Five faculty members from the University of Miami School of Law presented their scholarship at the 2025 Law and Society annual meeting "Body at the Crossroads" held in Chicago recently, presenting research aimed at unpacking pressing issues such as reproductive justice, LGBTQ equality, disability rights, and the death penalty, especially in light of the growing conservative political movements worldwide.
"The Law and Society Annual Conference is the most important annual conference for scholars interested in situating law in social context and studying it from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives," said professor Kunal Parker, associate dean for intellectual life. "Given the value placed on the interdisciplinary study of law at UM Law, the conference has always been an important venue for UM Law scholars to share their work."
As a general matter, annual meetings bring together approximately 2,500 participants from over 60 countries across six continents. Former University of Miami School of Law professor Mario Barnes was named president of the organization at the conference.
This year's showing underscored the School of Law's reputation as a center for "law in action," emphasizing its commitment to interdisciplinary exploration and contributing to the broader legal scholarship community.
Professor Tamara Lave presented a paper titled "The Limits of Law in Tackling Hate Crime," which explores the effectiveness of hate crime legislation enacted following high-profile incidents, including the murder of George Floyd. Lave's study critically assessed the application of these laws across the United States, highlighting systemic challenges within police departments and prosecutorial practices. Even with laws in place, she argues, enforcement often falls short due to biases and resources, raising the question of whether the criminal justice system can effectively serve as a tool for anti-discrimination.
Professor Charlton Copeland, associate dean of pedagogical innovation, chaired a panel that addressed race in the late DePaul Law School law professor Terry Smith's seminal work, "Whitelash: Unmasking White Grievance at the Ballot Box." Copeland emphasized the need to engage with Smith's findings, especially as the political landscape evolves with Donald Trump's return to the presidency.
In another presentation, titled "Racial Justice, the Bureaucratic State and Doctrinal Transformation: SFFA, Loper and the Major Question Doctrine, Copeland reflected on the Supreme Court's recent decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and how recent decisions in administrative law—Loper Bright v. Raimondo and the rise of the major question doctrine—will underwrite the broader reach of the affirmative action decision. His presentation focused on recent litigation challenging race-conscious policies by agencies that employed the affirmative action decision, Loper Bright, and the major question doctrine in their challenges.
During a roundtable discussion, professor Pablo Rueda Saiz focused on the New Legal Realism movement, now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Rueda Saiz explored NLR's contribution to understanding law as a complex phenomenon that often yields unintended consequences. He said that NLR approaches law by examining its multifaceted interactions with society, acknowledging that it is not merely a tool of oppression but a dynamic and evolving framework and stressing the movement's importance amid rising populism.
Parker participated in an author-meets-reader session, discussing his recent book, "The Turn to Process: American Legal, Political, and Economic Thought, 1870 - 1970." Parker's work outlines how American legal thought evolved from foundational truths to an emphasis on processes and methods, highlighting the implications of this shift for contemporary understandings of law and democracy.
Professor Rebecca Sharpless engaged participants in two panels focused on immigration and legal storytelling. She highlighted her recent book, "Shackled," which focused on the experiences of migrants within the U.S. deportation system. Grounded in personal narratives, Sharpless's work illuminates the structural issues marginalized communities face, fostering interdisciplinary discussions among scholars of law and sociology.
Collectively, these presentations epitomize the School of Law's commitment to addressing critical legal challenges in ways that reflect societal realities.
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