Penn State Dickinson Law | Celebrating students, colleagues, & community

A meaningful last day of the semester with my Antitrust Law and Patent Law students and colleagues at Penn State Dickinson Law. Both courses ask a great deal of law students: challenging doctrine, unsettled policy questions, and the skill of translating law into practice-ready advice. They rose to the challenge with seriousness, curiosity, and good humor. Glad to join Ilze Ambrasa Loc Brandon Le and Sarah Yu for a selfie to commemorate the close of the spring semester. It was especially fitting to end the semester not only in the classroom, but in conversation and community. Thank you to Tatev Martirosyan and Loc Brandon Le for inviting me to do a podcast, where we discussed IP, antitrust, AI, platforms, data, and the future of legal practice. Mjellma Kallaba, who is completing her LL.M. at Dickinson Law, was a guest on this podcast series, which will also feature my faculty colleagues. I enjoyed ice cream with my colleague Jessica Seretti from Alumni Relations. It was a lovely reminder that law school is built not only through classes and cases, but also through relationships and a shared investment in our students during their time with us and after they graduate as alumni. Grateful for this semester, for my students, and for the colleagues who make Penn State Dickinson Law a special community.

Two Conversations on Courts, Speech, and Power | Penn State Dickinson Law

Two timely conversations this week at Penn State Dickinson Law, each tackling the relationship between law, institutions, and public discourse from a different angle. On Monday, Drexel University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law Professor Amy Landers joined us for "Rage Bait and the First Amendment," hosted by my colleague Professor Jonathan D'Silva. The discussion explored how First Amendment doctrine interacts with today’s attention economy, where platform design, algorithmic amplification, and emotionally charged content shape not only what we see, but what gets created. The conversation pushed beyond familiar “marketplace of ideas” assumptions and asked what deliberative democracy looks like in an environment optimized for engagement rather than reflection. On Tuesday, Penn State College of the Liberal Arts Professor Rachel Shelden presented "The Political Supreme Court: Ethics, Partisanship, and Power in Early America," hosted by my colleague Professor Jud Mathews. Drawing from her forthcoming book, Professor Shelden challenged the modern narrative of a depoliticized Court, showing how early justices openly participated in partisan life while shaping constitutional meaning. The historical account offers a useful lens for thinking about the Court’s institutional role today. Both sessions drew strong engagement across our University Park and Carlisle communities, as well as online participants. We’re grateful to our speakers and hosts for facilitating conversations that connect doctrine, history, and contemporary challenges in such a substantive way.

From Theory to Practice | AI, IP, and Innovation in Columbus, OH

A productive time in Columbus, OH, where conversations around AI, intellectual property, and innovation are quickly moving from theory to practice. It was great to join Dan Brown, PhD (Northwestern University) | Tony Trippe Owens Corning) | Phil Hartstein (Soryn IP Capital Management) on a panel on “AI + IP = ROI” at the IP Awareness Summit 2026 hosted at COSI - Center of Science and Industry. Dan, Tony, and Phil were excellent panelists. Our discussion focused on how AI is reshaping the way organizations create, evaluate, and extract value from intellectual property. Thank you to Bruce Berman and his team for curating and convening such a thoughtful, timely program. Frederic "Dr. B" Bertley and Sara Leikin, Ed.D, Ed. D., were gracious hosts who respectively spoke eloquently on trust, transparency, and continued learning and fighting negative intellectual property stereotypes. The program as a whole benefited from a deep and diverse bench of speakers, and I am grateful for the many insights shared across panels. It was a pleasure to reconnect with colleagues and to engage with new voices at the event. It was also valuable to spend time with colleagues at The Ohio State University. Conversations with Joshua Gagliardi and Andrew Frueh highlighted how technology is transforming professional education, particularly in fields like nursing, where simulation, interface design, and human-centered systems intersect in powerful ways. Allison Gaul | Terry Hart | Albhy Galuten | Jaci McDole | Tiffany Norwood | Ian D. McClure | Massyl M. | David Mess | Wayne Stacy | Diane Gabl Kratz, JD | James Conley | Arlyne Simon, Ph.D. | Corey Salsberg | Jamie Simpson

Chicago Conversations | AI, Law, and Community

Congratulations to Fanaaka Chidakwa, who successfully defended his SJD candidacy. Fanaaka's research focuses on how advances in AI are reshaping international humanitarian law. His dissertation interrogates concepts such as perfidy. I look forward to seeing how Fanaaka continues to develop this work. Photo: with Fanaaka's supervisor, Professor Ido Kilovaty, peers who came to support him, as well as my colleagues Professor Amy C. Gaudion and Lindsey Kurtz, who joined me as committee members for Fanaaka's oral defense.

