Bench & Bar May/June 2025

On Thursday, March 27, Fleming visited the college to discuss his new book with stu dents, faculty, and staff during a lunch session moderated by UK Rosenberg Law Professor Josh Douglas, acting associate dean for research.

and Brereton Jones (1988-1993), general counsel to the governor and deputy secretary of the executive cabinet under Governor Paul Patton (1995-2003) and as chief deputy attorney general under Attorney General Greg Stumbo (2003-2004). In 2004, Fleming was appointed chief of staff to Congressman Ben Chandler in the U.S. House of Representatives. Fleming later worked with Almost Family Inc., a Kentucky-based national home care provider, as senior vice president and legislative counsel. Fleming said he decided to donate royalties from the book to the law school because of the college’s role in his career success. He recalled several encouraging pro fessors, including Bob Lawson and Bill Fortune. “UK law school just opened up the world to me,” Flem ing said. “It gave me more opportunities and chances to meet people who really changed my life.” “Thomas Jefferson and the Kentucky Constitution” is Fleming’s first book. He contacted the college before the book published on Feb. 11, 2025, to discuss his plans to give back. “We are pleased that one of our alums has decided to support the college in this way,” said Aimee Baston, director of philanthropy for the UK Rosenberg Col lege of Law. “This scholarship will help law students by opening doors to meaningful opportunities similar to those that motivated Denis Fleming to give back to his alma mater.”

#UKLawProfResearch Highlight Professor Matthew Boaz recently published an article, The Migration of Abolition Theory , in the North Caro lina Law Review. In this article, Professor Boaz considers cross-ideological arguments in favor of reducing immigra tion restrictions and enforcement in the United States. He argues that successful efforts in reducing prison popula tions, grounded in fiscal conservatism, might have lessons to offer in the realm of immigration law and policy. He articulates that the narratives surrounding immigration are frequently untethered from data. Prof. Boaz concludes that politicians and the populace alike should engage with the facts on this important matter before making important decisions about whether and how to regulate immigration. YOU CAN FIND THE ARTICLE AT https://scholarship.law.unc.edu/nclr/vol103/iss2/3/

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