School district police departments can't take child abuse reports, new Texas Attorney General opinion says
David Kwok with the University of Houston Law Center said he believes objectivity was central to the opinion. "I suspect part of the concern is whether or not there was third-party accountability, that if it's within the same school system, there's less transparency with regard to the outside about what is going on," Kwok said.
In Memoriam: Michael Emory Clark
Mike earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1979, and went on to receive his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law in 1982, where he met his wife, Diane. He later returned to the classroom to earn two Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees from the University of Houston Law Center – Taxation in 1996; Health Law in 2000 – a reflection of his lifelong commitment to mastering his craft. Beyond the courtroom, Mike was a dedicated teacher. He served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center and was on the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. He was a prolific author and editor, serving as co-author of White Collar Crime (3rd Edition), Editor-in-Chief of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Law treatise, and editor of Corporate Criminal Liability treatise, among numerous articles he wrote on healthcare fraud and regulatory enforcement.
Experts weigh in on banning facilities and other legal questions
Kellen Zale, a professor who teaches land-use law at the University of Houston, has a more nuanced view on the question of whether local governments that do have zoning authority can outright ban data centers. She said they can try, but they risk being sued. Not because of a federal zoning law that doesn’t exist, but because of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “It's a concept known as a regulatory taking,” she said.
The Dallas Morning News
In "Data centers are reshaping parts of Texas. Neighbors outside the city, county line feel powerless," University of Houston Law Center Associate Professor Kellen Zale says neighbors having issues with what's being built just across the city or county line is a "long-standing issue in land-use law that doesn't have a great solution," with data centers the latest example alongside landfills, truckyards and even music venues.
Hello Houston
On today's Hello Houston, the University of Houston Law Center's David Froomkin joins us to help us make sense of what's happening with mail-in voting after a federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump's executive order imposing restrictions on mail-in voting.
More than a million Texans are on voter suspense lists, face Oct. 5 deadline to update addresses
"If voters don’t take action to correct an erroneous addition of the voter to the suspense list, then the voter will be purged in two years," said David Froomkin, an assistant professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center. "The state imposes that legal obligation on the county registrar."
Briefcase: Redistricting
The Constitution has guaranteed our freedoms and rights for over 200 years. In this regular series, Dean Leonard Baynes with the University of Houston Law Center looks at the Amendments and how they relate to society today. “Redistricting is the process of redrawing political district lines.” “It typically happens once every ten years after the U. S. census, so that the districts reflect changes in population.” “Recently , however, several states have redrawn district maps in between the ten year census through new legislation and in response to court ruling irrespective of population changes.”
Opinion: An ICE official wanted in Minnesota walked free. Is extradition now voluntary?
If adopted more broadly, the stall-and-release tactic approved by the court this week will belong to every governor who would rather not return someone to a disliked state — and such governors will not be hard to find. The federal court ruling this week weakens the glue that holds America together by returning us to the pre-Civil War environment in which governors had no enforceable obligation to return those subject to extradition.
Trump wants FCC to go after this TV host. What happens now?
Nikolas Guggenberger, an assistant law professor at the University of Houston, said Trump's comments about Welker could be a case of "jawboning," where government officials try to influence behavior or policy through heavy persuasion, lobbying or verbal pressure rather than formal laws or direct orders.
Clarence Thomas May Get to Overturn Case He Opposed 22 Years Ago
"If the Supreme Court grants cert, they are most likely to do it to reverse the Fourth Circuit and kill off Locke," Seth Chandler, Law Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center, told Newsweek.
Meta Settlement Dangles $5.3B to Force TikTok and YouTube Into Its Framework
"It fuses the interests of both the AGs and Meta together," Nikolas Guggenberger, an assistant professor at the University of Houston Law Center, told Engadget. "Both of them can now pressure — and have an incentive to pressure — the other players into a similar agreement."
