds representing themselves in court.”

“Where is the humanity in the law?” Rivera asked the graduates. “In you. Statutes, rules, and judicial precedents remain inert until you apply them to a real situation with a real client. Unless you realize the potential human impact in all the work you do, you risk leaving humanity out of the work that you do… and you end

Rivera concluded, “The character of our society is not measured by how we treat the rich and respected. It is measured by how we treat the poor, disfavored, incarcerated, and condemned. To the class of 2026, you are the humanity of the law. I see what the future looks like right in front of me, and it looks great.”

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IN BRIEF South Texas Law Hosts Successful International Law Library Conference The Fred Parks Law Library at South Texas College of Law Houston hosted the prestigious International Association of Law Libraries (IALL) 43rd Annual Course last fall — a week-long conference attracting 120 delegates representing 16 countries and various states from across the nation.

Attendees heard from several South Texas Law staff members, faculty, and alumni. Their presentations included the story of an investigation that led to some stolen moon rocks and details about the pursuit of an honorable discharge for World War I-era black soldiers who were denied justice.

Themed “Space City Houston: Legal Gateway to the World, and Beyond,” the gathering marked the fourth time IALL has held this conference at a U.S. law school,” said Colleen Manning, associate dean, The Fred Parks Law Library, and assistant professor of law. Previous U.S. host schools were Yale, Stanford, and Emory.

Participants shared positive feedback. “So many amazing programs and so much learning in just 24 hours,” said one attendee after the first day of the conference. Another said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations, connections, food, and excellent programming.”

Annual Agosto Lecture

Donna Brazile — veteran political strategist, bestselling author, and ABC News correspondent — was the featured speaker in a dialogue called “Truth to Power: A Guide to Civic Engagement” hosted during the Agosto Justice Center for Leadership and Empowerment’s annual lecture. Moderated by Brazile’s long-time friend Professor Njeri Mathis Rutledge, the discussion touched on the importance of peaceful protests, the value of teaching children about our country’s founding principles, and the need to use technology for the common good.

Professors Nelson, Rutledge Win Awards Associate Professor Ryan H. Nelson was the 2025 recipient of the Michael J. Zimmer Memorial Award, presented at the 20th Annual Colloquium on Scholarship in Employment and Labor Law. The award is given annually to one rising labor and employment law scholar in the U.S. “who values workplace justice and community, and who has made significant contributions to the field of labor and employment law scholarship.” Prof. Njeri Mathis Rutledge received the Roberson L. King Excellence in Education Award from the Houston Lawyers Association in May of 2025. Colleen Manning

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IALL Board President Mark Engsberg

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Agostos Win Prestigious AFP Award Alumnus Benny Agosto, Jr. ’95 and his wife Nichole received the prestigious 2025 Maurice Hirsch Award from the Greater Houston Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) during the AFP’s 2025 National Philanthropy Day Awards luncheon. South Texas Law nominated the Agostos for this prestigious award, which recognizes individuals or families with a proven record of exceptional generosity and meaningful impact. The generous couple has contributed millions of dollars and many hundreds of hours of service to Houston’s three law schools, six universities, the homeless community, underserved children, emerging Hispanic leaders, undergraduate minority students, the legal community, and a local public library — among other worthy causes.

Community, Legal Professionals, State Bar of Texas Honor South Texas Law’s President and Dean Valencia President and Dean Reynaldo Anaya Valencia was honored by the Harris County Commissioners’ Court with a resolution sponsored by the Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones. He was joined at the event by numerous alumni, including Alumni Association President Alex Gonzalez ’12 and Brittny Mandarino ’20, policy advisor to Briones. Dean Valencia also was recognized at a reception hosted by the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston, the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston, and the Hispanic Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Texas. The event

celebrated the appointment of the law school’s first Hispanic leader. Additionally, Dean Valencia has been elected as a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. Fellows are selected for their outstanding professional achievements and their demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout the state of Texas. Election is a mark of distinction and recognition of an attorney’s contributions to the legal profession and is restricted to members of the State Bar of Texas. Each year less than one percent of Texas attorneys are invited to become Fellows.

Legal Writing Conference Receives High Praise from Attendees Nearly 70 legal writing professors from across the nation recently gained legal writing insights from various judges and legal practitioners during the 2026 Lone Star Legal Writing Conference at South Texas College of Law Houston.

Focused on “Bridging the ClassroomPractice Gap,” the conference was planned and coordinated by South Texas Law Professors D’Andra Shu and Katherine Vukadin. One participating law professor noted, “I can safely say this was the best legal writing conference I have been to in a very long time.”

Conference organizers Professors Katherine Vukadin and D’Andra Shu

Attendees learned how they could better align their teaching with approaches of judges and practitioners. The Hon. Jennifer W. Elrod, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, presented the luncheon keynote.

The Hon. Jennifer W. Elrod speaking at the keynote

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IN BRIEF Constitution Day For Constitution Day 2025, President and Dean Rey Valencia engaged the Hon. Evan A. Young of the Supreme Court of Texas in a dialogue about the founding of the Constitution, its importance today, and the value of the rule of law in an event hosted by South Texas Law and The Federalist Society.

Veterans Day In honor of Veterans Day, the Hon. Drew B. Tipton ’94, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a judge for the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Texas, shared his perspectives during a Q&A with STCL Houston President and Dean Rey Valencia. The event was sponsored by the Veteran Law Students Association and the Federalist Society.

Beyond the Classroom STCL Houston Wins Commitment to Service Award Yet Again South Texas Law received the Texas Access to Justice Commission’s (TAJC) 2025 Law School Commitment to Service Award, marking the fifth time the law school has received this special honor since its inception in 2008. The Commitment to Service Award recognizes a law school that has distinguished itself by actively educating its students about access to justice issues.

ABA to host a predominantly online program, and it launched in fall 2023.

JAG Team/Red Cross Win South Texas Law students Jacob Allred, Jesse Givens, Trent Collins, and Sergio Gallardo brought home the national championship trophy from the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Competition held in Washington, D.C. After months of study, hard work, and preparation, Prof. Matthew Festa's Law of Armed Conflict students prevailed over Georgetown Law in a well-argued final. “This team brought outstanding legal knowledge of the law of war and excellent advocacy through seven diverse and challenging rounds ranging from a POW investigation, a targeting analysis, a treaty negotiation, and others,” Festa said. “It is a unique competition, and we have been working toward this for 15 years.”

147th and 148th Advocacy Championships Students Riley Sock and David Nixon, along with their alumnus coach Samuel Landingham ’24 (Buck Keenan LLP), captured STCL Houston’s 147th national advocacy championship at the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation National Moot Court Competition in Lexington, Kentucky. Tori Greene, Leonard Lewis, and Madison Phillips brought home the law school's 148th national championship at the Hudson Memorial Moot Court Competition in Chicago.

Ranked No. 7 Among Online Law Schools

South Texas Law is ranked sixth in the nation for advocacy in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Schools.

