News

ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities

Emily Battaglia — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 19:43:45 +0000

ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities Emily Battaglia Mon, 08/18/2025 - 13:43

Faculty Publications

T. Markus Funk (Colorado Law Adjunct) & Virginia M. Kendall (Chief US District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois - Chicago), A Blueprint for Protecting US Companies from Unfair Competition Fueled by Forced Labor (SSRN, August 7, 2025).

Margot Kaminski & Andrew D. Selbst, An American's Guide to the EU AI Act (SSRN.com, forthcoming, Berkeley Tech. L. J.)

Vivek Krishnamurthy, The Internet and the Lost Law of Transit (SSRN.com, forthcoming 135 Yale L. J.)

Scott Skinner-Thompson, The Right to Oblivion: Privacy and the Good Life, Perspectives on Politics (Aug. 15, 2025)(book review).

Media Mentions

[Violeta Chapin], Seth Klamann, Colorado Prisons Limit ICE Cooperation More After Arrests of Two Inmates in Large Immigration Operation, Denver Post (Aug. 11, 2025).

[Maryam Jamshidi], Colin Sheridan, ICC Justice for Netanyahu? Maybe Not- But the Arrest Warrant Still Changes Everything, Irish Examiner (Aug. 2, 2025).

[Sarah Krakoff], Lisa Friedman, Trump Cracks Down on Bird Deaths, but Only from Wind Turbines, NY Times (Aug. 9, 2025).

[Ann Lipton], Sean O'Kane, Tesla Hands $29 Billion Comp Package to Elon Musk Amid "AI Talent War", TechCrunch (Aug. 4, 2025).

Gillian R. Brassil, Zillow Appeal Threatens to Curb Stock Drop Suits in Key Courts, Bloomberg Law (Aug. 13, 2025).

Alex Ebert, FirstEnergy Ruling Limits Path to Securities Class Certification, Bloomberg Law (Aug. 15, 2025).

Govind Persad awarded the National Academy of Medicine and the Greenwall Foundation's NAM Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics.

National Academy of Medicine Selects its 2025 Greenwall Fellow in Bioethics, Greenwall Foundation (Aug. 2025).

National Academy of Medicine Names Six NAM Fellows for 2025,National Adademy of Medicine (Aug. 5, 2025).

[Scott Skinner-Thompson], Zane McNeill, From Courts to Community Power: Trans Rights Advocates Respond to Skrmetti's Fallout, Nonprofit Quarterly (Aug. 4, 2025).

[Doug Spencer], Romy Ellenbogen, DeSantis' Congressional Map Helped the GOP Keep the House. Will it Again?, Miami Herald (Aug. 5, 2025).

Marty Lenz & Jeana Gondrek, CU Election Law Professor Doug Spencer Talks �Թ�� Redistricting in Texas, KOA Colorado's Morning News (Aug. 6, 2025).

[Mark Squillace], Bryce Dix, Lake Powell's Plunge Toward 'Dead Pool' Puts New Mexico Reservoir in Play , KUNM (Aug. 6, 2025).

Faculty and Staff Activities

Paul Campos, Lawyers, Guns, & Money, blog posts available here.

Margot Kaminski & Andrew D. Selbst, An American's Guide to the EU AI Act was listed on SSRN's Top Downloads list today for: Artificial Intelligence - Law, Policy, & Ethics eJournal.

Margot Kaminski (panelist), Algorithms and Accountability: Safeguarding Human Rights in the Age of AI, American Society of International Law (upcoming, Aug. 20, 2025).

Ann Lipton, Business Law Prof Blog, blog posts available here.

Musk's Pay, Plus ESG and Anti-ESG Proposals, Shareholder Primacy (Aug. 6, 2025)(with Mike Levin, Apple podcasts link).

Scott Skinner-Thompson (panelist), Combating the Criminalization of Trans Lives, National LGBTQ Bar Association Conference (July 30, 2025).