Military's arrest power at southern border grows. What's behind the change?; President Trump expanded the U.S. military's role in immigration enforcement, and a new legal opinion gives the Pentagon greater arrest powers at the southern border.
The actual activity that the opinion claims to authorize is "relatively minimal," says Chris Mirasola, assistant professor at the University of Houston Law Center. But the legal reasoning is "incorrect" and "dangerous" for how it might scale beyond the border, he says. Letting the Pentagon define which activities amount to military purposes also lets it decide the "scope of the Posse Comitatus Act," says Professor Mirasola.
‘That way — go, go!’ Uber driver’s ride becomes impromptu police cruiser after it’s commandeered during Houston manhunt
David Kwok, director of the Criminal Justice Institute at the University of Houston Law Center, said Baines didn’t have much of a choice because the officers would have been able to argue that there were exigent circumstances to take such unusual actions. “Sometimes there are exigencies and emergencies that courts say that is sufficient to justify what would otherwise be trampling on someone’s rights,” Kwok said.
The 2026 Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia
Chandler has converted decades of computational legal scholarship into three concrete contributions to legal education. His "augmented seminar" lets students use AI to develop topics and test arguments while holding them fully responsible for sourcing, verifying, and defending every claim, a model that produced a published 289-page student anthology. His course Large Language Models for Lawyers moves instruction from demonstration to practice, and his free platform, legaled.ai, shares his course designs and experiments with faculty nationwide.
Minnesota sues Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, demanding ICE agent’s extradition
The process of extradition, enshrined in the constitution and codified in U.S. law, was set up so a person who commits a crime in one state cannot evade the criminal justice system by fleeing to another. The other state is required to return the alleged criminal back to the place they committed the crime. “It’s part of the glue that holds the nation together and it is a mandatary obligation,” said Seth Chandler, law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.
More than half of people in the Harris County Jail have mental health indicators, data shows
"Incarceration is probably the least therapeutic kind of setting that you can have. Just the whole notion of putting someone in custody for therapy is... there's a dissonance there. However, we do have mental health professionals," Thompson said. "Before they're even seeing a judge or anything, they're already being assessed by mental health professionals."
Remaking Houston's TV news landscape
"It's unhealthy if one company dominates local broadcasting," said Nikolas Guggenberger, an antitrust and media law professor at the University of Houston. "On the labor side, I think it also has the potential to have devastating consequences."
Briefcase: Voting Rights Act
In this regular series, Dean Leonard Baynes with the University of Houston Law Center looks at the Amendments and how they relate to society today. “The U.S. Supreme Court decided a major ruling on how states draw congressional maps under the Voting Rights Act. The case centered on section 2 of the Landmark Law, which prohibits practices that dilute the power of minority voters.”
Hello Houston 08-13-2026
University of Houston law professor Seth Chandler discusses a federal judge ruling a decades-old Houston program that gives some city contracts to minority-owned businesses unconstitutional and what this could mean for the city's contracting programs.
While data centers boom in Texas, their plans stay shrouded in secrecy
Tracy Hester, an environmental law professor at the University of Houston, said data centers don’t appear to be more secretive than any other major private industry. But transparency has become a heightened issue because of the nature of how new the industry feels and how widely the resource-intensive facilities are proliferating all at once.
Texas parents sue to block Ten Commandments display in public schools under state religious freedom law
“The Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act gives people more for protection of their religious liberties than the U.S. Constitution does and it requires that if there's been a substantial burden on the exercise of religion, then it becomes the government's burden to show that they have a compelling interest in doing what they've done,” Seth Chandler, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center said. “That's a much more difficult test for the government to meet than existed in the federal case.”
Man sues City of Houston for detaining him until ICE arrived, lawsuit says
Constitutional law expert Seth Chandler says in general police can only hold you at a traffic stop for the amount of time it takes to conduct the stop itself. He says if officers find you have a criminal warrant during that stop, they can hold you longer to investigate. "The question here is whether an immigration warrant, which is not issued by a traditional judge, should be treated the same as an allegation that you were involved in a bank robbery or another violation police observed while conducting the traffic stop," Chandler said.
