Supreme Court of Alabama Holds Special Session at The University of Alabama
The University of Alabama School of Law hosted the Supreme Court of Alabama for a special session on Wednesday, January 28 at the Frank Moody Music Building on campus.
“The Supreme Court was honored to accept the invitation from Dean Brewbaker and the School of Law to hold an oral argument on campus at the University of Alabama,” said Chief Justice Sarah Stewart. “It is imperative that students across campus have the opportunity to see the state’s highest court at work so they can learn how a case progresses through the judicial system and develop trust in the judiciary. After meeting many exceptional law students and learning more about the new School of Leadership and Policy at the University of Alabama, I am confident that the University of Alabama is training another generation of service-minded leaders.” Click here to learn more.
Alabama Law Hosts Jonathan Skrmetti for Inaugural Attorney General Luther Strange Public Service Lecture
On February 16, Jonathan Skrmetti, Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter, delivered the inaugural Attorney General Luther Strange Public Service Lecture at the Law School. General Skrmetti spoke about the importance of the rule of law and lawyers’ role in upholding the United States’ system of justice. He also took questions from the audience. Click here to learn more.
Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review Hosts Spring Symposium
On February 5 and 6, the Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review hosted their symposium, The Ever-Evolving Definition of America’s History and Tradition, at the Law School. The symposium brought together prominent legal scholars and practitioners to examine the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s growing reliance on historical analysis. Click here to learn more.
Gifts
Recognition of gifts of $5,000+ over the past month
Sherri T. Freeman (‘88) contributed $7,200 to the Michael David Freeman and Sherri Tucker Endowed Scholarship.
Hon. R. Austin Huffaker Jr. (‘99) contributed $10,000 to the Huffaker Family Endowed Law Scholarship.
George L. McMillan contributed $50,000 to the Ralph D. Gaines Jr. Scholarship Fund.
Hon. Roman A. Shaul (‘98) contributed $50,000 to the Lanier Dean’s Discretionary Fund.
William P. Jackson Jr. (‘63) contributed $50,000 to the William P. Jackson Jr. and Barbara Seignious Jackson Endowed Scholarship.
The following alumni and friends (not mentioned above) either made or renewed an annual giving contribution to the Alabama Law Alumni Society this month. Visit www.give.ua.edu to make or renew your contribution.
Glenn S. Gray (‘20)
Mary Scott Hunter (‘98)
Robin G. Laurie (‘88)
P. Keith Lichtman (‘01)
Jon N. Loupe (‘05)
Marcus M. Maples (‘06)
Lloyd Thompson McMurtrie (‘82)
James R. Mozingo (‘24)
Calvin Poole III (‘80)
Richard J.R. Raleigh Jr. (‘95)
H. Harold Stephens (‘80)
Class Notes
Keep us in the loop! Please send any updates to media@law.ua.edu.
D. Marcel Black (‘75) announced his retirement as Muscle Shoals’ City Attorney after 30 years of service.
Tara L. Blake (‘11) joined Kirkland & Ellis as a partner in Nashville.
Christopher E. Connolly (‘87) was appointed by Governor Kay Ivey as Circuit Judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Alabama in Lauderdale County.
James M. Crotty (‘08) was named a 2026 fellow for Small Wars Journal-El Centro in Tempe, Arizona.
Matthew S. Duke (‘08) was named chairman of the board of directors of VelocityTX.
Brandon Ford (‘13) joined Groom Law Group as an associate in Washington, D.C.
Alana Frederick (‘13) published Snails, Trains, and Pragmatist Claims, a review of Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism by Justice Stephen Breyer, in Harvard Law Review (with Hon. Kevin Newsom). She also has a forthcoming article in Yale Law Journal to be published this spring. Frederick is a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School this semester and has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Law School, Harvard Law School, and Stanford Law School.
Karmen E. Gaines (‘20) joined Butler Snow’s commercial litigation group in Birmingham.
John A. Garner (‘86) announced his retirement as executive director of the Alabama Public Service Commission after more than 15 years of service.
Wesley B. Gilchrist (‘05) was named managing partner at Lightfoot, Franklin & White in Birmingham.
Jordan S. Goewey (‘19) was elected as a shareholder of Thomas, Fisher & Edwards in Greenville, South Carolina. Additionally, he was designated a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Supreme Court of South Carolina.
Caitlin C. Goodwyn (‘21) was named a shareholder at Capell & Howard in Montgomery.
Madeleine Harpool (‘17) was elevated to partner at Starnes Davis Florie in Mobile.