Nathan Boyer-Rechlin (AAP Director), Gabrielle Cooper, & Andrew Nosler, Acequia Assistance Project Enters 14th Year Providing Pro Bono Legal Services, GWC (Aug. 14, 2025).

Widely recognized for its intellectual diversity and originality, the faculty at Colorado Law encompasses an array of prominent legal scholars who are widely cited, both in academia and throughout the national media landscape. We invite you to catch up on the latest faculty publications and media mentions with this weekly round up.

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ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities

Emily Battaglia — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 16:35:58 +0000

ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities Emily Battaglia Mon, 08/04/2025 - 10:35

Faculty Publications

Laura Dolbow, The Public Franchise Tradition as a Limit on Patent Takings (SSRN.com, forthcoming 111 Cornell L. Rev.).

Maryam Jamshidi, Challenging Sanctions Against Francesca Albanese in U.S. Court, TWAIL: Reflections (July 30, 2025).

Amanda Parsons, Taxing Social Data, SSRN.com (July 28, 2025).

Media Mentions

[Paul Campos], Olivia Doak, CU Reappoints Dean Despite Findings, Boulder Daily Camera (July 17, 2025).

[Richard Collins, Prof. Emeritus], Aldo Svaldi, Denver Water's Effort to Free up Land for Stadium Could Hit Roadblock in Condemnation Laws, Denver Post (July 25, 2025).

Laura Dolbow, Recent E-Cigarette Decision Leaves Unanswered Questions, The Regulatory Review (July 21, 2025).

T. Markus Funk & Chief US District Judge Virginia M. Kendall, The New FCPA Guidelines Invite US-Company Whistleblowing Against Corrupt Foreign Competitors, ABA Criminal Justice Section Newsletter.

[Jennifer Hendricks], Elizabeth Hernandez, For 'Mama Bear' Parents, Access to Their College Kids' Medical and Student Records Can be a Waiver Away, Denver Post (July 27, 2025).

Margot Kaminski & Meg Leta Jones, The Fight to Preserve State AI Regulation and Protect Children isn't Over, The Hill (July 25, 2025).

[Ann Lipton], Alexandra White, Glass Lewis Sues Texas Over New ESG and DEI Limits on Proxy Advisors, Financial Times (July 24, 2025)(register for your Financial Times account through CU here).

[Blake Reid], Ariana Aboulafia, Centering Disability Rights in US Tech Policy 35 Years After ADA, Tech Policy Press (July 24, 2025).

[Getches-Wilkinson Center Conference], Brandon Loomis, The Colorado River Used to Be Predictable as a Water Supply. What Happens When it's Not?, Arizona Republic (July 21, 2025)(reprints include USA Today).

Faculty and Staff Activities

Paul Campos, Lawyers, Guns, & Money, blog posts available here.

[Bryan Choi], Emily Battaglia, Getting to Know Professor Bryan Choi, Colorado Law (July 28, 2025).

Maryam Jamshidi, The Economics of Sanctions: Why the U.S. Targeted Francesca Albanese, LPE Project Blog (July 31, 2025).

Ann Lipton, Business Law Prof Blog, blog posts available here.

Paramount and Caremark Violations, CBRL Advance Notice Bylaws, Shareholder Primacy (July 23, 2025)(with Mike Levin, Apple podcasts link).

[Amanda Parsons], Paul Caron, Parsons: Taxing Social Data, TaxProf Blog (July 30, 2025).

[Paige Wilson], Emily Battaglia, Getting to Know Professor Paige Wilson, Colorado Law (July 28, 2025).

American Indian Law Program, AILP Impact Report 2024-2025 (July 2025).

Jacob Lehrman, Colorado Law Students Attend the 71st Annual Natural Resources and Energy Law Institute, GWC (July 25, 2025).

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Seven Law Alumni Board Members Complete Their Terms

Emily Battaglia — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 17:09:25 +0000

Seven Law Alumni Board Members Complete Their Terms Emily Battaglia Fri, 08/01/2025 - 11:09

As the Law Alumni Board welcomes new members for the 2025-26 term, it also says farewell to seven members: Michael Carrigan ’94, Thomas French ’77, Tim Galluzzi ’14, Jeffery Grimes ’89, Aditi Kulkarni-Knight ’15, Kristin Moseley ’97, and Amy DeVan ’01.