Minority-owned firms face uncertain future after ruling threatens millions in contracts
Seth Chandler, a law professor at the University of Houston Law Center, said that even without the recent SCOTUS decisions, Houston's program would have had difficulties standing up to legal scrutiny. "(The city is) sort of relying on ambient discrimination in the world or the fact there might be a shortfall in minority-owned businesses as a basis for having these programs, but those theories don't cut it, at least in the modern Supreme Court's 'colorblind theory' of the Equal Protection Clause," Chandler said.
Briefcase-What Happens if the Results of an Election is Challenged?
The Constitution has guaranteed our freedoms and rights for over 200 years. In this regular series, Dean Leonard Baynes with the University of Houston Law Center looks at the Amendments and how they relate to society today.
Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office lieutenant admits to improper use of Flock cameras per docs
"Accessing information you're not supposed to by itself typically would be an administrative or ethical violation," University of Houston law professor David Kwok told ABC13.
What are your rights as a renter if your air conditioner goes out?
"Always start with keeping your rent paid. Once you don't pay, some of the protections could go away," University of Houston Law Civil Justice Clinic Director Ryan Marquez said.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire says HPD can’t investigate ICE shooting. Legal experts disagree
"If you have a federal officer who just at point-blank decides to kill someone, that’s a state crime — that would be murder under state law," Thompson said. "They’re not relieved of jurisdiction just because the person is a federal agent. Now, what (HPD's) language says is, ‘If they’re acting in the course of their normal duties,' but that really can’t be determined until there is an investigation."
Briefcase: Changes in Federal Student Loans
The Constitution has guaranteed our freedoms and rights for over 200 years. In this regular series, Dean Leonard Baynes with the University of Houston Law Center looks at the Amendments and how they relate to society today. “A new federal law ill change how students pay for graduate and professional school.
Hello Houston (June 30, 2026)
Ernie Manouse and guest host Chau Nguyen talk about today's top stories at the top of each hour, which includes breaking down all the latest rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court with Houston Public Media's Politics and Government reporter Andrew Schneider and University of Houston Law Center's Seth Chandler.
Texas Democrats, immigrant rights groups breathe sigh of relief as Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship
“They weren't willing to defer to the executive here, on the executive's interpretation of the Constitution,” said Seth Chandler, a law professor at the University of Houston. “They were going to independently evaluate it.”
Today on Texas Standard: US Supreme Court issues ruling on birthright citizenship
The U.S. Supreme Court issued its final decisions of the current term this morning, ruling on cases related to transgender athletes, campaign finance and a highly anticipated decision concerning birthright citizenship. Seth Chandler, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center, joins Texas Standard to break down the decisions.
Hello Houston (June 30, 2026)
Houston Public Media In the second hour, Sandra Guerra Thompson, a professor of law and former director of the Criminal Justice Institute at the University of Houston Law Center, joins us to discuss the history of the insanity defense and how psychological defenses are used in criminal cases. Read more...
Supreme Court undermines TPS program, putting 147,000 immigrants in Texas at risk of deportation
Seth Chandler, who teaches constitutional law at the University of Houston Law Center, said the ruling has dramatic consequences for Texas, which hosts one of the largest concentrations of TPS holders in the U.S. "It basically streamlines the ability of the Trump administration to revoke TPS status, not just for the Haitians and Syrians who were litigating in the case the Supreme Court decided today, but with respect to Hondurans, Nepalis, Afghans, and perhaps critically for Houston, potentially Venezuelans as well," Chandler said.
Can a judge ban someone from Texas? Experts weigh in after Jake Lang exiled
While Sandra Guerra Thompson, professor at the University of Houston Law Center, sees the case as "unusual," it is not entirely "out of line" on Judge Roach's part, she told Chron. "Judges have really broad discretion with regard to pretrial conditions," Thompson explained. She guesses that the court likely viewed Lang's removal from Texas as a way to reduce potential risks to witnesses and other individuals involved in the case.