University Magazine recently ranked the part-time, online J.D. program at South Texas Law No. 7 on its list of the "Best Online Law Schools in America 2026" — the only Texas law school in the top 10. South Texas Law was one of the first dozen or so law schools in the nation approved by the

South Texas Law Review Receives State Award

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The South Texas Law Review, edited by law students, recently received the 2026 Outstanding Law Review Article Award from the Texas Bar Foundation for an article published in the Spring

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2025 edition. Written by Justice David M. Gunn, Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas, the article is titled “The Original Meaning of the Texas Harmless Error Rule’s Second Prong.” Recent South Texas Law alumna Taylor Lanier was editorin-chief of the edition in which the article appeared.

Agosto Justice Center Fellowship Students South Texas Law’s Agosto Justice Center for Leadership and Empowerment had five outstanding students serve as Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year. Ali Ajani, Kea Bell, Junior Gallo, Bijaar Ishaq, and Clayton Rainey were all selected to conduct research and assist with the important work of the center.

Federalist Society Earns Feddie Award South Texas Law’s chapter of the Federalist Society was honored with the Alexander Hamilton Award for Most Improved Chapter at the Federalist Society’s National Student Symposium. The award recognized the chapter’s improvement in membership, programming, and overall involvement in the broader Federalist Society community.

Guests from Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey Distinguished guests from Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey visited campus to discuss partnership opportunities that would expand global learning and create meaningful academic experiences for students at both institutions. Among the visitors were Fernando Villarreal Gonda, Dean of the Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey; Fernanda Loera Rodriguez, Professor of Law Carlos Arévalo.

In the Community Campus Gives to Houston Food Bank During a live “Share Your Holidays” segment with ABC13 Houston, Student Bar Association President Marchion Wynne II ’26 and Vice President Kayla Baxter ’26 presented a check for $22,548 to benefit the Houston Food Bank. This annual food drive, led on campus by the SBA, inspires giving from the entire law school community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni. South Texas Law has participated in Share Your Holidays for 14 years and has consistently been the largest education contributor.

Volunteer Service at Houston Food Bank This spring, dedicated groups of staff, faculty and adjuncts, and new students continued South Texas Law’s longtime tradition of serving the community at the Houston Food Bank, which distributes food and other resources to underserved communities across 18 counties.

Faculty members at the Houston Food Bank

Marchion Wynne II ’26, Kayla Baxter ’26, ABC13’s Samica Knight

The faculty's friends and family joined in to volunteer at the Houston Food Bank

Online Students Volunteer at Undies for Everyone During Residency South Texas Law online students, as part of their residency, served at Undies for Everyone, a nonprofit organization providing disadvantaged children with new undergarments to ensure their basic needs are met. Undies for Everyone partners with school district homeless departments, Child Protective Services, children’s hospital mobile units, and food bank children’s programs to reach communities throughout the nation. Staff and family members volunteer at the Houston Food Bank

Fall 2026

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CLASS NOTES 1977

Hon. James O. Williams ’84 is now

Kenneth C. Raney Jr ’77 was chosen as Longview ISD’s 2025 Distinguished Alumni.

1985

1979 William H. Ford ’79 was selected as the

recipient of the 2025 Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award from the Texas Bar Foundation.

1980 Steven C. Laird ’80, was recently recognized among the top attorneys in the nation with his selection to Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America, and was awarded the AV Preeminent® - Judicial Edition rating by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™.

1986 Roland Garcia Jr. ’86 was appointed to serve

a two-year term as a Port Commissioner of the Port of Houston Authority.

1987 John T. Kirtley III ’87 has a new job as

Denise L. Kurt ’88 was admitted as a mem-

ber of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Cynthia Zuniga Puig ’88 has been selected

for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who.

1989 Eva Guzman ’89 was named to the Board of Texas 2036 and was honored by the Hispanic Bar Association Advisory Board with a reception in celebration of her becoming a name partner at Wright Close Barger & Guzman, LLP. In 2025, she was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame, an honor in recognition of her outstanding achievements and for changing the course of Texas history. Hon. Reed C. O’Connor ’89 was named

chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Sharon M. Schweitzer ’89 and her husband John H. Robinson made a generous gift to South Texas Law to fund the Schweitzer Uprka Endowed Distinguished Professorship.

Randall O. Sorrels ’87 was named the

Michael J. Durrschmidt ’82 joined Dykema’s

Houston office as Senior Counsel, Restructuring and Bankruptcy.

1983 Samuel R. Palermo ’83 appeared in the 2026 Texas Super Lawyers recognition.

1984 Senator Cecelia J. Huffman ’84, District 17 of Texas, was appointed to Governor Greg Abbott’s Crime Victim’s Institute Advisory Council.

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Morris D. Weiss ’85 Weiss named to the Lawdragon 500 Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers for 2025 and 2026.

an associate pre-trial attorney at Thompson Law.

1982

a Special Magistrate in Pinellas County, FL adjudicating hurricane and flood plain appeals.

inaugural Trailblazer of the Year by the Houston Young Lawyers Association. This new HYLA award recognizes lawyers who have made an extraordinary impact on Houston’s legal community through leadership, service, mentorship, and professional excellence. He has also been named one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas and Houston. He was also named to the 2026 Texas Super Lawyers list.

1988 Hon. Larry W. Fields ’88 was appointed as

the criminal district attorney for Panola County by Gov. Greg Abbott. The appointment was effective Jan. 1, 2025. Fields’ term will expire Dec. 31, 2026, or when a successor is duly elected and qualified.

\ South Texas College of Law Houston

1991 Lisa A. Louck ’91 was admitted as a mem-

ber of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Mohammed A. Zakaria ’91 was admitted as a

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

1992 Beth C. Boswell-Odum ’92 was appointed First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. Jose D. Garcia ’92 joined as Senior Counsel

in the Rio Grande Valley office of Wood, Smith, Henning and Berman (WSHB).

1993 Hale E. Cullom III ’93 was admitted as a

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Robert A. Eckels ’93 was appointed by Gov.

Greg Abbott to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a term set to expire on November 15, 2027. Additionally, the Governor named him as Chair of the Commission.

Hon. Mark H. Hanna ’93 was appointed by

Gov. Greg Abbott as judge of the 502nd Judicial District Court in Fort Bend County, effective December 1, 2025, for a term set to expire December 31, 2026, or until his successor shall be duly elected and qualified. Elizabeth King ’93 has joined Houston-based

intellectual property boutique Heim, Payne & Chorush, LLP as Of Counsel, where she will lead the firm’s expanded trademark litigation and appeals practice.

Mary-Olga Lovett ’93 was selected as a 2025

recipient of the Texas Legal Awards’ prestigious Lifetime Achievement honor. Presented by Texas Lawyer, the Texas Legal Awards’ Lifetime Achievement honor recognizes trailblazing attorneys who have “left a lasting imprint on the Texas legal community” and have not only helped shape the law, but also achieved extraordinary outcomes for their clients. She was also included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

1994 Vicky J. Alvarez ’94 was promoted to partner

at Shook, Hardy & Bacon.