“The alumni community was lucky to have Michael, Jeffery, Kristin, Thomas, Aditi, and Amy serve on the Board,” said 2024-25 LAB chair Tim Galuzzi ’14. “We thank each of them for donating their time, energy, and resources to the Colorado Law community.”

The board will miss this accomplished group of individuals, and we look forward to continuing to stay connected with them in the years to come.

"It's been a joy and a privilege to work alongside these dedicated alumni,” said Georgette Vigil, Senior Director of Engagement and Donor Relations. “Their insight, care, and generosity of spirit have helped shape a stronger, more connected Law Alumni Board. Their legacy will continue to inspire us as we build on the foundation they have laid for our students and fellow alumni."

The Law Alumni Board is made up of 28 Colorado Law graduates. The members promote the best interests of the Law School by stimulating interest in, building loyalty to, and increasing support for the Law School among its alumni and students, and by assisting the Law School in serving the needs of its alumni, students, faculty, the legal profession, and the public at large. The 2025-2026 Board Chair is Sonny Cave, and the Chair-Elect is the Honorable Sarah Wallace. Learn more about the newest LAB members here.

New Board members are selected in June. If you would like to nominate yourself or a fellow alumnus to be a member of the Board, please follow this link.

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1L Spotlight: Abi Barbu

Emily Battaglia — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 17:04:26 +0000

1L Spotlight: Abi Barbu Emily Battaglia Fri, 08/01/2025 - 11:04

With the academic year quickly approaching, Colorado Law is looking forward to welcoming the incoming class of new students. Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting some of our incredible 1Ls through a series of brief profiles! Next up, we have Abi Barbu (she/her).

Originally from Belmont, North Carolina, Abi holds a BA in English and Philosophy from the �Թ�� of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Meet the Class of 2028’s Abi Barbu!

What inspired you to pursue a law degree?

AB: I love reading, helping people, and public speaking— I figured law was the best way to combine the three!

What are your hobbies outside of work and school?

AB: I really enjoy reading, baking, and traveling. My favorite places that I’ve visited are Oslo and Edinburgh!

Why did you choose Colorado Law?

AB: Community is something that I really value, and Colorado law seems to have a very conducive environment to building connections, getting to know new people, and supporting others. I’m also a firm believer in moving to new places and trying things out of your comfort zone, which is exactly what Colorado law will be for me!

What are you most looking forward to this upcoming academic year?

AB: I’m very excited to immerse myself in as many extracurriculars and student groups that I can! I think that will help me understand the Colorado law environment to the fullest.

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1L Spotlight: Tudor Arvinte

Emily Battaglia — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 16:59:18 +0000

1L Spotlight: Tudor Arvinte Emily Battaglia Fri, 08/01/2025 - 10:59

Born in Houston, TX and raised in Broomfield, Tudor holds a degree in Finance from the �Թ�� of Washington. In his free time, he enjoys producing music and volunteering at Craig hospital in Englewood.

Meet the Class of 2028’s Tudor Arvinte!

What inspired you to pursue a law degree?

TA: My personal experience with traumatic injury, especially the difficulties I faced within the healthcare/insurance system, is what inspired me to study law. I'd like to gain the knowledge necessary to help those whose lives have been derailed by a catastrophic injury, enabling them to focus solely on overcoming the emotions that inevitably accompany such an event.

What are your hobbies outside of work and school?

TA: I spend most of my free time producing music via a mouth controller. Although I can no longer play instruments or sing the way I used to, I'm able to draw in chords and melodies in a program called Ableton Live. In addition to music, I enjoy making videos, reading, playing video games, and staring intently at my cat, King Arthur.

What is your educational background and/or what was your career before deciding to come to law school?