Houston Matters: Data centers and heat
We talk with Nikolas Guggenberger from the UH Law Center about the recent incident of a woman who was killed when an autonomous Tesla crashed into her home, and discuss the legal implications for the driver/passenger.
Hello Houston 06-23-26
In the second hour of the show, we turn to estate planning and talk with Hilary Reed, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center, who educates us on the best practices for writing a will or trust, and how thoughtful planning can help protect your loved ones.
Hello Houston - The Commuter Cut
Nikolas Guggenberger, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center, joins us to discuss Florida's lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, for allegedly concealing risks about ChatGPT from its users, and what this could mean for the future of AI regulation.
LISTEN: Brian Hooker’s own words appear to place him in the water the night missing wife vanished in Bahamas
Kenneth Engerrand, an adjunct professor of maritime law at the University of Houston Law Center and a seasoned attorney, observed that Brian’s various accounts of that fateful night simply do not align with physical or logical reality.
Briefcase: How Members of the House are Chosen
The Constitution has guaranteed our freedoms and rights for over 200 years. In this regular series, Dean Leonard Baynes with the University of Houston Law Center looks at the Amendments and how they relate to society today. “Members of the the US House of Representatives are elected directly by the people of their district. Each state’s number of representatives is based on population, generally determined every ten years by the US census.”
US Supreme Court may soon rule on birthright citizenship and executive power
Seth Chandler, a Constitutional Law Professor at the University of Houston Law Center, said that during oral arguments for Trump v. Barbara, the birthright citizenship case, the justices seemed like they were leaning towards maintaining the status quo. “The betting line is that the court is going to rule either that the constitution holds that all persons born in the United States are citizens of the United States and that there is no exception in the case of persons whose parents are unlawfully present,” he said.
UC Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Policy
Reaction across social media has been swift – and mixed, including comments and conversations through X, BlueSky, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Substack...A far less charitable view appears via Seth Chandler’s newsletter (TaxProf Blog readers will note my frequent references to Seth, at Houston Law), under the headline “Law schools should not adopt Berkeley’s awful new anti-AI policy.“
York University, University of Houston Share Tips to Avoid Burnout During an LL.M.
Jennifer Glickman, director of global and graduate programs at the University of Houston Law Center, says many international students struggle with the academic rigor of U.S. legal education while adapting to cultural and social differences within a short period of time. “The volume of reading and legal writing can often be more overwhelming than what many students have experienced in their home countries,” she says.
York University, University of Houston Share Tips to Avoid Burnout During an LL.M.
Alexis Williams, director of wellness at the University of Houston Law Center, adds that the transition can be especially difficult for students who are used to excelling academically. Uncertainty about where they stand can push some students to overwork themselves or withdraw completely, both of which can worsen stress over time.
A Battle Bigger Than Abortion Pills On Deck At High Court
"The theory that the Fifth Circuit embraced is in serious tension with prior Supreme Court precedents and would open the door to just dozens and dozens of lawsuits by states on issues having nothing to do with abortion," Chandler said in an interview.
Planned Parenthood: "We're Still Here"
The Mifepristone debate covers three major issues, Chandler says, noting that the most troubling matter is Louisiana’s desire to file suit because “a federal policy has an indirect effect on its pocketbook.” “The first is abortion — still the most consequential social policy question on the court’s docket,” Chandler says. “The second is standing — when can a state drag the federal government into court over a regulation that does not directly require the state to do anything? The third is remedy — can a single court of appeals effectively shut down a federal rule nationwide? Cases that bundle one such issue are [worthy of review by a higher court]. This one bundles all three.”
