Super proud of our 4 teams who competed in the National Native American Law Student Association moot court competition hosted by @northwesternlaw.bsky.social. One team, 2Ls Lily Closson and Brenden Anderson, advanced to the Sweet 16, where they unfortunately lost to Columbia.

Register now to hear Professor @randersenjones.bsky.social discuss her new book "The Future of Press Freedom" March 4 from 12-1:30 p.m. on Zoom. She'll be joined by co-editor @sonjawest.bsky.social and contributors Helen Norton, @ckoningisor.bsky.social, and @victorpickard.bsky.social.

While in Chicago, I had the chance to catch up with our lovely alumnus, Jim Hardy. I really enjoy catching up with alumni across the country!

A big thank you to our Utah NNALSA alumni Adam Snow and Parker Airmet (seated with 3L Bre Hickerson), who came back to judge our NNALSA teams before they leave to compete in Chicago. We have the best alumni!

Loved the opportunity to join the fabulous @profmelaniebjacobs.bsky.social as a discussant for a conversation on mental health!

Loved joining members of the Utah Law Board of Directors for a meeting of all @utah.edu alumni boards. We have such amazing alumni who serve on the board. It is an honor and privilege to work with them.

Reflecting on the too-short life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the enduring legacy he left. I love that he is quoted on the wall of our moot courtroom.

@deankronkwarner.bsky.social is quoted in this ABA Journal article about what law school accreditation could look like if states leave the American Bar Association legal education and admissions section. Texas was the first state to withdraw.

Loved catching up with fabulous Utah Law alumna Trina Higgins!

I enjoyed Professor @jcontreras.bsky.social’s very interesting presentation on patent infringement cases/remedies in state courts yesterday.

Honored to be named #11 on National Jurist magazine's list of the 25 most influential people in legal education! nationaljurist.com/the-25-most-...

Fun times at the Las Vegas Bowl with our amazing alumni! Go Utah!

A big thank you to Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives Mike Schultz and SJQ alumnus David Broadbent for taking time today to discuss how the College of Law can serve Utah.

I had a great night yesterday celebrating David (‘76) and Helene Leta’s newly endowed student scholarships at the Colleges of Law and Social Work. Thank you so much for the generous gifts!

Our annual staff ugly sweater/white elephant gift exchange is one of my favorite events of the year. Kudos to the Employee Action Committee for putting on a great event. I got the best present I never knew I needed in the exchange!

Loved spending time with alumnus Wayne Petty today!

I had a lovely visit tonight with SJQ alum George Haley (‘78)!

Professor @jcontreras.bsky.social coauthored an article in @nature.com with @realjlo.bsky.social, Christopher R. Donohue, @jonathanmoreno.bsky.social, Ana Santos Rutschman, Joshua Sarnoff, @drsinhaesq.bsky.social + Thomas Stoeger about 23andMe + its database. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Enjoyed seeing SJQ friends and alumni at the president’s annual holiday party!

Wow! The @utah.edu football game was way too close for comfort, but I loved spending time with our amazing SJQ alumni. Go Utah!

I enjoyed a trip to Ogden yesterday to visit some of our wonderful alumni there, including the fabulous Dennis Gladwell, class of 1970.

@deankronkwarner.bsky.social is in a new documentary called “Diverted: Indigenous Stewardship and Saving Great Salt Lake." It focuses on Indigenous voices and Indigenous peoples’ traditional connections and ecological knowledge to save the lake. Learn more in this @sltrib.com article.

Packed house at the Natural History Museum of Utah yesterday for Professor Bob Keiter’s discussion of his new book on conserving wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Kudos!

In honor of Veterans Day, we hosted a thought-provoking panel called “Defining Military Victory: From Vietnam to Iraq/Afghanistan to the Gaza Strip.” A big thank you to Professor Jim Holbrook, Professor Amos Guiora, Brig. Gen. David Irvine, and Lieut. Cmdr. David Schwendiman for their presentations.

The Bar Commissioners is accepting nominations for three prestigious awards to be presented at the 2026 Spring Convention. 🏆 Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award 🏆 Raymond S. Uno Award 🏆 Utah Legal Well-Being Impact Award 📅 Nomination Deadline: Monday, January 19, 2026 🔗 www.utahbar.org/awards/#Nomi...

