Common Law

Harvard Law School professor Richard Lazarus discusses how environmentalists made history with the U.S. Supreme Court case Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency.

University of Virginia School of Law professor Saikrishna Prakash discusses his new book on how the presidency’s authority has grown and how Congress might check the executive.

As the world battles the novel coronavirus, University of Virginia history professor Christian McMillen discusses what lessons we can learn — and improve upon — from past pandemics.

Why did colonists wear Native American costumes at the Boston Tea Party? Professor Farah Peterson investigates the history of mob protests for economic rights on the path to America’s unwritten constitution.

As women began to enter law school, educators worried about whether the curriculum was fit for female ears, UVA Law professor Anne Coughlin explains. These same issues manifest today in debates over whether professors can teach the law of sexual assault in an era of trigger warnings.

Former U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance ’85 discusses a revolution in how prosecutors are thinking about and pursuing justice.

The Supreme Court took on New York Times Co. v. Sullivan in 1964, in part, to protect the civil rights movement. But did justices go too far in making libel hard to prove? UVA Law professor Frederick Schauer explains new concerns.

The Supreme Court said the Constitution didn’t guarantee a right to education in the 1973 case San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, but litigation aiming for equity continues, as UVA Law professor Kimberly Robinson explains.

A Union effort to redistribute land to former slaves during the Civil War unraveled because of the efforts of Southern lawyers, UVA Law professor Cynthia Nicoletti explains.

As World War II made clear, the United States needed to step up on civil liberties and civil rights to take on the Soviet Union, UVA Law professor G. Edward White explains.

After the U.S. surgeon general released a landmark report on the dangers of smoking, lawyers and activists helped curb a public health epidemic, UVA historian Sarah Milov explains.

The second season of “Common Law” explores pivotal moments when law — and lawyers — changed the world. Hosts Risa Goluboff and Leslie Kendrick look back at turning points that shed light on the world today and how we got here. Tune in Oct. 1 for the first episode.

With scientific evidence an intrinsic and complex part of today’s court cases, can judges keep up? Senior U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff of the Southern District of New York discusses challenges and opportunities for jurists.

UVA Law professors Richard Schragger and Micah Schwartzman join Cornell’s Nelson Tebbe to discuss the evolution of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on religion.

As tech transforms traditional warfare, UVA Law professor Ashley Deeks explains how national security is changing and discusses whether the law can keep up.

From courtroom apps to analyzing law texts, UVA Law professor Michael Livermore explains how technology is reshaping legal processes and yielding new insights.

UVA Law professor and insurance and torts expert Kenneth Abraham and alum Mike Raschid ’86, chief legal officer and vice president of operations at Perrone Robotics, discuss what a future with autonomous vehicles will mean for liability and beyond.

Public health policy expert and UVA Law professor Dayna Bowen Matthew ’87 explores social and legal factors — such as where you live and your race — that affect health outcomes, and how lawyers and doctors are teaming up to confront these challenges.

We take a break from this season’s focus on the future of law to explore the future (and past) of Westeros with Virginia Solicitor General Toby Heytens ’00 and Professor Mila Versteeg.

UVA Law professor Ruth Mason explains why the world is at a crossroads on international tax, as nations consider how to ensure that corporations like Google, Amazon and Apple are paying their fair share in a digital economy.