Michael E. Hollingsworth II (‘99) was named to Atlanta Magazine’s 2026 Atlanta 500 list in the professionals category.
Sarah Hughes (‘20) was elected president of the Volunteer Lawyers of Birmingham Junior Board.
Kelsi Long (‘21) was named to The University of Alabama National Alumni Association’s 18 Under 31 Class of 2026, which spotlights exceptional young alumni making impacts in their careers and communities.
Blake A. Madison (‘94) and Glenda D. Webb (‘98) received Distinguished Service Awards from the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.
Amy H. Marlowe (‘93) was named to This is Alabama’s 2026 Women Who Shape the State list.
Joseph McGowin (‘12) was elevated to partner at Cunningham Bounds in Mobile.
Steven L. McPheeters (‘97) joined Maynard Nexsen as a shareholder in Birmingham.
Hon. Arthur W. Orr (‘89) was approved as the namesake of the Alabama Center for the Arts’ performing arts building at Athens State University.
Finley B. Reeves (‘19) was named shareholder at Stone Crosby in Daphne, Alabama.
Hon. Corey G. Seale (‘16) was appointed as Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge.
Hunter Windham (‘20) established his firm, Windham Law Office, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Tricia Wallwork (‘00), CEO of Milo’s, was featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine. The article, How America’s Most Popular Iced Tea Company Brewed Up A $1.7 Billion Family Fortune, is available online.
Faculty Notes
Professor Jeff Baker was a guest on two episodes of the Cross & Gavel podcast with Anton Sorkin for the Christian Legal Society, to discuss his recent articles: A Sermon on the Law: The Jurisprudence of Love and Christian Realism and the Sins of Mass Incarceration.
Professor Beth Crutchfield was a panelist for a discussion on Stalking in the Media in an event sponsored by the Camellia Center at The University of Alabama.
Professor Heather Elliott is a visiting research scholar at the Australian National University for part of Spring 2026. As part of that visit, she gave a talk hosted by the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and sponsored by the Australian Academy of Law and the ANU’s College of Law, Governance, and Policy. The talk, Original Discrimination: How the Supreme Court Disadvantages Plaintiff States, was attended by over 100, including two Australian High Court Justices.
Professor Russell Gold published Look What You Made Me Do in Washington & Lee Law Review, and an article that he co-authored with Leah Nelson called Fiscally Restraining Criminal Lawmaking was accepted for publication in Washington University Law Review.
Professor Susan Pace Hamill commented to several outlets on residency requirements for elected officials in Alabama, including governor and lieutenant governor (CNN, Alabama Reflector, AL.com).
Professor Ron Krotoszynski’s article, “Gitlow Revisited: Disentangling Ideas and Crimes Via the Harm Principle” was published in Vol. 6 of the Journal of Free Speech Law, a peer-reviewed law journal.
Professor Krotoszynski also appeared on a panel entitled The Expansion of Executive Power in the First Amendment Context at the Alabama Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review symposium, The Ever-Evolving Definition of America’s History and Tradition, earlier this month at the Law School.
Professor Travis Ramsey’s article, Interlocutory Appeals in Complex Litigation: A Rule 23(f), was published in Tulane Law Review.
Professor Ken Rosen led the panel Confronting AI: The Future of AI Regulation and Your Path to a Career in the AI and Tech Legal Fields with Professor Robin Feldman (UC Law SF) for a Federalist Society event at the University of California, San Francisco College of Law.
Professor Rosen also appeared as a guest on the Institute for Justice’s podcast, Short Circuit, to discuss economic freedom, history, and tradition, in the context of the American founding. Listen to the episode here.
Professor Clare Ryan commented on the impact of social media bans on children and teens in the Business Insider article, The Case for Letting Kids Stay on Social Media.
Professor Sean Tu was interviewed about his recent article, Serial patent litigation: an emerging strategy to delay entry of generic competition (Health Affairs Scholar 2025, with Timothy Bonis and Aaron S. Kesselheim), for the BioSpace article Proliferating Patents, Lawsuits Stave Off Pharmas’ Generic Competitors.
Professor Fred Vars’ articles, The Golden Gate Bridge Net Is Saving Lives and A Better Way to Respond to Mental Health Crises were published on Psychology Today. They precede the publication of his new book, Through the Fire: How People with Mental Illness are Empowering Each Other, on May 5.
Professor Vars also moderated a panel discussion about the Second Amendment — specifically, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions in Bruen and Rahimi — during the Alabama Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review symposium, The Ever-Evolving Definition of America’s History and Tradition, earlier this month at the Law School.