Todd A. Baxter ’94 is a member of the Lyon Center for Gamebird Research Advisory Board. Lee A. Collins ’94 has joined Nelson Mull-

ins as partner.

Albert C. Derden ’94, partner in the Hous-

Brian H. Kentshire ’96 joined Patterson +

ton office, has been appointed as the Construction Practice Group Leader at Adams and Reese. Derden transitions to the Construction PGL role, following his service as a litigation practice group leader.

Sheridan LLP as of counsel in the Houston office.

1995

Timothy G. Williams ’96 is now president

Randall T. Poole ’96 Joins RYZE Claim Solu-

tions as executive vice president of operations.

of the board of directors of the San Diego County Bar Association.

Benny C. Agosto Jr ’95 was elected 2026

Chair of the Houston Bar Foundation and he and his wife Nichole received the prestigious 2025 Maurice Hirsch Award from the Greater Houston Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Ross H. Jones ’95 was promoted to Member

at Clark Hill, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

1996 Denese E. Chambliss ’96 has joined BakerHostetler’s San Francisco office as a partner in its tax practice group and a member of the private wealth planning team. Hon. Theresa W. Chang ’96, (Ret.) was reap-

pointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to serve on the Texas Commission on the Arts. Scott C. Gillett ’96 is celebrating 10 years as a headshot photographer. Joseph R. Gutheinz ’96 gave a lecture during

1997 Graig J. Alvarez ’97 joined Norton Rose Fulbright’s world-renowned litigation practice in Houston as partner. Thomas J. Smith ’98 has been promoted to

Global Director, CLM Product Launch and Legal Operations for Conga.

1999 Michael P. Lyons ’99 has been included on

the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America list. This honor is reserved for the top 500 attorneys nationwide across all areas of practice.

Michael C. Watson ’99 was admitted as a

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

the International Association of Law Librarians’ conference hosted by The Fred Parks Law Library at South Texas College of Law Houston.

2000

R. Kyle Hawes ’96 has joined Womble Bond

one of two Bridge City High School Alumni of the Year 2025.

Dickinson’s business litigation practice group as a partner in Houston.

Hon. Rodney A. Townsend ’00 was named as

Monte K. Hurst ’96 has joined the Dallas office of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. as shareholder in the labor and employment practice group.

Fall 2026

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CLASS NOTES

2001

2003

Tony R. Bertolino ’01, managing partner

Christopher B. Fears ’03 has been named

of Bertolino LLP, has been honored with the Martindale-Hubbell® Client Reviewed Award, recognizing his ethical standards and legal ability, as well as Avvo’s Client’s Choice Award for his consistent client satisfaction and service. Clinton J. Davis ’01 Governor Greg Abbott appointed Clinton “Clint” Davis as Judge of the 173rd Judicial District Court in Henderson County for a term set to expire December 31, 2026, or until his successor shall be duly elected and qualified. Buffey E. Klein ’01 has joined Blank Rome

LLP as a partner in the finance, restructuring, and bankruptcy group and the financial services industry team in the Dallas office. Hon. Jerry W. Simoneaux Jr ’01 has been

elected to the Board of Directors of the Judiciary Section of the State Bar of Texas. He believes he is the first statutory probate judge to serve in this role, a milestone that reflects the growing recognition of specialized courts. James J. Woodruff II ’01 was nominated

by President Donald J. Trump to serve as a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) on March 24, 2025. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 7, 2025, and sworn into his duties as a member of the board on October 28, 2025, thereby restoring MSPB’s quorum.

2002

for the second year to Lawdragon’s 100 Managing Partners You Need to Know guide. In addition, he was recently named to the 2026 Texas Super Lawyers list. This marks his fourth consecutive selection to that guide, which honors the top 5% of attorneys in the state. Courtney A. Hoff ’03 has joined Crain Caton & James as a shareholder in its family law practice. Jose S. Lopez ’03 was selected by the Texas

Bar College Awards Committee as the 2025 recipient of the Steven G. Condos Award for Outstanding New Member. He was also named the 2026 Big Brother of the Year by Big Brothers and Sisters of Houston. Additionally, he was admitted as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

2004 Leslie J. Boykin ’04 has been selected for

Hon. Tracy M. Sorensen ’05 Texas Governor

Greg Abbott has appointed Tracy Sorensen, the current Walker County Court at Law Judge, to the 278th Judicial District Court which serves Leon, Madison, and Walker Counties. Sorensen began her term on January 1, 2025, and will serve through the end of 2026.

2006 Michael J. Gutheinz ’06 received a commis-

sion from Gov. Greg Abbott as an honorary admiral in the Texas Navy. He holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. Frank Z. Lin ’06 has joined Mitby Pachold-

er Johnson PLLC (MPJ), a Houston-based litigation boutique, as of counsel.

D. Clay McCollor ’06 has joined as a partner

in The Woodlands office of Kean Miller.

Jennifer O. Stogner ’06 was named partner

at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner.

inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who.

Juan C. Garcia ’04 received the 2025 Trail-

blazer of the Year award from the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston. Tiffany N. McWilliams ’04 was elected

2007 Kerri W. Brady ’07 was appointed by Gov.

Greg Abbott to serve on the Texas School Safety Center Board.

District Attorney for the 156th Judicial District, which serves Bee, Live Oak and McMullen Counties. She is the first attorney from Live Oak County to hold this prestigious position, marking a historic milestone for the community.

Cody R. Carper ’07 has joined Baker Botts LLP as a partner in the Houston office, where he will serve as co-chair of the oil and gas practice.

Marianne M. Robak ’04 has been promoted

to equity partner at Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, LLP.

Paul A. Darrow III ’07 is celebrating more

County Criminal Lawyers Association Lawyer of the Year award. Jennifer L. Howard ’02 has started a new

Kea Sherman ’04 now serves as Vice Pres-

Darcy M. Douglas ’07 has been hired as

Eddie Cortes ’02 won the 2025 Harris

job as executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Kodiak Gas Services, a leading contract compression services provider in the United States.

Natalie Koehler-Denbow ’02 was elected to

the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors, returning to serve this body after 13 years.

James D. Parker ’02 is now city attorney for

ident of Customer Service and Economic Development at Entergy New Orleans.

2005 Tamara L. McKinzie ’05 has been named

senior counsel at Bracewell, Houston.

Odessa, Texas.

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\ South Texas College of Law Houston

than 15 years of dedicated legal service as the founder of Darrow Law Firm.

the chief philanthropy officer for Houston Grand Opera.

Kelly M. Haas ’07 joins Jones Walker LLP

as partner.

Tiffany A. Harrod ’07 passed the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Certification Exam and is now Board Certified in construction law. She is an attorney at Peckar & Abramson.

