Faculty Publications Display

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“Freedom Lives Hence, and Banishment Is Here”: The Weaponization of Immigration Law to Punish Political Dissidents

This Note explores the long and bipartisan history of the United States government’s weaponization of the immigration system to control, exclude, and expel percieved political enemies. The near-unlimited power that the federal government has acrrued in immigration matters has been used since the Founders’ generation to purge the country of those whose ideas and speech are seen by the powers that be as threatening or subversive. This Note traces the arc of such efforts from the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 to the explusion of activists under President Trump. The Note also examines attempts to force the courts to provide a check against retaliatory deportations and the judicial branch’s consistent refusal to accept any such responsibility. The piece concludes by reviewing two recent suits aiming to fight retaliatory deportations and noting the threat to the civil rights of all Americans – including citizens – that the repression of immigrants’ speech rights augurs

Faculty Publications Display

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Wiant, Lawlor, and Shibib

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The Character of International Law: A Festschrift for Rob Cryer (Emma J. Breeze, Mark Drumbl, Gerry Simpson & Marianne Wade eds., 2025)

Professor Robert Cryer was a foundational voice in modern international criminal law. This book celebrates his character, his life, his work, and his influence. The book is a Festschrift of love and admiration to a voice that is dearly missed. Fittingly, the book also continues to voice the many conversations that Rob started. It thereby doubles as a critical examination of the life of international law. The book constellates 17 expertly-authored chapters nurtured by four editors through five distinctive sections, each of which reflects on the character of international law. These sections, presented as acts, are: discipline and borders, (re)imagination and continuity, violence and reckoning, acoustics and storytelling, and friendship and kindness. A wide gamut of touchpoints dovetails into a beautifully eclectic medley. These include criminal law, the law of war, music and harm, gender-based violence, nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence, law after war, the crime of aggression, drones and targets, the domestication of international law, and the role of law in inter-state relations. The book journeys to many places, including Japan, Bosnia and Ukraine, while reflecting on the role of teaching and mentorship in the life of international law.https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/fac_books/1209/thumbnail.jp

W&L Law Library Main Reading Room

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Attendees in the Main Reading Room

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The Grass Is Not Always Greener: How the Legalization of Recreational Cannabis Across the United States Is at Odds with Incarceration and Continued Punishment

Whether you call it Mary Jane, skunky funky, green, ganja, reefer, or just plain-old cannabis, this special green plant doused in purple and orange accents has become a popular topic of discussion within the legal community and American culture. Cannabis has been held in “high” regard for its scientific advances in the medical industry, alongside its recreational usage, enjoyed by laughs and giggles, munchies, and plenty of water, leading to a wave of medical and recreational legalization. Incentives for legalization come at the onset of promising medical research, economic growth motives, and social justice, reflecting upon a comprehensive approach that seeks to address the injustices of past criminalization. However, regardless of its legalization, the burden of punishment and suffering has yet to be alleviated. Some states still house recreationally legal. Other states further include incarcerated individuals whose sentencing length included past conduct for simple possession prior to being legal. Although the Executive Branch has responded by pardoning individuals for simple possession, incarcerated and freed Americans are still being punished at the federal level through sentencing discrepancies. Thus, there are many questions to be asked and potential solutions to be addressed when pushing for recreational legalization across the United States, further encompassing states where it is already legal. As the push for recreational cannabis becomes more prevalent within the United States, these problems will predictably build upon themselves and be an ongoing conversation while seeking a solution for years to come. Even those who have been fully pardoned with expunged criminal histories face challenges in this new world after being targeted and unjustly spending years behind cold prison bars. This paper seeks to shed light on those issues and address a solution in the interest of social justice to alleviate further punishment on those within states where cannabis is now recreationally legal and address the injustices within state and federal prison systems. The world of recreational cannabis still has its issues, and advocates for its push toward legalization cannot sing Kumbaya just yet. There is still plenty of work to be done. Regardless of its legalization, the grass is not greener on the other side. At least not yet

Flower Arrangement

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Students

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