Seized boat may spill Bahamas disappearance secrets — but experts warn ticking clock could wash away the truth
Kenneth Engerrand, an adjunct professor of maritime law at the University of Houston Law Center and shareholder in the Brown Sims law firm, told Fox News Digital that U.S. authorities, like the Coast Guard, would have jurisdiction to make an arrest if that's where the evidence led them, despite the incident taking place in Bahamian waters, since the vessel has an American flag.
AI threatens Big Law's talent pipeline
Nik Guggenberger, a University of Houston Law Center professor, tells Axios that junior work has always served two purposes: billing and training. "If more and more of that work that trains junior associates is being automated, then there's no real material anymore for them to train on."
Meta's public nuisance case in New Mexico has billion-dollar consequences
In the 1990s, tobacco companies were forced to pay billions of dollars for misleading the public... "That was not an instant change, but if one compares the power held by big tobacco companies today, and compares it to the 1980s or even 90s, I mean there's no comparison," said Nikolas Guggenberger. "They really just don't have that position anymore."
Crime victims advocate pushes for tougher penalties against repeat theft offenders in Houston
"People act differently in light of the law. That is to say, prosecutors are more willing to reduce charges if it doesn't seem fair to trigger a large sentence for a relatively minor offense, and judges might also be cautious too." Kwok also raised a broader question about whether stiffer penalties actually prevent crime.
Cy-Fair ISD employee charged in connection with student's death bonds out of jail, records show
"The punishment range is very high for injury to the disabled," Sandra Guerra Thompson said. Guerra Thompson said Perkins could face up to 99 years in prison if convicted on this charge.
Supreme Court voting rights ruling empowers Texas Republicans to redraw more partisan maps
“That’s the tension mapmakers face, the more you try to divide the opposition, the more districts that are in danger of flipping, especially with an unpredictable electorate,” he said.
Hello Houston (April 24, 2026)
On today's Hello Houston, the University of Houston Law Center's Seth Chandler joins us to break down the recent ruling on the state law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms and what comes next.
Chatbots, Deepfakes, And Super PACs: How AI Is Reshaping Texas Political Spending
Yet, regarding the uses of AI, such as the NRSC ad targeting Talarico, University of Houston Law Professor Seth Chandler told Fox 4 that the First Amendment likely covers this messaging. “I think those tweets are legal,” he said. “They are not falsifying what he said. They are using his likeness, but I do not believe that that is unlawful.”
Trump's trade policy cuts both ways for sustainability
"Tariffs function as a double-edged sword, they can either incentivize the local production of sustainable goods or undermine it," says Chinonso Tansi Anozie, assistant professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center. "With the United States' imposition of tariffs, companies have adjusted their strategies by increasing domestic production or nearshoring to other countries with no tariffs or lower tariffs."
Ken Paxton says he will ‘absolutely stop’ ordinance limiting coordination between HPD and ICE
Seth Chandler, a law professor at the University of Houston Law Center, said “the stakes are actually very high here,” because elected officials can face removal from office under SB4. "You now appear to have a definitive decision from the Houston City Council, and you have a statement, at least, by the attorney general that he doesn’t find Houston’s actions to be permissible under the law," Chandler said. "And so I suspect we’re going to see a real fight emerge."
USDA secretary’s ‘He is Risen’ Easter email unnerves some staff members
James Nelson, a law professor at the University of Houston who specializes in religion and speech rights in the workplace, told The Post that Rollins’s email was “very unusual” and that it probably would have violated rules issued during the Clinton administration against official government endorsement of religion. However, Nelson noted that under “recent changes in church-state law under the First Amendment, the current administration seems to have concluded that those rules against government endorsement of religion are no longer operative.”
Lawrence James Pirtle (May 6, 1939 - April 4, 2026)
Larry attended the University of Houston, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in accounting...He continued at the University of Houston Law Center, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1966, demonstrating early on the intellectual rigor and discipline that would define his life and career. Larry served as the Associate Editor of the Houston Law Review and was honored as Chief Baron of the Order of Barons....A loyal alumnus, he remained deeply engaged with the University of Houston Law Center, serving as a multi-year member and chairman of the Law Alumni Association, Law Foundation, and the Houston Law Review Board of Directors.
