This page highlights notable accomplishments and activities of current students –  including clinic cases, honors, awards, student events, media mentions, books published, fellowships received, and community service.  If you are a current student, we encourage you to submit story ideas and photos for inclusion on this page. If you have recently published an op-ed, were cited or quoted in the media, or published a paper, please tell us about it here. Student prizes are awarded annually.

Monday, July 24, 2023

Affirmative Action Is Banned — Except at Military Academies? Why That Won’t Help Students — A Commentary by Zoe Kreitenberg ’24

Los Angeles Times

Zoe Kreitenberg ’24, a 2016 West Point graduate and former Army captain, is a student at Yale Law School.

A student standing outdoors at a podium before a photographer using a large-lensed camera. A row of people stand behind her. In the background is the U.S. Capitol Building.

Alex Johnson ’24, an intern with the Veterans Legal Services Clinic, addresses the audience at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol. The clinic filed a petition on behalf of 14 veterans LGBTQ+ rights groups to request that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issue regulations to enforce antidiscrimination rules for its health care programs. Behind Johnson are clients and the measure’s supporters including, at left, Lindsay Church of Minority Veterans of America, the lead petitioner; at center, Sen. Richard Blumenthal ’73; and, at right, K.N. McCleary ’24, another law student intern with the clinic.

Thursday, July 20, 2023

Veterans and LGBTQ+ Rights Groups Petition for Antidiscrimination Rules for VA Health Care

The Veterans Legal Services Clinic filed the petition on behalf of Minority Veterans of America and 13 veteran and LGBTQ+ rights groups.

Friday, July 14, 2023

The Rooney “Suggestion” — A Commentary by DeMaurice F. Smith and Carl Lasker ’24

NFL Players Association

DeMaurice F. Smith is a Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Carl Lasker is a member of the Yale Law School class of 2024.

Issa Kohler-Hausmann and Avery Gilbert in the classroom

Professor Issa Kohler-Hausmann ’08 and Avery Gilbert lead a Strategic Advocacy Clinic class.

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

The Ups and Downs of Advocacy

Students in Law School clinics are trained to pursue their clients’ goals on multiple fronts. When one path narrows or disappears, they continue along another.

Monday, July 3, 2023

The VA Rolls Out Its New Equity Team To Investigate Racism in Benefits Decisions

WSHU

Adam Henderson ’23 comments on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ announcement that it has set up a dedicated team to investigate racial disparities in its benefits decisions — due in part to a case brought by the Veterans Legal Services Clinic. 

stained glass window at Yale Law School

Friday, June 30, 2023

Unanimous SCOTUS Opinion Cites Free Exercise Clinic Brief

An amicus brief by the Free Exercise Clinic was cited in a unanimous ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Rows of desks and chairs in a school classroom

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

MFIA Wins Disclosure of Connecticut School Choice Lottery Algorithm 

The state of Connecticut must disclose how magnet school placements are made after a win by the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic.

Oscar De Los Santos ’25 and Nina Vaswani ’24

Oscar De Los Santos ’25, left, and Nina Vaswani ’24 are Yale Law School’s 2023 recipients of the Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship.

Thursday, June 22, 2023

Two Students Receive Stevens Fellowships for Public Interest Law

Oscar De Los Santos ’25 and Nina Vaswani ’24 have been selected for the Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship Program.

A student wearing a baseball cap with the words "Indian Law" stretches in class.

Lexie Holden ’25 is among the students who say courses in federal Indian law influenced their decision to attend Yale Law School. The Law School has expanded its offerings in this area of law in recent years.

Friday, June 16, 2023

In the News, Courts, and Classrooms, Attention Turns to Federal Indian Law

Yale Law School has expanded its offerings in federal Indian law, an increasingly topical area of study and practice in which student interest is growing.

A man and a woman standing in front of a house hold a framed photo of a young man

In a scene from the documentary Pay or Die, James Holt Jr. and Nicole Smith Holt hold a photo of their late son, Alec. Alec Holt died at age 26 — weeks after aging out of his parents’ health insurance — when he rationed insulin because he could not afford its $1,300 monthly cost. Students in DocProject, a program of the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School, provided legal review for the film. (Photo: Scott Alexander Ruderman)

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

DocProject Provides Legal Support for Film on Human Cost of Insulin Crisis

Students in DocProject provided legal review for Pay or Die, a new documentary about America’s insulin affordability crisis.

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