Aaron M. Reimer ’07 was recently recog-

nized by Lone Star Legal Aid for his pro bono work benefiting low-income residents in Texas. He is managing partner at Jenkins & Kamin LLP.

2008 Alan D. Borden ’08 was admitted as a mem-

ber of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

currently serving as Chief of Administrative Law, 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. Michael W. Twomey ’09 has joined Dykema,

a leading national law firm. He will work in their Houston office.

M. Victoria Bradley ’12 was admitted as a

MarJuana S. R. Williams ’09 received the 2026 Woman of the Year award during the Martin Luther King Jr. Support Group of Southeast Texas’ 40th Annual “I Have A Dream” brunch and celebration.

Mira H. Haykal ’12 was recently elected to

John E. Burt ’08 was appointed by Gov.

Greg Abbott as the Jasper County Criminal District Attorney for a term set to expire December 31, 2026.

2010

Amanda L. Chase ’08 serves as a member of

Lt. Col. James O. Gutheinz ’10 received a

the Kaskaskia Regional Port District. Chase is an attorney at the Strellis Firm, where she represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex litigation matters in both state and federal courts across Illinois and Missouri.

Philip B. Jordan ’08 ranked fifth in deal

count for Texas-led mergers and acquisitions transactions in Texas Lawbook’s 2024 Corporate Deal Tracker, recognizing his significant role in the state ’s M&A landscape, specifically within the oil and gas industry. Gray Reed partner and energy practice group leader, he is board certified in oil, gas and mineral law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Kerri M. Smith ’08 has been appointed

president and chief executive officer of Family Service League, marking a new chapter for the organization as it continues its century-long mission of serving children, families and communities across Long Island, N.Y.

commission as an honorary admiral in the Texas Navy from Gov. Greg Abbott. He is a member of the U.S. Army Reserve. Dustin S. Ouellette ’10 has a new position

as shareholder at Farrimond Castillo & Bresnahan, P.C.

Brian C. Pidcock ’10 of Hicks Thomas LLP

is one of 12 of the firm’s partners selected for the 2026 edition of Texas Super Lawyers.

2011

Zachary S. McKay ’12 was elected partner at

Jackson Walker.

2013 Sara Hashmi ’13 was admitted as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. Jerrod T. Jones ’13 was recently sworn

Victor J. Burnette ’11 was promoted to

Virginia E. Martinez ’13 named to the Board

partner at Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea & BenMaier PLLC. He is based in the firm’s Houston office. Scale LLP, a full-service national business law firm, where over half of the attorneys are former in-house counsel.

Matthew A. Lee ’09 has been promoted to

2012

ted as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. He is a JAG for the U.S. Air Force,

Morgan J. Johnson ’12 was appointed to the Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott for a term set to expire on September 1, 2031. The PUC regulates the state’s electric, water, wastewater, and telecommunications utility industries and implements respective legislation and offers customer assistance in resolving consumer complaints. She is the deputy general counsel for the Office of the Governor.

Gregory D. Brown ’11 became an equity

Charlie C. Gustin ’11 was named to the 2026 Texas Super Lawyers List for a fifth consecutive year.

Lt. Col. Bradley L. Poronsky ’09 was admit-

the Alumni Association Board of Directors for South Texas Law.

owner at Sorrels Law.

G. Adam Dempsey ’09 has joined Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in Houston as a partner in the firm’s national oil and gas, corporate, and transactions practice.

partner at Norton Rose Fulbright, in their Austin office.

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

in as a new director of The Texas Lyceum, the Lone Star State’s premier non-profit, non-partisan, statewide leadership organization.

Amy G. Duvanich ’11 was named partner at

2009

tial real estate law, he continues to serve as an adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, where he teaches a seminar on poverty law/access to justice.

Amir R. Befroui ’12 recently joined The

Weaver Law Firm in Houston as a senior associate attorney. Board certified in residen-

of Texas 2036, a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization. She is the head of U.S., state, and local government relations at Texas Instruments.

Cody N. Schneider ’13 has joined Peckar & Abramson’s Houston office as a partner. He is board certified in construction law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Samantha P. C. Torres ’13 is now president of the Houston Bar Association Auxiliary.

2014 Colin L. Cox ’14 joined Gary Reed in March

2026 as partner.

Fall 2026

\ INRE

CLASS NOTES Kevin D. Hunter ’14 was admitted as a

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

2016

Kendall V. Speer ’14 was promoted to

Randall L. Beaty ’16 was admitted as a

partner at Rusty Hardin & Associates.

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Marca T. Shurtleff ’14 was admitted as a

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Mariah Bhatti ’16 has been named head of litigation for J.D. Silva & Associates, PLLC.

Ryan T. Steinbrunner ’14 joined Pillsbury

Alexander W. Cohn ’16 was promoted from

Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP as partner.

Emily B. Taylor ’14 was promoted to equity

senior associate to shareholder at Crain Caton & James.

shareholder at Rapp & Krock PC and elected to serve on the firm’s board of directors.

Jordan T. Corbitt ’16 has been elected share-

Cassandra L. Walsh ’14 has been appointed

C. Hunter Cox ’16 has been hired as the

as co-chair of the diversity committee, which oversees diversity programs and initiatives across Adams and Reese’s national footprint. Walsh, a partner in the firm’s Houston office, will co-chair the committee with Tampa Partner Roscoe Green.

holder at Baker Donelson.

human resources director for the city of Saco, Maine. Kaitlyn N. Dhar ’16 is counsel, Immigration Americas at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). M. Virginia Ivanez ’16 was admitted as a

2015 Adam Aschmann ’15, senior vice president

and general counsel for Tilson Homes, is the 2025 president of the Greater Houston Builders Association. Taylor S. Beach ’15 is an assistant professor

of accounting at Ouachita Baptist University.

Lincoln Chen ’15, shareholder in Cham-

berlain Hrdlicka’s commercial litigation practice in Houston, has been selected to join the Institute for Energy Law’s (IEL) Leadership Class for 2025-2026. Tabitha D. Geiger ’15 was promoted to chief

compliance officer of Capital Southwest Corporation.

Jamie L. Godsey ’15 has been elected as

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner. Courtney R. Wade ’15 has been elected

partner at Jackson Walker.

INRE

ton office of Wood, Smith, Henning and Bermanas as a senior associate.

Nicholas R. O ’Conner ’18, has joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as a partner in the firm’s consumer financial services and insurance services industry groups.

2019 Anna S. Dodds ’19 has been elected to full

equity partnership at Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial.

Soroush Montazari ’19 has been promoted to senior associate at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner. Andrew K. Rodriguez ’19 was made equity

member at Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial.

Kelsie M. Knight ’16 was promoted to part-

ner at Holland & Knight.

Nathan A. Vrazel ’19 joined Shackelford, McKinley & Norton as partner in the Houston office.

