Below is a selection of recent news highlights featuring members of Vermont Law and Graduate School’s faculty and staff.
Vermont Bill Seeks to Keep Law Enforcement From Wearing Masks
February 3, 2026
NBC5
Vermont Senate Bill 208 seeks to put limits on federal agents, including mask wearing, and will compel law enforcement officials to display a name tag and badge number. Jared Carter JD’09, professor of law, weighed in on the outlook of the bill.
Staff Exodus, Case Gridlock: DOJ Environment Division Under Trump 2.0
February 3, 2026
E&E News by Politico
Christophe Courchesne, director of the Environmental Law Center, commented on the mass departure of lawyers from the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division in the last year.
Out & About: Vermont Law Students Offer Free Tax Filing Assistance to Low-Income Residents
February 6, 2026
Valley News
VLGS is once again hosting a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. Pamela Cartier, librarian at the Community Legal Information Center, and Melissa Kalinen JD’06/MSEL’03, access services and interlibrary loan specialist, coordinate this initiative on campus.
Leave No Crop Behind: NH Gleaners Fight Food Insecurity, Food Waste at the Same Time
February 9, 2026
New Hampshire Public Radio
Laurie Beyranevand JD’03, director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, is quoted about the resources and support required for successful gleaning operations.
He Fled Torture in Uganda. ICE is Trying to Send Him Back.
February 9, 2026
Mother Jones
Pastor Steven Tendo, an asylum seeker originally from Uganda, has repeatedly been the focus of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts in Vermont. Both Brett Stokes and Chris Worth, who represent Tendo through the Center for Justice Reform Clinic, are quoted about Tendo’s case.
From Heirs to Owners: Securing the Future of Marginalized Growers
February 10, 2026
The Packer
Francine Miller LLM’17, senior staff attorney and adjunct professor with the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems discussed the Farmland Access Legal Toolkit, a resource geared towards helping farmers and landowners affordably access, transfer, and conserve farmland.
Trump’s DHS is Pushing the Boundaries of Probable Cause and Due Process to Fuel a Farm Labor Crisis
February 11, 2026
Investigate Midwest
Brett Stokes, director of the Center for Justice Reform Clinic, discussed the Department of Homeland Security’s treatment of a client represented by the clinic, who was arrested while working at a Vermont dairy farm last year.
In the Global South, Activists are Challenging Factory Farms in Court
February 11, 2026
Sentient
As industrial agriculture expands in the global south, some animal advocates are leveraging the legal system by centering cases around pollution and health concerns. Amanda Hitt, director of strategic initiatives with the Animal Law and Policy Institute, commented on these advocacy tactics.
One Good Thing the Trump Administration Might Actually Do For Science
February 13, 2026
Vox
Oregon Health and Science University, among the largest university centers for biomedical research on primates, has voted to begin negotiation to end primate experimentation following the NIH’s planned reduction of the use of animals in the science it funds. Delcianna Winders, director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute, is quoted.
States Push Climate Superfund Bills Despite Trump’s Opposition
February 17, 2026
Canary Media
Kirt Mayland LLM’05, visiting professor with the Energy Clinic, is quoted about the climate superfund laws that hold fossil fuel companies accountable for damages caused by climate change.
US Supreme Court Takes Up Fossil Fuel Firms’ Climate Accountability Case
February 23, 2026
The Guardian
Pat Parenteau, professor of law emeritus and senior fellow for climate policy, is quoted about the Supreme Court’s move to hear arguments in a climate accountability lawsuit, the first time it has weighed in on this kind of case.
Uganda Torture Survivor and UVM Health Network Worker Faces Uncertain Future in Vermont
February 27, 2026
WCAX
Chris Worth, visiting assistant professor with the Center for Justice Reform Clinic, shared updates on case of Pastor Steven Tendo following his release from detention.