TA: I studied finance at the �Թ�� of Washington in Seattle (Go Dawgs), which led to a career selling fintech, which is what I did up until my injury almost four years ago. Since then, I've spent my time volunteering at Craig Hospital, the physical rehabilitation center which helped me get my life back on track.

Why did you choose Colorado law?

TA: I chose to move out of state for my undergraduate studies in order to foster a sense of independence, but when the time came to choose where I'd like to study law, the incredible program so close to home felt like a no-brainer. Colorado Law is highly ranked and built on values that align with my own – the beautiful campus certainly doesn't hurt, either.

What are you most looking forward to this upcoming academic year?

TA: I look forward to being surrounded by so many smart individuals on a regular basis, and engaging in conversation with each and every one of them.

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Welcoming our Newest Law Alumni Board Members

Emily Battaglia — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 18:37:49 +0000

Welcoming our Newest Law Alumni Board Members Emily Battaglia Thu, 07/31/2025 - 12:37

We are thrilled to share the newest additions to our Law Alumni Board (LAB). With their vast combined expertise, professionalism, and commitment to Colorado Law's alumni community, we couldn't’ be more excited to welcome these individuals to our exceptional alumni board.

“The Colorado Law Alumni Board is honored to welcome this exceptional group of new board members,” said 2025-26 Board Chair Sonny Cave ’85. “Each of them represents the best of Colorado Law—thoughtful leaders with a strong commitment to community, unique strengths and perspectives, and a collaborative spirit to support Colorado Law’s mission. We are excited for what the LAB will accomplish together in the year ahead as we expand our reach and strengthen alumni engagement.”

The Law Alumni Board is made up of 28 Colorado Law graduates. The members promote the best interests of the Law School by stimulating interest in, building loyalty for, and increasing support for the Law School among its alumni and students. The LAB works to assist the law school in serving the needs of its alumni, students, and faculty, the legal profession, and the public at large. New Board members are selected each year in June. If you would like to nominate yourself or a fellow alumnus to be a member of the Board, please follow this link.

Meet our newest board members!

Vikrama Chandrashekar ’15, Counsel – Vicente LLP

Kevin Cheney ’14, Managing Partner - Cheney Galluzzi & Howard, LLC.

Laurence Gendelman ’15, Founding partner, attorney, child and family investigator (CFI), child’s legal representative (CLR), and parenting coordinator/decision-maker (PC/DM) - Gendelman Klimas Edwards, Ltd.

Hon. Gary Kramer ’89, Judicial Arbiter Group, Inc.

Erin McLauthlin ’09, Colorado Office of the Attorney General

Hon. Nicole Rodarte ’98, Judge – Denver County Court

Dr. Rita (“Ruta”) Sanzgiri ’06, Biotech, Pharma, and Lifesciences

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Getting to Know Professor Paige Wilson

Emily Battaglia — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 19:09:09 +0000

Getting to Know Professor Paige Wilson Emily Battaglia Mon, 07/28/2025 - 13:09

Emily Battaglia

In August, Paige Wilson will join Colorado Law as Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic. Prior to joining CU, Professor Wilson directed the Entrepreneurial Business Law Clinic at The Ohio State �Թ�� Moritz College of Law, where her students represented a mix of startups, small businesses, nonprofits, and student-athletes with NIL contracts. She also practiced corporate law at Gunderson Dettmer in New York City, where she represented high-growth technology companies and venture capital funds. Her research on venture capital and clinical pedagogy has been published in the Berkeley Business Law Journal and the Tennessee Journal of Business Law, respectively.

Wilson has a BA from Emory �Թ�� and a JD from Yale Law School. Prior to law school, she received a Fulbright fellowship to teach English and conduct research on the environmental movement in Taiwan. She also co-founded a travel agency that arranges eco-tours in Tibet.

What excites you most about life in Colorado?

PW: I’m excited to plug into the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Boulder. I’m also looking forward to raising my two girls in the mountains!

Can you share a bit about any current projects you are working on?

