Bench & Bar May/June 2026

#UKLawProfResearch Highlight Associate Dean for Research Josh Douglas has a new draft essay out, forthcoming in the Minnesota Law Review, titled "One Decade, One Map: State Constitutional Limits on Re-Redistricting." The essay ana lyzes how state courts can use state constitutions to stop the current race to the bottom of partisan gerrymandering in the middle of the decade. Virtually all state constitutions say that power is inherent in the people or that the people are sovereign. In addition, some state constitutions tie redistricting to the decennial census. Under these provisions, courts should deem partisan-based re-redistrict ing unconstitutional. Rather than evaluating the projected partisan performance of a new map and debating how much distortion is “too much,” courts should simply ask whether the state can identify a valid, non-political reason for redrawing the lines before the next census. Absent a compelling neutral justification, the essay argues, legislatures or other map-drawing bodies should have at most one chance to draw a map each decade. DOWNLOAD THE ESSAY AT: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5793282.

THANK YOU to our alumni, faculty, students and friends in the legal community who volunteered during the tournament. Laken Albrink Abby Audlin

“You all have done such a fantastic job,” said Laken Albrink, assistant clinical professor of legal research and writing, who served as a justice in the final competition in the Grand Courtroom. As the students waited for the competition results, Albrink praised their extensive knowledge and preparation. “You all are so fantastic. Thank you so much for visiting our beautiful campus.” “I couldn’t have asked for more,” Mathemeir said, following the announcement that he and his teammate had won the competition. “We’ve been really blessed. This partnership has been a blessing.” “We have a really phenomenal program at Liberty,” Cassady said. She described the experience as beautiful and rewarding, especially the camaraderie among the com petitors. “The community aspect for me has been awesome,” she said.

David Holmes Dana Howard Ellen Kennedy Michael Kern Hannah Layne William Mann David Mastin John McNeill Nolan McWilliams Felisa Moore Madelyn Mozeleski Adam MuGuffey Charlotte Nickerson Katie Nipper James Noll Steve Olshewsky Katherine Paisley

Kevin Palley Sanders Platt Jamie Preas William Rayens

Kimberly Baird Mallory Burke

Jamila Carter Wayne Collier Allison Connelly Harry Dadds Bethany Davenport Mary Davis William Davis Mallory Garner Maddie Glaser Reagan Halbleib Tori Harris

Andrea Reed Jack Reynolds Jesse Robbins Elizabeth Roseman Jodon Sargent David Shattuck Braxton Shelton Emily Shepard Bruce Singleton

Kirk Sripinyo Yuri Tomkiw Paco Villalobos Dotty Watts

Marian Hayden Cael Henshaw

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