University of Illinois College of Law

Public employee speech has been protected by the Supreme Court's Pickering decision, but does that apply to the case of a former Illinois judge suing higher court for vacating his recall to the bench? Professors Jason Mazzone and Vikram Amar dig into the issues in their latest article.

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Judge James Brown’s Federal Lawsuit Against Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court Implicates Difficult and Fundamental Questions, Especially Under the First Amendment UC Davis Law professor Vikram David Amar and Illinois Law professor Jason Mazzone discuss the federal lawsuit brought by former Illinois judge James Brown against the Justices of the Illinois Supreme...

How should a federal bankruptcy court choose which state law to apply when more than one state could apply?

That is the question examined by Professor Ralph Brubaker in a recent article, which was discussed by the Harvard Bankruptcy Roundtable.

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The Erie Doctrine, Code Common Law, and Choice-of-Law Rules in Bankruptcy The Erie Doctrine, Code Common Law, and Choice-of-Law Rules in Bankruptcy By Ralph Brubaker (University of Illinois College of Law) Ralph Brubaker State law pervades bankruptcy litigation, as all parties’ relative rights in bankruptcy are governed by nonbankruptcy law, except to the extent modifie...

Bankruptcy Law Society students students Claudia Sierra and Gavin Sepanik recently organized a "meet your professors" event at Riggs Brewing Company. Student attendees were able to chat with bankruptcy professors Ralph Brubaker, Bob Lawless, and Charles Tabb, as well as adjunct professor Chris Koenig, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis who teaches International Bankruptcy for the College.

"What happens if the routine use of medical AI reduces rather than enhances the physician’s skills?"

That's the question behind Professor Sara Gerke's latest scholarship, available to read now in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

▶️ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41575-026-01210-y

Professor Robert Lawless related the shutting down of Spirit Airlines to hikers on a hill to the New York Times. Read their account to see how the metaphor fits.

▶️ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/business/spirit-airlines-shutting-down.html

Congratulations to our Anderson Center Trial Team of Lauren Dauber, Justin Fernando, Alan Kennedy, and Claudia Sierra, who finished as Semifinalists at the Syracuse National Military Trial Competition. Special congrats to Lauren Dauber, who won the award for the competition's "Best Opening Statement." Our team completed five trials in 2.5 days and received consistent praise for their professionalism, civility, and zealous advocacy.

This competition simulated a military court-martial, and all rounds were judged by either current or retired judge advocates. Our students had the opportunity to advocate before sitting military judges for the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. This is the second year in a row our team has finished as semifinalists in this competition. They were expertly coached by adjunct professors Kelsey Myers and Allen Abrams.

"Some of these emergency orders...might end up being the kind of permanent resolution," Professor Jason Mazzone said about the Supreme Court's shadow docket. Speaking with WGN's Let's Get Legal, he shared his expertise about how the procedures in the Court have changed in recent years.

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The Supreme Court’s modern ‘Shadow Docket’ Jason Mazzone is a professor at the University of Illinois and the Director of the Illinois Program in Constitutional Theory, History, and Law. He joins Jon Hansen on Let’s Get Legal to break down …

Recent grad, Masha Polupan ’26 is our latest Bona Fide Illini. Raised in the Chicago suburbs by Ukrainian immigrant parents, she was inspired to attend law school by her parents’ stories of the corruption and failure of the rule of law after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

“When you grow up with that background, hearing how my parents escaped authoritarianism, it feels really empowering to get an education that you can use to do something to prevent that kind of situation from replicating itself,” Polupan said.

She earned a political science degree at Loyola Chicago before attending Illinois Law, which she chose in part because of its reputation among lawyers in Chicago. The Chicago connection, in turn, helped Polupan find the job she’ll be taking on after graduating.

Based on her desire to work toward strengthening the rule of law, Polupan had come to law school wanting to do work for the federal government, and she had secured a job offer from the Department of Energy. When the offer was withdrawn as part of a government efficiency initiative, Polupan posted on LinkedIn to see if anyone might help her find different employment. Though they had only met briefly, Judge Debra Walker ‘87 was quick to message and provide connections and endorsement, which eventually helped Polupan get a summer position with a personal injury firm. That experience was critical to obtaining her full-time job after graduation.

“Without the Illinois alumni network, getting a job would not have been possible. There would have been no way for me, especially as a first-generation law student,” she said. “I have never been in a position before where somebody really stood up for me because of our institutional affiliation, and for me that reaffirmed that Illinois was the right choice. If this program means so much to alumni that they will reach out to a student they don’t necessarily have a relationship with and want to support them—that is amazing.”

In her recently concluded time as a student, Polupan competed on trial teams, was part of the Women’s Law Society and the Illinois Plaintiffs Law Association, and worked as a law clerk with the City of Champaign. Outside law school she enjoys running (a hobby she picked up as a stress reliever during her studies), video games, cooking, reading, and spending time with her family and loved ones.

If you know of a student that deserves to be highlighted as a Bona Fide Illini, nominate them here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1797361153

This year, we honored more employers than ever with our Employer Honor Roll. Created to recognize those regularly hire Illinois Law graduates, a record 85 employers were named to the Honor Roll for 2025–26. We are so grateful to those who help us deliver a strong array of job opportunities for our graduates. Read the full list and learn more on our website.

▶️ https://law.illinois.edu/illinois-law-names-85-employers-to-2025-26-employer-honor-roll/