Hello Houston (April 7, 2026)
On today's "Hello Houston," Law Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center Seth Chandler discussed the recent Supreme Court sessions.
Health Care Laws Could Face First Amendment Attacks After Supreme Court Ruling
That’s sort of the implication of the opinion — that the state can’t regulate therapists at all,” said Laura Portuondo, a constitutional law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.
Briefcase: Impeachment Clause of the Constitution
“The Impeachment Clause of the U.S. Constitution gives congress the power to remove presidents, judges, or other Federal officials for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." “The process begins with the House of Representatives which has the power to impeach or formally charge an official. The Senate then holds a trial and two thirds vote is needed for conviction and removal from office.”
Supreme Court stirs free speech debate with ‘conversion therapy’ ruling
“Colorado took sides, where it said it’s fine with us if you want to engage in gender-affirming speech, but we are going to prohibit you from engaging in ‘rethinking your sexuality’ speech,” Chandler said. “That enabled eight of the justices to find that that violated the First Amendment, because it was viewpoint discrimination, which is generally ranked as the highest form of discrimination.”
Today on Texas Standard: Artemis II mission builds on lunar exploration legacy
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments over the future of birthright citizenship and a controversial executive order from President Donald Trump. Seth Chandler, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center, joins the Texas Standard to explain the current legal status, the arguments on both sides, and what’s at stake if the policy is upheld.
Attempts to regulate social media for minors in Wisconsin on hold
“I think the verdicts provide political tailwind for [state-level] age-verification requirements,” Nikolas Guggenberger, a professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center who studies antitrust and technology law, tells Isthmus in an email.
When Juvenile Jurisdiction Ends, the Road to Adult Expectations Begin
Judge Stuti Trehan Patel oversees Fort Bend County’s High-Risk Young Offender Specialty Court, as well as four other felony specialty courts, and recognizes that for the young people on her docket the stakes are real and immediate. This specialty court was created to help reduce incarceration, reduce recidivism, and give more “wraparound services” for young offenders who have pled guilty or been found guilty of crimes and been placed on probation.
Price of natural gas surges 35pc after tit-for-tat strikes destroy key infrastructure
"This could be a game changer for the LNG industry, akin to the attack on Nord Stream or possibly even worse," said Susan Sakmar, visiting assistant professor at the University of Houston Law Center. "This is a sudden disruption, with no indication that Qatar could restart anytime soon."
Data Center Rush Poses Conflicts for Law Firms With Energy Ties
“There’s potentially conflicting viewpoints on where the data center should be located, how it will be interconnected to the grid, and who should pay for it,” said Gina Warren, a University of Houston Law Center professor who previously represented utility companies as a lawyer at Perkins Coie. “It definitely creates a conflict with meeting energy demands, current demands and future demands, and it’s questionable whether interests of the utility companies will align with interests of the AI data centers.”
After Weak Live Nation-Ticketmaster Antitrust Deal, Klobuchar Introduces Legislation to Ensure Antitrust Settlements Benefit Consumers, Workers, and Small Businesses—Not Special Interests
The bill is endorsed by Jonathan Kanter (former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust), Bill Baer (former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust), Roger Alford (Former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust); Tim Wu (Former White House as special assistant to the president for technology and competition policy) Randy Stutz (President of the American Antitrust Institute), Bill Kovacic (former Republican Chair of the FTC), Gene Kimmelman (former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust), John Newman (Former Deputy Director, Federal Trade Commission), Professor Darren Bush, Public Knowledge, Open Markets Institute, and the American Economic Liberties Project.
Cornyn campaign targets Paxton with AI-generated ‘Love Shack’ parody ad
"I think it will take time for federal or state regulators to even attempt to come up with sensible regulations," Chandler said. "And this may be an area in which the cure is worse than the disease. That is, that when you start saying that, well, because they used AI, we can have additional censoring of the message, that starts to get very, very dangerous."
