Dru Stevenson, Professor of Law

I submitted a new article manuscript to about 70 law reviews on April 9, and I am still waiting anxiously for a publication offer! In the last few years, I have been submitting at the very end of the Spring submission cycle, because I think it is a less crowded field than in February or March, and the journals that still have spots to fill will actually read my manuscript. Still, the period of waiting for an offer is certainly nerve-wracking!  The manuscript analyzes the long-dormant administrative relief mechanism under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) and offers a new framework for a Department of Justice 'discretionary restoration' program that complies with recent Supreme Court Second Amendment jurisprudence. To learn more about my scholarship, publications, and academic profile, visit my Identity Page : https://drustevenson.blogspot.com/p/about-professor-dru-stevenson-identity.html (drustevenson.blogspot.com in Bing)

Legal Analysis: NRA v. NRA Foundation (2026) Entity Overview Plaintiff: National Rifle Association of America Inc. (NRA) Defendant: NRA Foundation Inc. (The "Foundation") Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Case Number: 1:26-cv-00015 Subject Matter: Intellectual Property, Nonprofit Governance, Breach of Contract Core Legal Issues & Claims The litigation centers on the NRA’s attempt to sever the Foundation's use of its intellectual property following an internal leadership schism . Trademark Infringement & Unfair Competition: NRA asserts it has revoked the 1990 consent allowing the Foundation to use the "NRA" mark . Ultra Vires Violations: NRA alleges the Foundation violated its own organizational documents by stripping the NRA board of its right to appoint trustees . Breach of Charitable Trust: Allegations that Foundation leaders threatened to misuse approximately $160 million in donor funds . Fiduciary Misconduct Context: T...

ABA Formal Opinion 522 (2026): Lawyer’s Duty to Disclose Judicial Disqualification Information — Summary, Analysis, and Context Date: April 2026 Author: Drury D. Stevenson, Professor of Law (Professional Responsibility) Overview of ABA Formal Opinion 522 The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released Formal Opinion 522 on April 8, 2026. The opinion clarifies a lawyer’s ethical obligations when the lawyer possesses information that could reasonably require a judge’s recusal or disqualification . The core message: If a lawyer knows information that would likely trigger a judge’s disqualification, the lawyer has an affirmative duty to disclose it — unless doing so would violate Model Rule 1.6 confidentiality. Key Ethical Rules Interpreted Model Rule 8.4(d) Lawyers must not engage in conduct “prejudicial to the administration of justice.” Opinion 522 frames nondisclosure of known judicial conflicts as potentially prejudic...

  Executive Summary & Research Scope This entry serves as a digital index for the article "Restoration of Federal Firearms Rights: The DOJ’s Administrative Revival of § 925(c)" by Drury D. Stevenson (Vinson & Elkins Research Professor, South Texas College of Law Houston). The research provides a 64-page comprehensive analysis of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) 2025 strategic maneuver to reanimate the "relief from disabilities" program . Core Legal Subject : 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) and its intersection with the felon-in-possession ban under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) . Institutional Context : Analysis of the Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) assuming functions previously sub-delegated to the ATF . Primary Legal Thesis : An administrative remedy offers a superior, data-driven alternative to the unpredictability of judicial "as-applied" Second Amendment challenges following the Bruen and Rahimi decisions . Key Data Entities & Thematic Domains Machi...

Analysis: 2026 U.S. News Law School Rankings and the Rise of Online Legal Education South Texas College of Law Houston continues its upward trajectory in national rankings while emerging as a leader in online JD education. The 2026-2027 U.S. News & World Report Law School Rankings, released April 7, 2026, reflect significant shifts in the American legal education landscape. Most notably for the Texas legal community, South Texas College of Law Houston (STCL) has ascended to #128 nationally, representing a 10-spot improvement from its 2025 position (#138). Texas Law School Rankings Overview (2026) School Name 2026 National Rank State Rank University of Texas—Austin #15 1 Texas A&M University #38 (tie) 2 Southern Methodist University (SMU) #38 (tie) 2 University of Houston #54 4 Baylor University #82 5 Texas Tech University #95 6 South Texas College of Law...