PW: I’m working on a project titled Legal Standardization for �Թ�� Accelerators. This project examines the proliferation of university accelerators that fund student ventures and proposes guidelines and agreements to govern the relationship between these accelerators and their student participants. My goal is to share these agreements and guidelines with transactional clinicians and universities across the country.

How does your past experience practicing law inform your approach as a clinical professor?

PW: My teaching philosophy is rooted in my experience practicing startup law. I want the ELC to function as a bridge between students’ law school course work and their legal careers. After completing the clinic, I want students to feel prepared and excited to represent transactional clients!

What drew you to working in this area of law?

PW: Prior to law school, I co-founded a travel agency that arranges tours to Tibet. That project gave me insight into the entrepreneurial mindset. During law school, I served as a student director of the Non-Profit Organizations Clinic and learned how to set up 501(c)(3) organizations. These two experiences made me realize that I wanted to work with startup and nonprofit founders as a transactional lawyer. I love advising entrepreneurs on how to get their businesses started.

What is your proudest career accomplishment so far?

PW: My first publication! Regional Venture Deals is a qualitative empirical study that grew out of my work in The Ohio State �Թ��’s Entrepreneurial Business Law Clinic. In the article, I compare early-stage venture capital financings in the Midwest to those in the major innovation hubs on the coasts and find that Midwest deals contain more investor-friendly terms that provide investors with greater control over company actions and higher returns on early exits. Despite these differences, my study shows that startup lawyers are actively facilitating convergence between Midwest deal practices and coastal deal practices, and that this convergence is crucial to fostering rapid growth in emerging startup ecosystems such as the Midwest.

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Getting to Know Professor Bryan Choi

Emily Battaglia — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 18:47:12 +0000

Getting to Know Professor Bryan Choi Emily Battaglia Mon, 07/28/2025 - 12:47

Emily Battaglia

In August, Bryan H. Choi will join the Colorado Law faculty Associate Professor of Law. Choi's scholarship brings an interdisciplinary focus to software and AI safety. He is especially well-known for his work on software liability, which has been influential in policymaking discussions on national cybersecurity strategy.

The central theme that runs throughout Choi's teaching and research is a commitment to building and sustaining the Law and Computer Science movement. His scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals such as Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Washington Law Review, Cardozo Law Review, Hastings Law Journal, Maryland Law Review, and Texas Law Review Online. In 2021, Professor Choi was awarded a National Science Foundation grant for interdisciplinary research to develop novel technical-legal approaches to assuring accountability of safety-critical software systems. He is serving as an Adviser for the ALI Principles Project on Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence.

Choi brings a distinguished record of service to the Law and Computer Science community. Recent roles include Finance Co-Chair of the ACM Symposium on Computer Science and Law; Organizing Committee member of the Cybersecurity Law and Policy Scholars Conference; Steering Committee member of the Roundtable on Computer Science and Law (UPenn); Steering Committee member of the CS+Law Workshop series; and co-organizer of the AAAI Bridge Program on AI and Law.

Prior to joining Colorado Law, Choi was jointly appointed at the Ohio State �Թ�� Moritz College of Law and Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Before that, he was a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition (CTIC) at the �Թ�� of Pennsylvania Law School, and the Director of Law and Media at the Information Society Project (ISP) at Yale Law School. In addition, he has been affiliated with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School and the Privacy Research Group (PRG) and Information Law Institute (ILI) at NYU School of Law.

Choi received his JD and AB in Computer Science from Harvard �Թ��. He clerked for the Honorable Leonard I. Garth of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Honorable William C. Bryson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Learn more about Professor Choi in this Q&A.

What excites you most about life in Colorado?

BC: Joining the strong tech law community at CU Boulder. And the mountains!

Can you share a bit about any current projects you are working on?

BC: My work continues to focus on ways to bring greater accountability to software and AI systems. Some active projects include liability rules for open-source software and AI, validation standards for forensic software, and rethinking contractual limitations on software liability.

How does your background in computer science help inform your work as a legal scholar and teacher?