Briefcase: Powers of the Judicial Branch
The Constitution has guaranteed our freedoms and rights for over 200 years. In this regular series, Dean Leonard Baynes with the University of Houston Law Center looks at the Amendments and how they relate to society today. “The US Judiciary influences every aspect of American life.” “Article Three of the Constitution created the supreme court and any lower courts that Congress established.”
Briefcase: Powers of Federal Agencies
“US federal agencies like the EPA, the IRS, or the FDA implement regulations that have the effect of law. These agencies have the power to set rules agencies have the power to set rules affecting everything from the air we breathe, the taxes we pay, the food we eat, and more.”
Hello Houston: Where Houston Talks!
On today's Hello Houston, we're joined by Nikolas Guggenberger, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center, who breaks down a landmark case examining whether social media companies have designed their platforms to be addictive for younger users.
Choosing the Right LL.M.: Why Fit, Not Rank, Matters Most
However, what ultimately matters most is whether an LL.M. program fits a student’s goals, learning style and long-term plans, says Karen Jones, executive director of global and graduate programs at the University of Houston Law Center. “Don’t just look at rankings. Although rankings can be important, it’s most important to identify your personal and professional goals and then identify schools that are the best fit for you,” Jones says, offering simple but pointed advice to prospective students.
Magnolia ISD approves daily prayer period under new Texas law, experts expect more rejections
"There's a lot that students and teachers can do under existing law without this new bill, S.B. 11. You can pray privately, you can pray in a group at lunch, for example," said University of Houston Law Professor Seth Chandler, adding that the requirements may be difficult for districts to meet.
Missouri City woman says a trademark dispute is hurting her wings business
"We do see a trend in which trademarks are expanding," University of Houston law professor Aman Gebru said. Gebru is not involved in this case, but he teaches contracts and intellectual property law and has also reviewed the contract. "Trademark law is really at its core concerned about consumers. Locations tend to be relevant," he explained. "The provision that attempts to regulate what happens beyond that location and potentially includes any location in the world seems expansive in my mind."
‘No inspection needed’: Former Harris County Tax Office employees accused in vehicle registration sticker scheme
University of Houston Law Center Associate Professor David Kwok said it’s common to see suspects covering their tracks in cases of notary fraud. “These types of corruption tend to be very hidden,” Kwok said. “They tend to be secretive. They thrive in secrecy.”
In Delaware, You Live or Die Under Your LLC Operating Agreement
Notice the quoted language codified in § 18-1101(b), providing that “[i]t is the policy of this chapter to give the maximum effect to the principle of freedom of contract and to the enforceability of limited liability company agreements.” Professors Daniel Kleinberger and Douglas Moll, in their article published by the ABA Business Law Section entitled “The Limited Effect of ‘Maximum Effect,'” opine that the section is more bark than bite, “[t]hat is to say, the ‘maximum effect’ pronouncement is of little practical effect” because freedom of contract has long been embedded in common law without need for statutory pronouncement.In Delaware, You Live or Die Under Your LLC Operating Agreement
AI Resources for Law Professors
There is a robust sector of “Generative AI for law and lawyers” products and services out there, some of which have made significant inroads into legal education (Harvey.ai, Clio, and Josef, for example), and some of which are just now starting to find their ways into the hands of the more adventurous early tech adopters among the professoriate (Midpage.ai, which I learned about via Seth Chandler).
LL.M. Alumni Networks Adapt to the Age of WhatsApp and LinkedIn
Karen Jones, head of global and graduate programs at the University of Houston Law Center, says student-led initiatives often outlast school-run platforms when it comes to LL.M. student alumni networks. “They usually create a WhatsApp group and keep that group even after they graduate,” she says. These groups rarely disappear, she adds.
University of Houston International Grad: This is How to Make Yourself More Employable After an LL.M.