Today was my last meeting as chair of the AALS Deans Steering Committee. It was a true privilege to serve with these amazing law school leaders and friends!

I'm excited for this debate! Please join us!

I had a great time helping recruit the SJQ class of 2029 at the LA Forum. Kudos to Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jason Owen for the invite and great recruiting, and LSAC for hosting a great event.

I had lovely visits this week to Newport, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills to see our amazing alumni in Southern California!

Continued one of my favorite annual traditions today: the Quinney Open ping pong tournament. Dean Burton and I also continued our annual tradition of losing the first round—but we had fun.

Unfortunately, the Utah Utes did not win Saturday's game against the BYU Cougars, so I wore the promised BYU shirt today. A bet is a bet!

A big thank you to former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native Secretary of the Interior, for taking time to talk to students attending the Cutting Sign to the Legal Profession conference this weekend! This event helps students network with leaders who practice Indian law.

Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! I'm proud to be a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and share a few important contributions from indigenous peoples, including innovations in government and medical uses from plants.

I'm challenging @brighamyoungu.bsky.social Law School Dean David Moore to a challenge! The @utah.edu Utes play the Cougars on Oct. 18. If your school loses, the loser has to wear a shirt from the winner's school all day the following Monday. Are you in?

Loved seeing all of the new lawyers sworn into the @utatstatebar.bsky.social yesterday. It was especially wonderful to celebrate with our fabulous graduates!

Really enjoyed celebrating our amazing Utah Law alumni, Hope Eccles and Charlotte Miller, and my fabulous boss, Provost Mitzi Montoya, at Utah Business Magazine's Most Influential Women luncheon last week!

Enjoyed attending the Legal Aid Society Annual Gala (this year's theme was fantasy) and seeing so many amazing Utah Law alumni! Also happy for the opportunity to support the great work LAS does to help end domestic violence.

I have a challenge for Dean Haider Hamoudi of the University of Cincinnati College of Law. The Cincinnati Bearcats play the Utah Utes on Nov. 1. The dean of the school that loses the game has to wear a t-shirt from the winning school all day the following Monday. Let's go, Utah!

So excited to celebrate our two amazing alumnae, Hope Eccles and Charlotte Miller, at the Utah Business reception today for Utah's Most Influential Women of 2025. They have done so much for our community! This was a richly deserved recognition.

I love hearing from our alumni! Christian Barbiero (JD '17) shared this picture sporting a Utah hat (and flashing the U) in Tropea, Italy.

Yesterday was a lovely day at @utah.edu! Started with an inspiring talk by Dr. Arthur Brooks on happiness, enjoyed serving pizza at our employee appreciation event, and capped off the day at the All Rise Dinner, with a keynote from alumna Justice Jill Pohlman. Proud to be part of amazing community!

“My mother was completely illiterate. Yet despite her not having an education, I learned the best lessons through her. Somebody can be educated without a formal education. She instilled a deep respect for learning." Meet Norma Erekson, who recently graduated with her Master of Legal Studies degree!

Really enjoyed the opportunity to chat with Shawna Failner's government class at Uintah River High School in celebration of Constitution Day. We chatted about how the Constitution does (and does not) apply to tribes. They were a great group of students!

I love spending time with our amazing alumni and hearing about all they have accomplished. Today I got to meet with Hon. Livingston and Paul Drecksel (not pictured). So impressive!

Excited to be part of this!

I spent the morning at the Capitol thinking about effective legal workforce development. Really enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with legislators and stakeholders on this important issue!

I was honored to be invited to the meeting of the Tenth Circuit in Santa Fe as a member of the Tenth Circuit Tribal Relations Advisory Committee. So happy that SJQ 3L Isaac Santos was able to join me.

I'm excited to be part of the Utah Law Symposium next month!

Professor Cliff Rosky, an LGBTQ rights expert, filed an amicus brief with @utah.edu Professor Lisa Diamond in the Supreme Court case Chiles v. Salazar (challenging the constitutionality of Colorado’s conversion therapy ban) to provide scientific consensus about the harms of conversion therapy.

Professor @randersenjones.bsky.social, a First Amendment scholar, has published a new book with Professor @sonjawest.bsky.social called “The Future of Press Freedom: Democracy, Law and the News in Changing Times" with chapters from more than two dozen top scholars. www.law.utah.edu/news-article...