U.Va. Law Professors Available to Speak on Upcoming Major Supreme Court Decisions

June 4, 2012 — As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hand down rulings on the health care reform law, Arizona's immigration statute and a number of other high-profile cases, University of Virginia School of Law experts are available for comment.

• Florida v. Department of Health and Human Services

The court will decide whether Congress can require states to either comply with the health care reform law and related issues. (More)

Richard Bonnie
434-924-3209, rbonnie@virginia.edu

Richard Bonnie is one of the country's foremost experts on health law policy and has written or commented extensively on health care reform in the media. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and chair of Virginia's Commission on Mental Health Law Reform, which has spearheaded major reforms in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting. (Bonnie in the Media)

Douglas Laycock
434-243-8546, dlaycock@virginia.edu

Douglas Laycock is one of the nation's leading authorities on constitutional law, the law of remedies and religious liberty. He has testified frequently before Congress and recently won a unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark religious liberty case Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (Laycock in the Media)

Margaret Foster Riley

434-924-4671, mf9c@virginia.edu

Margaret (Mimi) Foster Riley teaches health law at the School of Law and in the Department of Public Health Sciences at U.Va.'s School of Medicine. She teaches a seminar on the health care reform debate and has written and presented extensively about disease range of health care–related issues. (Riley in the Media)

Thomas Hafemeister

434-924-3187, th4n@virginia.edu

Thomas Hafemeister is an associate professor at the School of Law and the School of Medicine. He teaches courses in medical malpractice and health care quality, bioethics and the law, mental health law, and psychiatry and criminal law, and has published articles on a range of issues where law and health intersect. (Hafemeister in the Media)

• Arizona v. United States

The court will decide whether federal immigration laws preclude Arizona's efforts to combat illegal immigration.

David A. Martin

434-924-3144, dam3r@virginia.edu

David Martin is one of the nation's leading experts in immigration law. He has served as deputy general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security (2009-11), general counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (1995-98), and special assistant to the assistant secretary for human rights and humanitarian affairs at the State Department. (Martin in the Media)

• Williams v. Illinois

Can courts allow expert witnesses to testify about the results of DNA testing conducted by another analyst?

Brandon Garrett

434-924-4153, bgarrett@virginia.edu

Brandon Garrett is an expert in criminal procedure, wrongful convictions, habeas corpus, corporate crime, civil rights, civil procedure and constitutional law. His recent research includes studies of DNA exonerations and organizational prosecutions, and he is the author of the 2011 book "Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong." (Garrett in the Media)

• Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations Inc.

The justices will consider whether the FCC's standards for indecency on television are unconstitutionally vague and violate free speech rights. (Professors debate the issue)

Frederick Schauer

434-924-6777, schauer@virginia.edu

Frederick Schauer is one of the nation's leading experts in constitutional law and theory. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, has held a Guggenheim Fellowship and was a founding co-editor of the journal Legal Theory. (Schauer in the Media)

Leslie Kendrick

434-243-8633, kendrick@virginia.edu

Leslie Kendrick is an expert on the First Amendment, with an emphasis on the freedoms of the press and speech, as well as torts. (Kendrick in the Media)

G. Edward White 434-924-3455, gew@virginia.edu

G. Edward White is a leading scholar in legal history, constitutional law, torts, Supreme Court history, legal process and mass communication. (White in the Media)

• United States v. Alvarez

Does it violate freedom of speech to make it a crime to lie about receiving military medals or honors? (More)

Leslie Kendrick

434-243-8633, kendrick@virginia.edu

Leslie Kendrick is an expert on the First Amendment, with an emphasis on the freedoms of the press and speech, as well as torts. (Kendrick in the Media)

Frederick Schauer

434-924-6777, schauer@virginia.edu

Frederick Schauer is one of the nation's leading experts in constitutional law and theory. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, has held a Guggenheim Fellowship and was a founding co-editor of the journal Legal Theory. (Schauer in the Media)

• Miller v. Alabama

Does sentencing a 14-year-old to life in prison constitute cruel and unusual punishment?

Andy Block

434-243-4664, ablock@virginia.edu

Andrew Block is director of the Law School's Child Advocacy Clinic and was previously the founder and legal director of the JustChildren Program of the Legal Aid Justice Center, which represents low-income children in Virginia who are facing legal problems. (Block in the Media)

Darryl Brown

434-924-3547 brownd@virginia.edu

Darryl Brown is an expert in criminal law, criminal procedure and evidence. He has written extensively on topics including the confrontation clause, plea-bargaining, capital punishment and criminal law reform. (Brown in the Media)

Anne Coughlin

434-924-3520 amc6z@virginia.edu

Anne Coughlin is an expert in criminal law, criminal procedure, feminist jurisprudence and law and humanities. She is co-author of a casebook on criminal law, and she has written a number of articles on the subject. (Coughlin in the Media)