2017

2020

Lani S. Blake ’17 was recently elected to

Markia Y. Bordeaux ’20 was recently elected

serve on the South Texas Law Alumni Association Board of Directors.

to the Alumni Association Board of Directors at South Texas Law. .

Hayley D. Harrison ’17 was admitted as a

Sofia Colorado ’20 joined Muskat Devine, a management side labor and employment firm in Houston.

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Jonathan M. Hernandez ’17 has joined Blank

Rome LLP ’s Houston office as an associate in the intellectual property litigation group.

Mohammad J. Lahham ’20 has joined Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner as an associate attorney.

Collin M. Weyand ’17 has been elected to partnership at Adams and Reese.

Kellie M. Ros ’20 was promoted to senior

partner at Porter Hedges.

Lena B. Laurenzo ’15 was named partner

Grace N. Cousins ’18 has joined the Hous-

2018 Ben C. Agosto III ’18 has been promoted

to senior associate at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner.

\ South Texas College of Law Houston

associate at Peckar & Abramson, PC.

Stephany M. Simien ’20 was admitted as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. Clarissa R. Wingard ’20 was admitted as a

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

2021 Andrew M. Broad ’21 was admitted as a

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Jennifer E. Peltier ’21 was admitted as a

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

W. Clay Sorrells ’21 has joined

ConocoPhillips.

Grace C. White ’21 is an associate attorney

at Fee, Smith & Sharp LLP.

2022 Daniel B. Armentor ’22 was admitted as a

member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Victoria N. Haddad ’22 was promoted from

junior associate to associate attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner.

Anna Pham ’23 was recently elected

to serve on South Texas Law’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. Jordi Vargas ’23 was promoted to associate

at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner.

2024 Ivan A. De Leon ’24 was selected to partici-

pate in the Houston Young Lawyers Association Leadership Academy.

John E. Hathorn Jr ’24 Hathorn joins

Straub & Zumwalt as attorney.

Samuel J. Landingham ’24 Landingham has a new job as associate attorney at Lawson & Moshenberg PLLC. Lauren N. Schroeder ’24 has joined Wood,

Smith, Henning and Berman’s Houston office as a new associate.

Baker N. Howry ’22 was recently elected

to serve on South Texas Law’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Michael L. Zamora ’22 has moved to Wood,

2025

Smith, Henning, and Berman LLP as an associate attorney in the Houston office.

Caleb R. Ortega ’25 was promoted to associate in the Austin office of Tully Rinckey PLLC.

2023

Major Pirtle ’25 has joined team Stogner at Abraham Watkins Nichols Agosto Aziz & Stogner.

Anita J. Creech ’23 has been promoted to

Caroline A. Rains ’25 first joined Abraham Watkins as a law clerk during her second year of law school. She has now been hired as an attorney.

associate at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner. Joshua Fojtik ’23, an associate at Hicks

Thomas, won the prestigious Scribes Brief Writing Award from the Scribes— The American Society of Legal Writers in 2024. Josh’s winning brief, originally submitted for the National Health Law Moot Court Competition, earned his team first place (South Texas’ 139th national championship) and recognition for the best brief and was later published in the Journal of Legal Medicine.

In Memoriam: Sarahjane “SJ” Davidson Swanson Alumna and former Alumni Association president Sarahjane “SJ” Davidson Swanson ’02 passed away Feb. 10 at age 60 after a long battle with cancer. While serving as Alumni Association president in 2011-12, Swanson held a dual role on the law school’s board of directors. Walter C. Dudensing Jr ’61 Louis G. Mehr ’62 Pleas B. Dover Jr ’68 James K. Edwards ’68 Eugene A. Gibbs Jr ’69 Hon. Jerry A. Sadel ’69 J. C. Cowgill ’70 Hon. Anthony S. Guarisco Jr ’70 George E. Ruff ’71 Milton N. Frankfort ’71 John S. Grube ’72 Charles F. Tiemann ’73 Hon. Richard L. Abrams ’73 Hon. Ricky D. Purcell ’74 Michael D. Atkins ’74 Hon. Frank D. Alvarez ’74 Richard M. Plato ’74 Joe D. Moss ’75 Hon. Thomas A. Dunn ’75 Larry J. Adams ’76 Richard F. Vachris ’76 Prof. Elaine A. Carlson ’79 Hon. Glenn H. Devlin ’80 Charles W. Bailey Jr, MD ’80 William S. Rogers ’80 Jeffrey H. Marsh ’80 Leonard P. Reina ’80 William C. French ’82 Mark E. Holsworth ’84 Jeffrey W. Oppel ’84 Gordon R. Johnson ’86 Steven J. Abbey ’87 Michael W. Reindollar ’88 Mark W. Eggert ’88 Mack J. Travers ’89 Katrina A. Von Hedemann-Arnim ’92 Tana S. Schlimmer ’92 Nathaniel H. Smith ’93 Anna C. Neill ’96

Fall 2026

\ INRE

FACULTY NOTES ANDRESEN, Claire Morneau

Artificially Generated, Genuinely Harmful: Prosecuting AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material, 47 U. Haw. L. Rev. 422 (2025). BERMAN, Debra ARTICLES

Pracademically Speaking: Incorporating Real-World Legal Practice into the Dispute Resolution Curriculum, 69 St. Louis U. L. J. 433 (2025) (with Denise Peterson). CHAPTERS

Restoring Permissive Intervention, 94 UMKC L. Rev. 257 (2025).

The Coming Law Review Shortage, 2025 U. Ill. L. Rev. Online 187.

BURNETT, Catherine Greene

When Fair Use Fails: Foundation for American Innovation, In After Fair Use: Ai & Copyright (Joshua Levine, Tim Hwang, & Sam Roland, eds. 2025).

A Hybrid Model for Teaching Settlement Skills, 70 Wash. U. J.L. & Pol'y 1 (2023) (with Debra Berman) CARLSON, RICHARD R. BOOKS

Carlson’s Federal Employment Laws Annotated (Eagan, MN: West Group, 2025).

Collaborative Law: Questioning a Novel Process, Discussions In Dispute Resolution: The Coming Of Age (2000-2009) (A. Hinshaw, A. Schneider, and S. Cole eds.) (Oxford University Press, forthcoming Sept. 2025).

Carlson's Texas Employment Laws Annotated (Eagan, MN: West Group, 2025).

APPOINTMENTS

Carlson’s Texas Rules Of Appellate Procedure Annotated. (Eagan, MN: Thomson Reuters, 2025) (with Lu Carlson).

