Several Mitchell Hamline faculty members have appeared in news media in recent weeks. Many were regional news stories, where they offered legal analysis on several critical Supreme Court opinions. In addition, three faculty members also appeared in national news stories on other topics. Here’s a rundown.
National news appearances
Professor Thaddeus Pope
July 14: Professor Thaddeus Pope spoke to Salon for an extensive article that explores how the conversation is evolving around death, especially on the question of how medical professional determine someone is, in fact, dead. It’s a “complex judgement call” that isn’t always universally agreed upon in any individual situation.
Pope, according to senior writer Mary Elizabeth Williams, is “one of the country’s most influential experts on brain death law.”
- Salon: How dead is “dead enough?”
Prof. Joanna Woolman
July 12: Joanna Woolman, director of Mitchell Hamline’s Institute to Transform Child Protection, was included in an NPR story about a support group in Minnesota that helps imprisoned mothers who have lost parental rights deal with grief.
The story originally appeared on MPR News before being showcased to a national audience on the NPR program Weekend Edition.
Prof. Sharon Sandeen
July 6-7: Professor Sharon Sandeen, an international expert on intellectual property law, was quoted in several stories about Meta’s rollout of its newest social media app, Threads, which competes with Twitter.
Sandeen offered analysis on the intricacies of a possible lawsuit over whether trade secrets were stolen in creating Threads.
- New York Times: Musk takes the fight to Zuckerberg
- Reuters: Twitter may face difficulties showing Meta stole trade secrets
- Daily Beast: Twitter panics over Threads’ ascent, threatens to sue
Professor Forrest Tahdooahnippah (second from left) speaking at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies conference in Denver.
June 25: Professor Forrest Tahdooahnippah (Comanche Nation) was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition in a story about a conference in Denver where he spoke about the potential unintended consequences of legalizing the kinds of psychoactive plants used to make psychedelic drugs.
Tahdooahnippah discussed the move to legalize as it relates to centuries of tradition and history in Indian Country with natural medicines, and how the U.S. government has long suppressed those actions.
June 15: Professor Angelique EagleWoman, director of the Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute, spoke with Indian Country Today about the Supreme Court’s decision that upheld the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act.
- Indian Country Today: Supreme Court affirms ICWA
U.S. Supreme Court analysis
June 30: 303 Creative v. Elenis Prof. Mike Steenson weighed in on a ruling that found a web designer in Colorado didn’t have to make a wedding website for gay couples.
June 29: Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, et al. In an opinion over the use of race as a factor for admissions to higher education institutions, Professors Mike Steenson, T. Anansi Wilson, and Rick Petry were interviewed for separate news articles.
- Sahan Journal (Steenson): The Supreme Court just killed affirmative action. What does that mean for Minnesota students of color?
- MPR News (Wilson): U.S. Supreme Court rules against affirmative action
- WCCO Radio (Petry): Did SCOTUS get affirmative action ruling right?
June 27: Moore v. Harper Prof. Jason Marisam was interviewed about this redistricting case from North Carolina. Marisam had written a law review article about the main theory in the case, the independent state legislature theory.
- MPR News: How Supreme Court redistricting ruling affects Minnesota law
- Twin Cities Public TV: SCOTUS election law decision
- Minnesota Lawyer: Professor’s warnings cited in Supreme Court election case
June 15: Haaland v. Brackeen In addition to Indian Country Today (above), Prof. EagleWoman was interviewed in the following news stories.
- Twin Cities Public TV: U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Indian Child Welfare Act
- Minneapolis Star Tribune: Indigenous Minnesotans, advocates celebrate U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Indian Child Welfare Act
- WCCO Radio: SCOTUS upholds tribal sovereignty when it comes to adoptions
- MPR News: U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Indian Child Welfare Act
- KARE-11: Supreme Court preserves law that aims to keep Native American children with tribal families
Mitchell Hamline faculty
The latest from Faculty in the News
Winds of Change October 1, 2025
Professor of Law
The Federalist September 24, 2025
Professor of Law
WalletHub September 11, 2025
Professor of Law
The latest faculty publications
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics. Published online 2025:1-9 September 25, 2025
Professor of Law
Research Handbook on Voluntary Assisted Dying Law, Regulation and Practice September 15, 2025
Professor of Law
Oxford Textbook of Shared Decision Making in HealthCare September 15, 2025
Professor of Law
The latest faculty headlines
Mitchell Hamline welcomes Jessica West to faculty
Assistant Professor of Law Jessica West Joining the Mitchell Hamline faculty as an assistant professor of law, Jessica West combines a passion for student success with her experience as a practitioner to help law students build the skills they need for …
August 7, 2025
Eleanor Frisch joins legal writing faculty
Assistant Professor of Law Eleanor Frisch Having a strong sense of justice and being skilled at argumentation are what first led Eleanor Frisch (they/she) to a career in law, but it is a much deeper passion that has turned her now to teaching—a love fo …
August 7, 2025
Faculty achievement recognized with endowed chair positions
Twelve Mitchell Hamline School of Law faculty members were appointed endowed chair positions for the 2025-26 academic year. The prestigious awards recognize scholarly contributions, achievements, leadership, and future work in their respective areas of …
August 5, 2025