BC: Learning to think like an engineer is as mind-expanding as learning to think like a lawyer. It helps explain why software systems are built the way they are—and how they could be built differently. That doesn't mean everyone needs to have a technical background. The key is cultivating a curiosity and willingness to puzzle through how new technologies work.

What drew you to working in this area of law?

BC: The internet and computing have revolutionized society over the last half century. On the one hand, the cases are very relatable because they involve the devices and services we use intimately every day. On the other hand, because software is everywhere, the impact of working in this area of law is broad and cross-cutting, and deeply meaningful. The fast pace of change means it always stays interesting with lots to learn!

What is your proudest career accomplishment so far?

BC: A few things: Participating in a software liability symposium convened by the White House Office of the National Cyber Director; contributing to the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission established by Congress; and building up the Law and Computer Science research community through a series of interdisciplinary conferences and workshops.

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ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities

Robyn Munn — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 16:40:47 +0000

ICYMI: Faculty Publications, Media Mentions, and Faculty & Staff Activities Robyn Munn Mon, 07/21/2025 - 10:40

Faculty Publications

S. James Anaya & Mattias Åhrén, The Right of Self-Determination, the Sámi Indigenous People, and the Norwegian Finnmark Act, Artic Rev. L. & Pol'y (June 26, 2025).

Rabea Benhalim, Agreeing to Disagree: Abortion Jurisprudence in Jewish and Islamic Law, 50 BYU L. Rev. 1217 (2025).

Alexia Brunet Marks, Transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture: One "Net-Zero" Pledge at a Time, 49 Wm. & Mary Env’t L. & Pol'y Rev. 521 (2025).

Nadav Orian Peer, Corporate Climate Targets: Science, Discretion, and Climate-Washing, 33 N.Y.U. Env't L. J. 229 (2025).

Blake Reid, Alan Butler, & Jerry Kang, Communications Law & Policy: Cases and Materials (8.5 ed., 2025).

Scott Skinner-Thompson, The Faulty Logic Behind The Supreme Court's Failure to Protect Trans Minors, New England J. Med. (July 9, 2025).

Gender Therapy False Equivalency, 103 Denver L. Rev. (forthcoming, SSRN.com)("highly recommended" by Legal Theory Blog).

Media Mentions

T. Markus Funk [Colorado Law adjunct faculty](with Spencer Gottlieb), DOJ’s FCPA Guidance Protects U.S. Companies, Fights Foreign Bribery (ABA Criminal Justice Section Newsletter, July 3, 2025).

US Supreme Court’s Esteras Ruling on Factoring “Retribution” Into Supervised Release Decisions Will Likely Have Limited Practical Impact, Law360 (July 2025).

Quoted in Jennifer Bennett, Overseas Shrimp Plant Workers Wrestle with Human Trafficking Law (Bloomberg Law News, July 7, 2025).

[Dale Hatfield, SFC], Spencer Kristensen, CU Receives $2.5 Million Investment to Explore Space Governance, KDVR Denver (July 2, 2025).

Greta Kerkoff, CU Boulder Launches Space Policy Center to Help Tackle Industry Challenges,Denver Gazette (July 11, 2025).

[Doug Kenney, GWC], Allen Best, The Upset Apple Cart at the Colorado River, Big Pivots (June 30, 2025).

[Ann Lipton], Ben Miller, Justices Poised to Shape Funds' Future in Activist Investor Case, Bloomberg Law (July 3, 2025).

Joel Jose & Arsheeya Bajwa, Tesla Slides as Musk's 'America Party' Heightens Investor Worries,Reuters (July 7, 2025).

Sujeet Indap & Hannah Murphy, Meta Trial Becomes Test of Board Culpability Over Corporate Scandals, Financial Times (July 14, 2025)(register for your Financial Times account through CU here).

Vanessa Racehorse, What's the Land Back Movement?, BBC Radio (June 30, 2025)(Racehorse appearance begins around 9:16).