Co-chair, ABA Legal Education in Dispute Resolution Committee. BLACKMAN, Josh BOOKS

The Heritage Guide To The Constitution. Rev. 3rd Ed. (Simon & Schuster 2025). (with John G Malcolm). ARTICLES

Forcibly Sweeping Section 3 Up to the Supreme Court, 94 Mississippi L.J. 1241 (2025). Reviewing the Three Trump Appointees: Ex Ante and Ex Post, 1 Texas A&M J. L. & Civil Governance 431 (2025). Offices and Officers of the Constitution Part VI: The Ineligibility Clause, 64 S. Tex. L. Rev. 209 (2025). (with Seth Barrett Tillman)

Illicit Trade in Art and Money Laundering, In Elgar Encyclopedia of Art and Cultural Heritage Law (Irini A Stamatoudi; Antonia Zervaki & Maria Shehade eds.) (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Forthcoming 2026).

Wither, Religious Liberty, 50 B.Y.U. L. Rev. 1297 (2025). FAGAN, Frank BOOKS

Research Handbook on Law and Time. (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2025) (edited with Saul Levmore). The Economics And Regulation Of Digital Markets. (Leeds, UK: Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024) (with James Lagenfeld)

ARTICLES

INRE

FINCHAM, Derek

Complicit Nullification: The Illegitimate (Abrogation) of School Religious Liberty Precedent, 47 Cardozo L.Rev 975 (2026).

BRELAND, Rachel Koehn

CHAPTERS

Moral and Evidentiary Statutes of Limitations, In Research Handbook on Law and Time. (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2025) (edited with Saul Levmore).

CHAPTERS

2024 Jurist of the Year Address to the 26th Annual Banquet of the Texas Review of Law & Politics, 29 Tex. Rev. L. & Pol. 1 (2025).

On the Potential Abrogation of Federal Rule of Evidence 901(b)(9), Tex L. Rev Online (forthcoming).

A View of How Language Models Will Transform Law, 92 Tenn. L. Rev. 1 (2024).

COOLEY, Amanda Harmon

The Law and Economics of Privacy, Personal Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Incomplete Monitoring. (edited with James Langenfeld) (Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Limited, 2022). Research in law and economics series volume 30.

Forcibly Sweeping Section 3 Up to the Supreme Court, 94 Mississippi L.J. 1241 (2025).

Proxy Discrimination After Students for Fair Admissions, 8 J. L. & Tech. at Tex. 91 (2024-2025).

Autonomous AI and Ownership Rules, 130 Dick. L. Rev. 523 (2026).

\ South Texas College of Law Houston

Art: Authentication, Fakes, and Counterfeits, In Elgar Encyclopedia of Art and Cultural Heritage Law (Irini A Stamatoudi; Antonia Zervaki & Maria Shehade eds.) (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Forthcoming 2026). Cultural Heritage Law in the United States, In Research Handbook on Art, Culture and Heritage Law (Sophie Vigneron, Janet Ulph, & Antoinette Maget Dominicé eds.) (Northampton, Mass.: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. 2026). (Chap. 19) HOGAN, Thomas P.

Prosecutorial Regimes and Homicides in the United States: Was the Differentiating Shift at the COVID Pandemic or 2015? J. Crime & Just. (published online: 07 Jul 2025) https:// doi.org/10.1080/0735648X.2025.252706 JACOB, Elissa

Virtual Hearings, Tangible Consequences: Rethinking Remote Hearing Rules Adopted Amidst

Pandemic Chaos, 94 U. Cin. L. Rev. 723 (2026). Weaponized Courts: The Need for Uniform Vexatious Litigant Law Reform, 28 N.Y.U. J. Legis. & Pub. Pol’y 65 (2025-2026) JANKOWSKI, Haley Palfreyman

LONGORIA, Emilio

ORTIZ, Francesca

Floodings, 24 U.N.H. L. Rev. 117 (2025).

Recent Developments in Animal Tort and Insurance Law, 60 Tort Trial & Ins. Prac. J. 7 (2025) (with Margrit Lent Parker).

AI Takings, 62 Gonzaga L. Rev. 117 (forthcoming 2026). LEWINBUK, Katerina

PETERS, Amanda J.

Revocation without Confrontation, 58 Texas Tech L. Rev. 81 (2025).

KERR, Andrew Jensen

Navigating Borders: Law Practice and Alternative Business Structures in the United States and Abroad, 16 St. Mary's J. of Legal Malpractice & Ethics 246 (2026). (by Invitation Only).

Original Public Meaning and the Rule of Recognition, 34 Wm. & Mary Bill Rts. J. 41 (2025).

McGOVERN, Bruce A.

RICKS, Val D.

BOOKS

Reckless Speech in the Shadow of the Constitution, 55 Seton Hall L. Rev. 743 (2025).

Limited Liability Companies and Partnerships (New York: LexisNexis 2026).

LEAHY, Joseph K.

ARTICLES

Contract Law: Application and Logic, (CALI’s eLangdell Press, Forthcoming) (Casebook For A 4-Credit Contracts Course).

Why General Jurisdiction Should Run Away from Home, 77 Baylor L. Rev. 629 (2025).

BOOKS

The Revised Uniform Partnership Act, 2025-2026 ED. (Eagan, MN: Thomson Reuters, 2025) (with Douglas K. Moll). The Revised Uniform Partnership Act, 2024-2025 ED. (Eagan, MN: Thomson Reuters, 2025) (with Douglas K. Moll). ARTICLES

Recent Developments in Federal Income Taxation: The Year 2024, 78 Tax Law. 1 (2025) (with Cassady V. (“Cass”) Brewer & James Delaney) MANNING, Colleen C. ACTIVITIES

Elected to the Houston Area Law Librarians Board of Directors, member 2026-2028.

Fixing A Series of Series LLC Holes: Houston Court of Appeals Decides First Texas Series LLC Law Case, 16 Hous. L. Rev. Online 13 (2025).

Moderator, Academic Law Libraries Discussion, American Association of Law Libraries’ Conference of Newer Law Librarians, Cleveland, Ohio, July 18, 2026.

Informal Partnership Formation in Texas after Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. v. Enterprise Products Partners, L.P., 44 Corp. Counsel Rev. 120 (2025). (with Val Ricks, et al.)

Panelist, Mentorship in Law Libraries, 2026 Houston Area Law Librarians Spring Institute - Pipeline to the Profession, Houston, Tex., Apr. 8, 2026.

Series LLCs: Statutory Ambiguities, Potential Litigation, And Proposed Clarifications, 27 U. Pa. J. Bus. L. 443 (2025).

Along with The Fred Parks Law Library team, planned and hosted the International Association of Law Libraries Annual Course, Oct. 19-23, 2025.

Zombies Attack Inadvertent Partnerships!--How Undead Precedents Killed By Uniform Statutes Still Roam the Reporters, 57 U. Rich. L. Rev. 381 (2023). Undead Dicta or Holdings? A Closer Look at Partnership Cases Stating that Subjective Intent Governs Inter Se, 21 U.N.H. L. Rev. 1 (2023).

NELSON, Ryan H.

Work Law’s Domain, 47 Berkeley J. Emp. & Lab. L. 59 (2026). Is Snap Removal Unconstitutional? 2024 Pepp. L. Rev. 71 (2024) (published in 2025)

POWERS, Jean Fleming

Breach of Warranty: Bright Lines and Borderlands, 71 Drake L. Rev. 745 (2025).

