Critical Race Studies on the Front Lines

In a year of unprecedented attention on race and the law, scholars in our pioneering program led the national conversation on critical race theory. Led by those who helped define the field—Devon Carbado, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Laura Gómez, Cheryl Harris, and Jerry Kang—our program convened leaders, took to the airwaves, launched a national database on anti-CRT legislation, and saw record enrollment of UCLA Law students.

Williams Institute at 20

Our landmark Williams Institute celebrated two decades of ground-breaking research on the lives of LGBTQ citizens. This year alone, the Williams Institute worked on the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, introduced a new small grants program, and announced Cary Franklin as Faculty Director. We also welcomed a special guest to our 20th anniversary celebration: the Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Graton Scholars Arrive to Serve Native Nations

Last year, UCLA Law announced a major gift: $15 million from The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for full-tuition scholarships for students to pursue careers as tribal advocates. This year, we welcomed the first three Graton Scholars: Ashley Anderson, Shara Burwell, and Rachel Hsu. All three are committed to advocating for Indian country and advancing Indigenous rights.

COVID Behind Bars

As the pandemic entered a second year, our project to track COVID in America’s prisons and jails became the official resource used by the CDC for such cases. Led by Sharon Dolovich, the project now also tracks the vaccination rates
among incarcerated persons and corrections officers, and is leading efforts to improve vaccine access for prisoners and vaccine adoption by prison and jail employees.

Center for Immigration Law & Policy

Immigration is one of the most important issues for California, and for the nation. UCLA Law’s new Center for Immigration Law and Policy is guided by leading scholar Hiroshi Motomura and leading practitioner Ahilan Arulanantham. Between them, they bring over a half-century of cutting-edge research and precedent-setting advocacy into our hallways and classrooms as we lean into helping inform good policy for the decades ahead.

New Program on Philanthropy and Nonprofits

The philanthropy world is on the precipice of revolutionary change, with tens of trillions of dollars in wealth soon to change hands from baby boomers to younger generations. UCLA Law’s new Program on Philanthropy and Nonprofits, housed within the Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law & Policy and led by Jill Horwitz, is devoted to cutting-edge research, training, and policy in this dynamic and evolving area of law and society.

Promise Institute for Human Rights Leads Push on Ecocide

In 2021, the Promise Institute for Human Rights convened global leaders to take on one of the greatest human rights threats, global climate change. One urgent response to the crisis? Establishing an international legal standard for the crime of ecocide, or mass environmental destruction. Thanks to Promise’s leadership, a new ecocide law has been written and is now before the International Criminal Court for ratification.

Reproductive Health Law & Policy Center Launching

Law schools often take the lead when rights are under assault, and UCLA Law is stepping up now that reproductive rights are endangered in the courts and in various legislatures. Our new center on reproductive health, law, and policy will
develop legal theories and policies to combat the erosion of reproductive freedom, provide training to lawyers, judges, and policymakers, and teach the next

Clausing and Carlson Join the Biden Administration

Two tenured UCLA Law faculty members, Kim Clausing and Ann Carlson, have taken temporary leaves from the law school to join the new presidential administration in Washington, D.C. Clausing now serves as a deputy assistant secretary leading the Office of Tax Analysis at the Treasury Department while Carlson is at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as its chief counsel, focusing on climate change and car safety.

Testifying Before Congress

Four members of UCLA Law’s faculty were invited to share their expertise with several congressional committees. Hiroshi Motomura and E. Tendayi Achiume both testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties during Spring 2021, with Motomura giving his expertise on “Discrimination and Violence Against Asian Americans” and Achiume addressing H.R. 40: Exploring the Path to Reparative Justice in America, a measure on Slavery Reparations. Meanwhile, Jason Oh appeared before the U.S. House’s Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, on a panel titled “Funding our Nation’s Priorities: Reforming the Tax Code’s Advantageous Treatment of the Wealthy,” and Lauren van Schilfgaarde addressed the House Committee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States on the topic of the RESPECT Act.

Arulanantham to Argue at the Supreme Court

On November 8, Professor from Practice Ahilan Arulanantham will make his third appearance before the nation’s highest court, this time arguing on behalf of a group of Muslim men who were illegally spied upon by the F.B.I. in the aftermath of 9/11. The case originated in 2011, when Arulanantham was Senior Counsel for the ACLU of Southern California. Arulanantham is no stranger to high-stakes immigration cases, having successfully litigated Franco-Gonzalez v. Holder, the first case to establish a federal right to appointed counsel for any group of immigrants, and Jennings v. Rodriguez, which secured the due process rights of immigrants jailed for years while litigating their deportation cases.

Joseph Fishkin, Professor of Law

Teaches and writes about employment discrimination law, election law, constitutional law, education law, fair housing law, poverty and inequality, and distributive justice. Joins us from The University of Texas School of Law.

Cary Franklin, McDonald Wright Chair of Law and Faculty Director Williams Institute

Teaches and writes in the areas of constitutional law,  antidiscrimination law, and legal history. Joins us from The University of Texas School of Law.

Mark McKenna, Professor of Law and Faculty Co-Director Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology, and Sports Law

Teaches and writes in the area of intellectual property and privacy law. Joins us from Notre Dame Law School.

Anna Spain Bradley, Professor of Law and UCLA Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The university's leading officer for EDI issues and a scholar of international law, international human rights, and international dispute resolution. Previously at University of Colorado Boulder.

Lindsay F. Wiley, Professor of Law

Teaches and writes on health law and policy. Joins us January 2022 from American University Washington College of Law, where she ran the Health Law and Policy Program.

Ahilan Arulanantham, Professor From Practice, Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy

An experienced litigator on immigration issues, he was previously Senior Counsel for the ACLU of Los Angeles.

Michael Karanicolas, Executive Director UCLA Institute for Technology Law & Policy

Formerly the Wikimedia Fellow at Yale Law, where he led the Initiative on Intermediaries and Information.

Cindy X. Lin, Executive Director of the Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology, and Sports Law

She was the senior director of legal and business affairs for Sega of America and, before that, senior counsel at Twentieth Century Fox.