Each year, Cumberland School of Law announces faculty recipients of two prestigious awards.

The Lightfoot, Franklin & White Faculty Scholarship Award is given to junior and senior faculty members on the basis of scholarship. When choosing the recipients, the selection committee considers clarity of expression, thoroughness of research and analysis, scope and depth of subjects covered, difficulty and complexity of analysis, originality of study, and the actual or likely impact of the work.

 

The Lightfoot, Franklin & White Faculty Scholarship Award winners for 2020-2021 are:  

Albin was selected as a corecipient of the award for her article “Appropriating Women’s Thoughts: The Admissibility of Sexual Fantasies and Dreams Under the Consent Exception to Rape Shield Laws,” 68 U. Kan. L. Rev. 617 (2020). This article examines the admissibility of women’s sexual fantasies and dreams, based on imagined and even unconscious thoughts, under the consent exception to rape shield laws and argues that such evidence is not relevant to consent, should be excluded, and proposes a practical solution to address this problem. 

 

Tracey M. Roberts, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Assessment 

Roberts was selected as a corecipient for two of her articles. In “Stranded Assets and Efficient Pricing for Regulated Utilities: A Federal Tax Solution,” 11 Columb. J. Tax L. 1 (2019), Roberts argues for a change in tax and regulatory rules that will eliminate waste and offset stranded assets claims by crediting regulated utilities with those tax savings and their returns. “Greenbacks for the Green New Deal,” 17 Pitt. Tax Rev. 53 (2019), which was solicited by the tax faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, examines plans for the Green New Deal and deep decarbonization, describes the economics driving public investment in these resources, and clarifies the types of funding mechanisms that are likely to limit economic waste and encourage efficient outcomes as the country moves forward toward a carbon-neutral future. 

Brannon P. Denning, Starnes Professor of Law and Director of Faculty Research and Development 

Denning was selected as the senior faculty recipient for his article “Have Gun—Will Travel?”, 83 L. & Contemp. Prob. 97 (2020). The article discusses regulations of the transport of personal weapons to shooting competitions or to someone's second home and how these regulations involve not just the 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms, but also the right to travel. The article also concludes that such cases involving so-called "hybrid rights" is a reason for courts to apply a heightened standard of review.

The Harvey S. Jackson Excellence in Teaching Award is given each year to one professor who teaches first-year courses, one professor who teaches upper-level courses, and one adjunct professor. Recipients for the award are considered by their mastery of subject matter, their ability to convey information effectively to students, their demonstrated enthusiasm for teaching, their commitment to excellence in the classroom, their innovation in teaching techniques, and their commitment to students.

 

Recipients of the Harvey S. Jackson Excellence in Teaching Award for 2020-2021 are: 

Anderson joined Cumberland School of Law as a full-time faculty member in 2020. As an assistant professor of law, he also serves as the director of Cumberland School of Law’s Lawyering and Legal Reasoning (LLR) program. He teaches LLR and Legislation courses. 

William G. Ross, the Albert P. Brewer professor of law and ethics, has been a member of the faculty since 1988. The courses he teaches include Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, American Constitutional History, Professional Responsibilities and Selected Topics Courses in Constitutional Law. 

Miriam Albert teaches Business Organizations and Contracts.

 

“We are fortunate to have such accomplished scholars and teachers on our faculty,” said Associate Dean Jill Evans. “The ability to recognize their contributions through these awards is reflective of how highly they are regarded by the entire Cumberland community.”