ARTICLES

The Political Commitment of the Supreme Court of Texas to Protecting Controlling Equity Owners, 31 Fordham J. Corp. & Fin. L. 101 (2025) Informal Partnership Formation in Texas after Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. v. Enterprise Products Partners, L.P., 44 Corp. Counsel Rev. 120 (2025). (with Joseph K. Leahy, and Giovanni Agosto, Dalton Dentler, Alexandria Hale, TJ La, Caroline Lofquist, Fjona Nazarko, Kathleen Sandoval, Dakota Simmons, Will Swope & Jon Ver Halen, students.) No-Hire Rulings Forget Competition, 74 Am. U. L. Rev. 629 (2025). (nominated for a 2025 Antitrust Writing Award by Concurrences under the category of Concerted Practices, https://awards.concurrences.com/en/ awards/2025/academic-articles/). SHU, D’Andra Millsap

Lessons Learned? Covid’s Continued Impact on Remote Work Disability Accommodations, 2026 Wis. L. Rev. 105. The Food Allergy Generation Goes to Work, 66 B.C. L. Rev. 857 (2025).

Fall 2026

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FACULTY NOTES STEVENSON, Dru

Restoration of Federal Firearms Rights: The DOJ’s Administrative Revival of § 925(c) Clev. St. L. Rev. (forthcoming). Siding With Goliath: NRA v. Vullo, 91 Brook. L. Rev. 415 (2026). Shall Not Be “Infringed”, 73 U. Kan. L. Rev. 507 (2025). THOMPSON, Elizabeth Lee

Mandamus as a Democracy Tool, 103 Denver L. Rev. ____ (forthcoming 2026) VUKADIN, Katherine T.

Reforming Juvenile Restitution, 63 AM. Crim. L. Rev. 89 (2026). Denied by Design: Pre-Authorization in Healthcare as Impermissible Prevention of Performance, ____ Temple L. Rev. (forthcoming). WILLIIAMS, Telia Mary U. ARTICLES

The Court of Small Things: Small Claims Courts and the Democratic Meaning of Law, 26 Nev. L. Journal 759 (2026). Dancing About Architecture: A Case for the Attenuation of Trademark Ownership in Favor of Cultural Property, 74 Am. Univ. L. Rev. F. 243 (2025). BOOK CHAPTERS

Soul Food in a Shoe Box: How Culinary Resistance Helped Black Americans Achieve the American Dream of Travel, in CONSUMING

THE AMERICAN DREAM (Robert Hauhart & Jeff Birkenstein eds., University of Tennessee Press, forthcoming 2026). SELECTED SHORTER PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS

Consumer Credit Corner: Traveling with Cash, 60 U.c.c. L. Letter, Mar. 2026 at 3. UPDATE: Trade Winds—Tariffs and Commercial Risk, 60 U.C.C. L. LETTER, Mar. 2026 at 2. Following the Gold: Possession, Suspicion, and the Future of Money, 60 U.C.C. L. LETTER, Mar. 2026 at 1. Love in the Time of Warranty: UCC Promises, Performance, and the Hidden Histories Behind Commercial Trust, 60 U.C.C. L. LETTER, Feb. 2026 at 1. The Spirit of Giving Meets the Spirit of Commerce: UCC Article 9 and Charitable Financing, 60 U.C.C. L. LETTER, Jan. 2026 at 1. He Sees You When You’re Shopping: Surveillance Pricing and the UCC, 59 U.C.C. L. LETTER, Dec. 2025 at 1. UCC and the Digital Turn: What the 2022 Amendments Mean for Emerging Commerce, 59 U.C.C. L. LETTER, Nov. 2025 at 1. Tariffs, Pandemics, and Rebus Sic Stantibus: When Public Shocks Test Private Contracts, 59 U.C.C. L. LETTER, Oct. 2025 at 1.

YAMAMOTO, Kevin

Federal Tax Research: Guide To Materials and Techniques. 12th Ed. (St. Paul, MN: Foundation Press, 2025) (with Gail Levin Richmond)

Michael Barry Departs In April, American University’s Washington College of Law announced the appointment of Michael F. Barry — professor of law and former president and dean at South Texas College of Law Houston — as its new dean, effective July 1. During his five-year tenure at South Texas Law, Barry drove significant institutional improvements, including a dramatic increase in bar passage and employment rates. He also secured ABA approval to launch an online part-time JD program and was recognized earlier this year by the South Texas Student Bar Association for his excellence in the classroom. Prior to joining South Texas Law, Barry was assistant dean and practitioner in residence at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. He previously served as a senior vice president and deputy general counsel at USAA and as the head of litigation for Capital One. Barry and his wife of nearly 36 years, Lee, have two adult daughters.

Michael Barry says farewell with one of his classes

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\ South Texas College of Law Houston

Thank You Professors Powers and Worley for Your Dedicated Service Professors of Law Jean Fleming Powers and John Worley retired in May 2026 after dedicating decades to teaching and service at South Texas College of Law Houston.

Professor Jean Fleming Powers

Professor of Law Jean Fleming Powers said it has been the honor of a lifetime to be a professor at South Texas Law for the last 41 years. “It was an opportunity I always treasured, but with a good measure of humility,” she said. Powers, whose husband is an attorney, started law school at a time when few women were in the legal profession. “It was especially daunting to embark on the journey as a young mother,” she said. “We had an 18-month-old son when I started, and three children when I graduated four years later. My husband was a tremendous support to me. We used to joke we hardly ever saw each other, which at the time was largely true. We had a pretty lawintensive household.” That dedication to the law may be what inspired their five children to become attorneys (their daughter and son-in-law attended STCL Houston). “I like to think our passion for law contributed to their interest and success,” Powers said. “I hope I have been able to pass on some of my love of the law to my students as well.” Beginning her teaching journey as an adjunct at the University of Houston Law Center in 1981 and becoming a visiting faculty member at South Texas Law in 1985, Powers was named a professor of law in 1992. Through the years, she has taught Contracts, Remedies, Professional Responsibility, Wills, Trusts & Estates, and Consumer Transactions. She also taught classes during summer abroad programs in London, Malta, and Prague. “My favorite course was Remedies,” she said. “For me, it encapsulates

what law school is all about: learning how best to help clients solve their legal problems and reach their goals. It gives students a chance to view legal analysis of a client’s goals from a broader perspective that can open up more options for reaching better outcomes.” Throughout her career, service has been important to Powers. “Early in my teaching career, I had the opportunity to serve on several state and local bar committees. My service taught me things that supported my teaching and allowed me to develop important and lasting relationships with other members of the bar and with my colleagues.” Powers especially enjoyed serving on the law school’s Appointments Committee, through which she welcomed and supported many new (some now veteran) colleagues. She received two Service Awards for her dedicated service at the law school, which meant a great deal to her. Over several decades, Powers has written articles about contracts, remedies, and professional responsibility and has built on her many years of teaching contract law to focus on developing theories of contract doctrine. Her articles have appeared in law reviews at Utah, Drake, Maine, University of Missouri Kansas City, Arkansas, Pace, New Mexico, South Texas Law, and Golden Gate, and in several bar journals. She has made numerous presentations and participated on many panels about professional responsibility, contracts, and remedies topics as well. The University of Texas graduate earned her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center. After a short time in practice and as an adjunct law professor at the University of Houston, she has immersed herself in the life of South Texas Law. “I have always appreciated the cycle of academia, with its succession of new beginnings,” she said. “Every semester

