UC Law San Francisco

09/22/2026

Prof. Ming Hsu Chen, faculty director of the Center for Race, Immigration, Citizenship and Equality, hosted a panel exploring the boundaries of citizenship — a widely debated topic since the executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship. Chen was joined by Lucia Martel-Dow LLM '12, attorney and director of the New Americans Campaign (NAC), Immigrant Legal Resource Center; Sidra Mahfooz, staff attorney, ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project; and Sandra Wong, descendant of Wong Kim Ark.

Chen said that in addition to understanding the law of citizenship, "it is important to look beyond the law in understanding ... the public dialogue, that these seemingly legal events can have and can spark.” The panelists discussed the “chilling effect” caused by policies that introduce confusion about accessing the benefits of citizenship and the need for reliable information.

09/22/2026

AI is changing everything. Read about how UC Law SF is preparing students and practitioners, in the Fall 2026 UC Law SF magazine: https://www.uclawsf.edu/uc-law-sf-magazine/

09/18/2026

Professor Dave Owen spoke to The Sacramento Bee about how voters and local governments view the rapid spread of data centers powering the rise of AI. Owen said cities are taking positions ranging from prohibiting data centers to offering subsidies while residents raise questions, and that it is important to examine potential water and power usage. “We’re seeing how people feel about a land use that comes in rapidly, without much process, and it’s new and unfamiliar,” he said.

Planning Director Greg Sandlund said Wednesday that in order to allow such a project, the city would have to amend its zoning code.

09/18/2026

Liz Morris, co-director of UC Law SF’s Center for WorkLife Law, explained to Bloomberg Law what early court outcomes in PUMP Act cases suggest about how the law is working in practice. The 2022 law expanded workplace protections for breastfeeding employees. Morris said, “Plaintiffs are faring better under the PUMP Act than in other employment discrimination matters generally.”

Breastfeeding workers are notching early wins in the first court decisions taking up a relatively new law expanding rights to pumping in the workplace.

09/17/2026

Professor Zachary Price spoke with CBS News about President Trump’s proposal to send $5,000 to every American if Republicans retain control of Congress in this year’s elections. Addressing limits on executive spending power, Price said, “The president simply does not have constitutional authority to make the payments without legislation providing him with the money.”

President Trump pledged $5,000 to all American adults if Republicans retain control of Congress. You may not be able to take that to the bank.

09/17/2026

Professor Emeritus Rory Little, an expert on constitutional law, addressed with KCBS the Supreme Court’s Sept. 14 rejection of restrictions to mail-in voting sought by the Trump Administration. “The court is not going to allow the president to act, at least without congressional approval, and there is not going to be any congressional approval between now and November,” Little said. While the 7-2 Supreme Court vote blocked this effort, Little said, “I don’t think it is the end of the road with [presidential] efforts to influence the elections.”

The Supreme Court has rejected President Trump's effort to limit mail-in voting ahead of the midterm elections. For more, KCBS Radio News Anchor Rebecca Goodeyon spoke with Rory Little, Law Professor at UC Law San Francisco. Getty Images / Hannah Beier / Stringer

09/16/2026

Professor John Crawford, an expert on business law and cryptocurrency, discussed with Bloomberg the risk of a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins. Many stablecoins are tied to the U.S. dollar and are seen as a method of ensuring the dollar remains a benchmark currency, but others are not and can be placed in risky investments that could destabilize financial markets. “What happens in offshore dollar markets does not stay in offshore dollar markets,” Crawford said.

The Genius Act may boost demand for Treasuries. It could also cause problems in that critical market.

09/15/2026

UC Law SF’s new magazine is out! Catch up on the latest school news, alumni activity, faculty achievements and review the impact of longtime Dean David Faigman: https://www.uclawsf.edu/uc-law-sf-magazine/

09/11/2026

Professor Mary Hoopes, an expert in immigration policy, spoke with HuffPost about the Department of Homeland Security’s use of social media to encourage Haitian professionals to self-deport. The campaign offers those who leave the United States a $3,000 “exit bonus.” Hoopes said: "While the U.S. has a long history of using fear to encourage voluntary departure, this is the first time I’ve seen an administration take aim specifically at a highly educated group and treat this ‘exit bonus’ as some sort of genuine incentive."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dhs-tweet-haitian-professionals-trump-immigration_l_6aa0588ae4b0186919a71dfd

They’re saying the quiet part out loud now.

09/11/2026

State Senator Tom Umberg (D-Orange County) came to campus today to present a California Senate proclamation to Chancellor & Dean David Faigman, offering “the highest commendations for his professional and educational service.” Faigman, who joined the faculty in 1987 and became dean in 2016, is stepping down from the role in June. Umberg, a 1980 alum of the school, praised Faigman for navigating a variety of challenges and for the growth of the school. “In the last 10 years the school has been transformed, physically and academically,” he said. Later, Umberg and his Chief of Staff Aria Ghafari ’14 addressed students in the school’s Legislation Clinic.