Karen Jones, executive director of global and graduate programs at UH Law Center, stresses that an LL.M. should be approached as a strategic investment, rather than a pause from professional life. Students who arrive with clarity about what they want the degree to do for them tend to navigate the workload and the broader experience more effectively.
AI-Generated Legal Scholarship
In his his “AI for Legal Education” newsletter, Seth Chandler (Houston) reports on using AI to help him and his seminar students produce not only seminar papers but also a published book that contains the students’ final products. The book is titled “Issues in Contemporary Constitutional Law,” edited by Professor Chandler, and it is now available at Amazon.com.
New details about Camp Mystic flood response could play role in wrongful death lawsuits
"It was an extraordinary weather event," Sanders said. "The question is whether you should expect serious weather events along this river, and at least there’s some evidence you should." When it comes to the action or inaction of local officials — which Camp Mystic's defense has pointed to as relevant to the tragedy — Kerr County is well-shielded from these types of lawsuits, Sanders said. "I think that they’re pretty responsible," he said. "Unfortunately, (state law) makes it very difficult for any individual to sue the county for their negligence under that circumstance, which leaves of course all of these different entities along the river, including Camp Mystic."
Behind the front lines of the legal battle against Trump's National Guard deployments
Since this law has been used so rarely in our history, we had very little sense of what any of these terms meant, because none of them are defined by the statute," says Chris Mirasola, a national security law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.
Can Trump shut Houston-based Exxon out of Venezuela? What legal experts say about his takeover plans.
Venezuela must maintain direct control over its oil assets, especially since it is not a U.S.-occupied territory, said Ted Borrego, a longtime attorney who teaches oil and gas contracts law at the University of Houston.
85 Predictions for AI and the Law in 2026
Seth J. Chandler | Foundation Professor of Law, University of Houston Law Center 2026 Prediction: Google enters the legal research market in a big way, harnessing its immense dataset. Midpage AI permits API access to its research capabilities; a model beats established human authors in a brief writing competition (a Deep Blue moment). Biggest Surprise 2026: There will be the equivalent of AIStudio or Claude Code, but for legal research and writing.
‘Fumed’ Found Problems With Houston’s Industrial Permitting Process. The City Changed Its Policies.
Kellen Zale, a University of Houston professor who teaches property law, land use and real estate, told Public Health Watch the new affidavit could be especially helpful for communities on Harris County’s industrialized east side. Areas with lower incomes and large populations of color are typically the places most burdened by industrial development, Zale said.
Trump Will Try to Defend Aggression Toward Venezuela. It’s Still Illegal.
“The OLC opinion completely failed to address numerous recognitions of the founders, framers, and Supreme Court justices that the president and members of the executive branch are bound by international law,” Jordan Paust, professor emeritus at the University of Houston Law Center and former captain in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, told Truthout. “Further, the express constitutional duty is to faithfully execute the law — not to disobey law.”
The President's Protective Power
Jack spoke with Chris Mirasola of the University of Houston Law Center about the President’s “protective power” to use the regular armed forces or the National Guard (if properly federalized) in the domestic sphere for the protection of federal property and functions. They discussed the origins and scope of the protective power, its relationship to the Posse Comitatus Act, why it was relevant in Trump v. Illinois, and the president’s prominent options for domestic deployment of the military (including using regular armed forces for a protective function) after Trump v. Illinois.
Greenpeace's Fight With a Pipeline Giant Exposes a Legal Loophole (Subscription Required)
UH Law Professor Renee Knake Jefferson was recently quoted in the New York Times, explaining how amicus briefs are increasingly being used as a strategic litigation tool for a story about Greenpeace's legal battle with the pipeline company Energy Transfer.
First trial to begin on the Uvalde school shooting police response | AP News
UH Law Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson provided expert commentary and legal context to the AP, ABC News, and other news outlets for stories about the first criminal trial focusing on the delayed law-enforcement response in the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde.
