06/02/2026
Judge Brian E. Murphy ’06 of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts joined Dean Daniel Abebe for a fireside chat in April; they spoke about his path to the law, the nuances of sentencing, and the value of clerking. The conversation launched Columbia Law School’s Weil, Gotshal & Manges Distinguished Jurist Speaker Series.
💬 “One of my colleagues described clerking as all the benefits of being a judge but without having to take responsibility. And I think that that’s fairly true,” said Murphy. “Clerks are intimately involved in the decision-making, and they’re talking about the legal thinking, and they talk about the case. … It is a year where you will put in a lot of time, and you will perseverate a lot—as you should. But it’s an incredible experience.”
Read more from the conversation with Judge Murphy: https://bit.ly/3Qd9M50
06/02/2026
Professor George A. Bermann ’75 LL.M.—a world-renowned authority on comparative law, transnational litigation, and international arbitration who has trained generations of students—was honored at Columbia Arbitration Day 2026. The conference organized by the Law School’s International Arbitration Association paid tribute to Bermann’s 50 years of teaching at Columbia Law School and featured a special dinner on March 30, where faculty, students, alumni, and practitioners from around the world saluted the legendary scholar and teacher.
💬 Dean Daniel Abebe provided opening remarks at the dinner and praised Bermann’s “incredible range” as an academic. “In many ways, his work has shaped the architecture of international arbitration, making it more coherent, more legitimate, and more integrated across all systems. He’s a synthesizer, someone who brings doctrine, practice, and comparative insight into a single, highly influential body of work.”
Read more: https://bit.ly/4e2a2Mh.
05/22/2026
At a Lawyers, Community, and Impact event in March, faculty experts in constitutional law, national security, and the global economy considered the Supreme Court’s recent 6-3 decision in Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump, which held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the president to unilaterally impose tariffs. Moderated by Professor Benjamin Liebman, the panel featured Professors Anu Bradford, Gillian Metzger, and Matthew Waxman discussing the implications of the decision for the separation of powers, national security, and trade policy.
Faculty Experts on the Supreme Court’s Tariff Decision
At a recent Lawyers, Community, and Impact event, Columbia Law School faculty discussed the ramifications of the Supreme Court’s Learning Resources ruling for presidential power, foreign affairs, and trade.
05/22/2026