Research centers lead the way
The Law School has four internationally acclaimed research centers, which, together with our academic programs, explore today's most timely and important issues in law and society.
Just-in-time research that makes a difference
Racial justice, public health, wealth redistribution, the judiciary, and employment rights have been in the spotlight during the past several months. Indiana Law faculty have contributed to the debate, both as media experts and as research scholars.
For a complete listing of faculty media appearances, visit our In the Media page.
Public health, gun safety: Wide-ranging expertise
Jody Lyneé Madeira, professor of law and Louis F. Niezer Faculty Fellow, has contributed her expertise in the field of public health on topics ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic and nursing home care to fertility fraud and abortion access. Madeira is also an expert on the Second Amendment and was consulted in connection with Indiana’s handgun laws and the FedEx mass shooting in April. Her comments appeared in vice.com, Indiana Public Media, CBS 4 (Indianapolis), Fox 59 (Indianapolis), the Indiana Daily Student, the StatehouseFile.com, WCPO (Cincinnati), KVOA (Tucson, Ariz.), WTHI (Terre Haute, Ind.), WIBC (Indianapolis), WTHR (Indianapolis), and the Indianapolis Star.
Madeira’s latest works are “Risk Management Strategies for Physicians” (with Jerry A. Lindheim), in Reproductive Surgery: Current Techniques to Optimize Fertility, ed. Steven R. Lindheim and John C. Petrozza (Springer, forthcoming 2022); and “The Impact of an Interactive E-Learning Platform on Patient Comprehension Regarding Infertility Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial” (with Ashley K. Barbour, Abigail L. Bernard, Steven R. Lindheim, and Linnea R. Goodman), Fertility & Sterility 114:e25-e26 (2020 Supplement).
Taxation: A broken system and "Break into Tax"
Leandra Lederman, William W. Oliver Professor of Tax Law and director of the tax law program, was quoted by the media on a variety of current tax issues, including on Marketplace, CNBC.com, WEHT TV, and in Tax Notes, where she was also the subject of an “Academic Spotlight” interview feature. Lederman and Prof. Allison Christians, McGill University Faculty of Law (Canada), have launched an innovative YouTube series, Break into Tax, which is aimed at law students and anyone anywhere in the world interested in learning about tax-related issues, broadly defined. Lederman’s latest articles, published in April, are “The Fraud Triangle and Tax Evasion,” 106 Iowa Law Review 1153 (2021) and “Valuation as a Challenge for Tax Administration,” 96 Notre Dame Law Review 1495 (2021).
Lederman has also launched a free scholarly workshop series on Zoom with Prof. Leopoldo Parada, University of Leeds School of Law (UK), The Indiana/Leeds Summer Tax Workshop Series. The talks focus on cutting-edge tax scholarship on international and cross-border tax issues and attract an average of over 100 tax experts and students from all over the world. Lederman also testified before the US House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee on “Taxpayer Fairness” and adequately funding the IRS.
Politics and the judiciary: From recusals to rainbows
Charles Gardner Geyh, IU Distinguished Professor and John F. Kimberling Professor of Law, is an expert on the judiciary and judicial conduct. The media sought his views on several recent cases involving potential conflicts of interests, recusals, and failures to disclose during trials and judicial confirmation hearings. His advice appeared in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times, ABC News, law.com, Bloomberg Law, and the ABA Journal. Geyh has two articles scheduled for publication: “The Architecture of Judicial Ethics,” University of Pennsylvania Law Review; and “The Twilight of Judicial Independence,” Case Western Reserve Law Review.
Constitutional law expert Prof. Steve Sanders has commented on several current topics this year, including statewide mask mandates, rainbow flags in middle school classrooms, transgender pronouns, and the Trump impeachment trial. His thoughts can be found in the Chicago Tribune, the American Constitution Society Expert Forum, the Indianapolis Star, and WTHR (Indianapolis). His most recent article is “Dignity and Social Meaning: Obergefell, Windsor, and Lawrence as Constitutional Dialogue,” 87 Fordham Law Review 2069 (2019).
Labor and employment law: COVID-related rights and parental leave laws
Deborah A. Widiss, associate dean for research, professor of law, and Ira C. Batman Faculty Fellow, contributed her expertise as the Indiana General Assembly contemplated legislation expanding the rights of pregnant workers. She was interviewed by WFYI (Indianapolis), Indiana Public Media, and the Journal-Gazette (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Her most recent scholarship includes “The Hidden Gender of Gender-Neutral Paid Parental Leave: Examining Recently Enacted Laws in the United States and Australia,” 42 Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal 723 (2021) and “Equalizing Parental Leave,” 105 Minnesota Law Review 2125 (2021). Widiss was interviewed about the latter article on Experto Crede, a podcast hosted by the Minnesota Law Review.
Willard and Margaret Carr Professor of Labor and Employment Law Kenneth G. Dau-Schmidt weighed in on range of important labor-related issues, including the positive potential for labor unions this year, COVID-related death benefits available to employees’ families, and COVID-based lawsuits against employers. WENY (Elmira, NY), NBC-10 (Philadelphia), and the Philadelphia Inquirer sought his advice. The sixth edition of Dau-Schmidt’s casebook, Legal Protection for the Individual Employee (with Matthew W. Finkin, Ruben J. Garcia, and Jason R. Bent) (West Publishing Co. 2021), will be released this summer.
With Kevin Brown, Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law Emeritus, as first author, Dau-Schmidt co-wrote “Bostock v. Clayton County Game Changer: US Federal Employment Law Now Covers Caste Discrimination Based on Untouchability” (with Annapurna Waughray and Lalit Khandare), 46 N.Y.U. Review of Law & Social Change (forthcoming 2021).