I added or changed something — sometimes large, sometimes small — and was excited to try it out with a new group of students. I always looked forward to getting to know the students and doing my best to guide them through part of their law school career.” While she looks forward to retirement, she knows she will not easily walk away from more than four decades of teaching. “I will most miss the classroom, which brings the joy of introducing students to new concepts and gaining new perspectives on the law myself,” Powers said. “I also will very much miss the camaraderie with my colleagues, whose friendship I value immensely. It is my goal, however, to continue to nurture those connections. At this transition point, it gratifies me to see the many thousands of successful and impressive graduates from our school. I like to think that I played a part in providing them with a valuable foundation for their professional lives.”

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FACULTY NOTES Professor John Worley

Although he has presided for more than four decades over classrooms filled with students learning about topics as varied as contracts, payment law, secured transactions, business bankruptcy, and jurisprudence, South Texas College of Law Houston professor John Worley has never claimed to have a favorite course to teach. “Each course I have taught offers unique opportunities for fulfillment,” Worley said. “Teaching Contracts to first-year students is gratifying because you participate in forming students’ foundational knowledge and skills. Teaching upper-division courses — like Business Bankruptcy or Jurisprudence — is rewarding because the students taking those courses already have a special interest in the subject matter.” Worley earned his J.D. with cum laude honors at the University of Georgia School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Georgia Law Review and was admitted to the Order of the Coif. After completing law school, Worley clerked for the Hon. Charles Clark, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. He then practiced law in the Commercial and Banking Group of the Atlanta law firm Kilpatrick & Cody, now Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP. “I really loved law practice,” Worley said. “Unusually for big firm practice, I was able to do both litigation and transactional work. But I will have been a member of the South Texas [Law] faculty for 41 years — from July 1985 until July 2026 — the longest relationship of my life, except with my family. It has been extraordinarily satisfying to have been a part of the professional preparation and development of so many students over those years.” Worley’s contributions to students at South Texas Law and the institution go far beyond the classroom. For 10 years, he served as associate dean for academic affairs. His accomplishments

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include completely reorganizing the registrar’s office to provide a more streamlined experience for students and cross-training staff to avoid any delays in service. “I think we created a more serviceoriented experience for students,” Worley said. “On the curriculum and instruction side, we began making changes required by new ABA accreditation standards, including those relating to learning outcomes and assessment.” More than 20 years ago, Worley helped create the law school’s highly successful Transactional Practice Center and Transactional Law Practice Certificate Program. “Over the last 20 to 25 years, the legal profession has experienced a shift away from courtroom advocacy, as transactional practice has grown steadily,” Worley said. “The center and certificate program were designed to build on the law school’s traditional mission of providing a strong practice-driven legal education while responding to the developing needs of our students and the legal profession. We were the first law school in the nation to offer a transactional practice certificate program. Other law schools now have followed suit, and many of them certainly appear to be influenced by what we are doing here.” Worley has enjoyed being involved in multiple service opportunities. For many years he participated in the new student orientation. Early on, he taught a mock law school class. He has recently been addressing the entire entering class to explain basic principles of modern learning theory in hopes of helping people use this knowledge to be more effective law students. Prior to the development of a formal bar readiness and preparation program at the law school, Worley and Prof. Mark Steiner, Ph.D., who is now retired, helped graduates prepare for the State of Texas Bar Examination

\ South Texas College of Law Houston

by offering workshops in their areas of expertise. They would occasionally draft other professors to address various subjects on the exam. Once a formal program was developed, Worley and his colleagues merged their informal program into the formal one students now know. The professor recently submitted his final grade report and was celebrated by his faculty colleagues at a retirement party. He leaves South Texas Law knowing his legacy of teaching and service will live on at the law school and in the legal community. “It is so gratifying to see so many of my former students who have gone on to have such successful careers of their own,” Worley said. “It has been an honor and a privilege to have played even just a small part in their achievements.”

A Final T Word...

hroughout 2026, Americans are celebrating the bold experiment in self-government that began 250 years ago. Lectures, panel discussions, and papers marking the special milestone and inviting reflection. Parades, picnics, family gatherings, and concerts with fireworks evoking tradition on July 4. And for this history nerd, taking a moment to re-read the Declaration of Independence.

I have long been aware of the tremendous danger the founders embraced by signing their names to a document they wrote criticizing the Crown and declaring independence on July 4, 1776. They committed a concerted and public act of treason and made a promise in the closing sentence: “... we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” I have read the Declaration many times. However, I recently had to admit I have not paid enough attention to that last sentence, nor have I fully considered what it meant. This spring I was presented with an amazing opportunity to make amends for this failing.

An exhibit created by The National Archives made stops around the U.S., including Houston. Known as the Freedom Plane National Tour, it offered a glimpse of several rare documents from the founding era, and I absolutely had to see it. I didn't know how much it would affect me or the way I understand the enormity of what transpired July 4, 1776. On display were multiple examples bearing witness to the history I learned — a printed facsimile of the Declaration, the oath of allegiance cards signed by George Washington, Aaron Burr, and Alexander Hamilton, and the first and last pages of the Treaty of Paris bearing the signatures of the American negotiators Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay...red wax seals and all. Also displayed before me, in low light and under protective glass, was a working draft of the Bill of Rights, marked up with edits and questions and notes. It was the work of human hands, using a quill pen. It is a testament to human thought in progress — people wrestling with the best way to express the ideas that continue to power concepts we sometimes take for granted. It was part of the deliberative process that still takes place when legislation is made (or when magazines are edited, for that matter). For the first time, I realized the humanity of these iconic men. The founders were not simply cardboard figures from history; they were very real people who chose to put their lives, fortunes, and honor at stake. They risked death and ruin for their families by signing the Declaration. They risked it all again by fighting in the Revolution. When some of these same men came together more than a decade later to create the U.S. Constitution, they brought all their human experiences to bear. They worked together to draft a document that created a system seeking to transcend human impulses and desires and establish the rule of law in the United States. A principle so vital to democracy should be guarded at all costs. Is there any better way to celebrate 250 years of freedom than by dedicating ourselves to the preservation of the rule of law? And if not us, then who will lead the way as we try to keep the experiment from failing? Terri Parris Editor-in-Chief, InRe

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