SJD Oral Defense | AI, Cyber Operations, and IHL Principles

Congratulations to Fanaaka Chidakwa, who successfully defended his SJD candidacy. Fanaaka's research focuses on how advances in AI are reshaping international humanitarian law. His dissertation interrogates concepts such as perfidy. I look forward to seeing how Fanaaka continues to develop this work. Photo: with Fanaaka's supervisor, Professor Ido Kilovaty, peers who came to support him, as well as my colleagues Professor Amy C. Gaudion and Lindsey Kurtz, who joined me as committee members for Fanaaka's oral defense.

Critical Pedagogy and Constitutional Law | Penn State Dickinson Law

Associate Dean for Antiracism and Critical Pedagogy Shaakirrah Sanders gave a thought-provoking CLE at Penn State Dickinson Law in Carlisle, with University Park faculty colleagues and alumni joining over Zoom. Her presentation, “What is Critical Pedagogy? Integrating the Tribal Commerce Clause into Constitutional Law I & II,” invited us to reconsider how constitutional law is taught and, more fundamentally, how legal education shapes students' engagement with history, structure, and justice. Dean Sanders brought both intellectual depth and practical insight to the discussion, drawing on her work across constitutional law, criminal procedure, the First Amendment, and equal protection.

University Park Coffee Hour | Penn State Berkey Creamery & Penn State Dickinson Law

Great conversations often start with something simple: coffee—and in this case, ice cream. I had the pleasure of hosting a University Park Coffee Hour at the Penn State Berkey Creamery with students from my antitrust course, and the thoughtful exchange on the paths they are charting into the profession. I was especially delighted to hear about their study abroad plans. These experiences will add an important global dimension to their legal training and shape how they approach complex, cross-border issues. With Timothy Carroll, Jonathan Kelso, and Matt Fortin.

33rd Annual IP Conference | Hansen IP Institute at Fordham Law School & Penn State Dickinson Law

What an extraordinary few days at the 33rd Annual Emily C. and John E. Hansen IP Institute Intellectual Property Law & Policy Conference at Fordham Law School, co-organized with Penn State Dickinson Law's Intellectual Property and Innovation Initiative. This year’s conference was the largest yet: 31 panels and more than 500 registrants from around the world. But what made it truly special was not the scale alone. It was the community, the culture, and the continuity of Founding Director Professor Hugh Hansen's vision of gathering the intellectual property and technology communities to "learn, debate, and have fun." We welcomed judges, scholars, practitioners, policymakers, industry leaders, and students from across jurisdictions and disciplines. At a moment when the legal and geopolitical landscape is increasingly fraught, gatherings like these matter even more. As Margaret Mead put it, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Thank you to our moderators, panelists, sponsors, institutional partners, staff, volunteers, and everyone who traveled from near and far to make this gathering possible. And thank you to everyone who joined us in New York. It was a privilege to spend these days with you. Website link: https://fordhamipinstitute.com/program/2026-33rd-annual-ip-conference/

Penn State Dickinson Law | Singapore Internships

Inspired by conversations with my Penn State Dickinson Law colleagues, Josh Trego and Tom Lee, on creating a funded internship program in Singapore. We are working to open new pathways for our students to gain global experience, deepen cross-border connections, and prepare for an increasingly international legal profession. 

Penn State Dickinson Law Profiles in Leadership | Laddie Montague

Perhaps no interview I have done has been as significant institutionally and personally as this one I did with Laddie Montague for Penn State Dickinson Law’s Profiles in Leadership series. As a lawyer, Laddie helped shape modern plaintiff-side litigation and private antitrust enforcement, serving as trial counsel in some of the most consequential class actions in American legal history, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He valued integrity, credibility, professionalism, and respect for the courts, and was widely known for his values. As chair of the Dickinson Law Association and Board of Trustees, Laddie made an extraordinary difference to our law school. His leadership helped guide the law school through critical moments in its institutional history, and his support for scholarship and future generations of lawyers continues to shape our community. I am deeply honored to hold the chair in law named after him. Episode link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmPM5JwKiu4 Past episodes: https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/profiles-in-leadership