[Mark Squillace], Ian M. Stevenson, Interior's NEPA Changes Largely Cut Public Out of Permitting Process, E&E News (July 10, 2025).

[Chris Winter], Carly Rose & Joshua Vorse, The Sell-Off of Colorado's Public Land was Thwarted-- For Now, Rocky Mountain PBS (June 28, 2025).

Ian M. Stevenson, What the Megalaw's Royalty Rate Cuts Mean for Oil and Gas Producers,E&E News (July 16, 2025).

[Getches-Wilkinson Center Conference], Allen Best, Early Flowers Again This Year. That's Good Right?, KUNC (June 29, 2025).

Alan Halaly, Why Warring Colorado River States Could Be Headed For 'Divorce,' Las Vegas Review Journal (June 29, 2025).

[Silicon Flatirons Conference], Matt Danemon, SpaceX: Regulation Surpassing Launch Cost as Largest Hurdle to Space, Communications Daily (June 26, 2025)(Lexis login required).

Orbital and Spectrum Stockpiling a Challenge for Satellite Startups: Panel, Communications Daily (June 25, 2025).

Faculty and Staff Activities

Paul Campos, Lawyers, Guns, & Money (June 27-July 18), blog posts available here.

[Tony Derron], Getting to Know Professor Tony Derron, Colorado Law (July 1, 2025).

Doug Kenney, GWC Well Represented at Crested Butte Public Policy Forum, Colorado Law (July 2, 2025).

Ann Lipton, Business Law Prof Blog, blog posts available here.

TSLA Update, with an AGM, Shareholder Primacy (July 16, 2025)(with Mike Levin, Apple podcasts link).

Scott Skinner-Thomspon (presenter), "Transgender Disenfranchisement," National Association of Court Staff Attorneys 18th Annual Conference (Salt Lake City, July 10, 2025).

Lawrence Solum, Skinner-Thompson on Gender Affirming Care and Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy, Legal Theory Blog (July 16, 2025)(Skinner-Thompson's Gender Therapy False Equivalency is "highly recommended".)

Sloan Speck, Speck Reviews Taxing Electronic Agency By Elkins & Eyal, TaxProf Blog (June 20, 2025).

Harry Surden's Artificial Intelligence and Law – An Overview of Recent Technological Changes in Large Language Models and Law listed on SSRN's Top Papers on AI in Law (July 1, 2025).

Christie Sounart, How to Embrace AI, The Coloradan (July 7, 2025).

[Getches-Wilkinson Center & American Indian Law Program], Sept. 4: GWC and AILP Gathering, (Colorado Law, upcoming, Sept. 4, 2025).

[Getches-Wilkinson Center], Wyss Scholar Mariah Bowman, Reflections on Julia Olson's Visit to Colorado Law, GWC (July 14, 2025).

Oct. 22: Ruth Wright Distinguished Lecture in Natural Resources with John Leshly (GWC, upcoming, Oct. 22, 2025).

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Getting to Know Professor Tony Derron

Emily Battaglia — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:44:34 +0000

Getting to Know Professor Tony Derron Emily Battaglia Tue, 07/01/2025 - 09:44

An Associate Professor of Law, Tony Derron is an environmental law scholar who examines how administration, government structure, and property rules affect environmental outcomes. Professor Derron’s scholarship explores the many pathways of environmental law, from federal regulation to state constitutions, and draws on historical and current environmental practices to inform solutions to problems both inside and outside the field. He teaches Advanced Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, and Energy Law.

His recent scholarship, Unwritten Administrative Law and the Regulatory Law Mile, in the �Թ�� of Pennsylvania Law Review identifies a structural flaw in cooperative federalism. Through a comprehensive fifty-state survey, Professor Derron finds that state administrative law is undeveloped across the states, even though federal programs like the Clean Water Act rely on state administrative law to function.

Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Derron taught at the �Թ�� of Chicago Law School as a Bigelow Fellow. Before that, he served at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, spearheading its multistate environmental efforts as well as representing state agencies in litigation and rulemakings. Immediately after law school, Professor Derron clerked for Chief Judge Brimmer on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado and Justice Hood on the Colorado Supreme Court. He received his J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.S. in Business & Political Economy from NYU Stern School of Business. An avid rock climber, you will likely find Professor Derron adventuring on the Flatirons and other geological playgrounds outside of work.

Learn more about Professor Derron in the Q&A below.

I see that you previously worked in various roles throughout Colorado—what excites you most about returning to the state?

TD: Professionally, the Colorado legal community has been so kind to me. Before I moved to academia, nearly my entire legal career was in Colorado. Whether internships during law school, clerking at both the state and federal levels, or working at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, I’ve been privileged with remarkable mentors and teammates (many of whom are CU Alums!). It’s a treat to return the favor and help teach and mentor budding members of the bar. And, selfishly, I can’t wait to learn from and work with my colleagues. Colorado Law is unmatched in the breadth and depth of its environmental faculty and is filled with rockstars across the spectrum.

More personally, it didn’t feel quite right to be so far from the mountains. I’m thrilled to be back in the action and a stone’s throw away from world class rock climbing and skiing.

Can you share a bit about any current projects you are working on?

TD: A project about to come off the press, Unwritten Administrative Law and the Regulatory Last Mile, identifies a missing link in cooperative federalism: state administrative law. Many environmental statutes, like the Clean Water Act or Clean Air Act, are implemented by states through state statutes and regulations. That means state, not federal, administrative law often governs agency action. I completed a fifty-state survey of state administrative law, finding that it’s undeveloped along a number of metrics, and argue that this “regulatory last mile” has ramifications for how well both federalism and cooperative administration are working.

Another paper, Environmental Rights, Original Meaning, and the Separation of Powers, offers a historical account of state rights to a “healthful environment,” found in seven state constitutions. Environmental rights have made headlines because of successes in places like Montana and Hawai’i, but there hasn’t been a comprehensive analysis of the ratifying debates. The article excavates this history to learn what people thought these rights were meant to do, and how courts and executives were meant to implement them. Contrary to accounts about the limitations of courts in the implementation of environmental rights provisions, this historical record shows that the framers and the public believed that courts were integral partners in their enforcement.

How does your past experience practicing law inform your approach as a legal scholar and teacher?

TD: I try to let on-the-ground practice and realities drive my research and theoretical conclusions, and I think that stems from time in practice. As a lawyer, there are so many legal arguments you can make and cases you can string together, but there is always some bit of reality in the way. That might be consequences on the state or agency in adopting a particular legal framework. Or, even if you’re “right” on the law, there might be serious environmental effects. Having a keen understanding of what is going on and theorizing out from there helps contextualize my scholarship.

In the classroom, I like to use the same approach, but in the reverse direction. We’re often teaching high-level concepts with the goal of piecing together the individual threads and doctrines into a cohesive narrative. It’s important to step back and root these concepts in the trade of being a lawyer. Whenever I can, I want to show my students how these doctrines and rules operate in practice, and why they’re important for the lawyer’s lawyer, and not just the law student or academic.

What inspired your interest in environmental, administrative, and property law?

TD: My interest in the environment was actually cultivated in Colorado at science camp as a kid! That started me on a path of thinking about the natural world and how we interact with it. The law seemed like a natural step in helping protect the places where I grew up. But as I learned more, I saw how complicated environmental law is. “Environmental law” encompasses so many things and relies on nearly infinite interacting parts to be successful. So to understand and write about environmental law, I needed to grasp how statutes are put into practice, which led me to administrative law. But that’s only part of the story. Individuals influence the scope and impact of environmental law, too, which requires understanding property law. It’s a fun, tangled web!

What is your proudest career accomplishment so far?

TD: It might just be getting to join Colorado Law! Teaching has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my career, and I feel extraordinarily fortunate to now be able to do it back home in Colorado. But part of that is all the many proud moments you get as an educator – a student reaching out about after getting their dream job or watching the tremendous growth of your students from the start of the year to the end.

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