Dru Stevenson, Professor of Law

Every year, tenure-track and tenured professors at my institution serve on a variety of faculty committees, which are an essential component of faculty governance for a law school. The committees have meetings (either in person or by Zoom), and the number of meetings depends on the workload of the committee, which varies considerably. At these meetings, academic policies are discussed, debated, and adopted by vote, after which they are committed to writing as formal policy proposals, which then go to the full faculty for a vote. Some committees, like those making tenure decisions, admissions, or financial aid, must vote on individual cases or candidates. My committee assignments for the coming year are administrative (general policies). I created a page on this blog with a table of all my previous committee assignments (past years): Public Service & Advisory Roles: Professor Dru Stevenson Professor Dru Stevenson: 2026–2027 Faculty Committee Assignments at South Texas College of Law...

As mentioned in a previous post, I have been undergoing treatment for colon cancer this summer. The good news is that the oncology team is optimistic and recommended I start a regimen of immunotherapy infusions every three weeks, which I will undergo for several months. Statistically, based on my test results, immunotherapy is 80-90% likely to eradicate all the cancer and make surgery unnecessary, but if it doesn't work, then I will have surgery to remove the tumor.   My anemia from the internal bleeding (tumor) overshadowed the entire month of June for me - many days I was too weak and groggy to function. It was a very unproductive month for me, though I was able to read several good books while resting. The two books I enjoyed the most in June were The End of Violence  by Gary Slutkin and The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome: A History of the Ptolemies,  by Guy de la Bedoyere . Another book I read part of in June (but haven't finished) is Killing and Christian E...

I spent most of a week in the hospital in late May, where I was diagnosed with colon cancer (discovered during a colonoscopy and endoscopy). Severe anemia, from the slow internal bleeding, is what landed me in the hospital for an emergency blood transfusion. I have not been able to get an appointment with an oncologist yet, so I don't know what awaits me in the weeks and months ahead. I image a lot of the summer will be spent at the medical center getting tests, scans, transfusions, and hopefully a simple surgery, but I don't know the stage or treatment options yet. My red blood cell levels are slowly improving as I take iron supplements (also due to the blood transfusion and two intravenous iron infusions in the hospital). But it's still low enough that I have to spend my afternoons in bed, too weak and winded to do anything but rest. I would appreciate your prayers.

Reflecting on 22 Years of Academic Research at STCL Houston May 12, 2026 | Dru Stevenson I recently completed my annual faculty performance review at South Texas College of Law Houston . This marks my 22nd annual review since joining the faculty in 2004, which included a meeting with the Dean of the Law School and the Associate Dean of Faculty . Reflecting on over two decades of institutional support and legal scholarship at STCL Houston. I am grateful for the Dean's continued institutional support of my ongoing research into firearms law , Second Amendment jurisprudence , and nonviolent traditions . This long-standing partnership remains a vital component of my scholarly mission to bridge the gap between constitutional law and public health. This institutional support has enabled the cura...

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)

Source: Jiru, G. B., & Worrall, J. L. (2026). Disaggregating enforcement: Evidence on certainty, severity, and firearm homicide under the ATF zero tolerance policy. Journal of Criminal Justice, 104, 102643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2026.102643 Which violence-prevention policies actually "work," or are most effective for reducing gun violence? Here is a fascinating new study about the Biden-era crackdown on gun dealers. Warning letters and expectation of inspections reduced gun violence; severe sanctions like FFL revocation, not so much. For those of us advocating for safer gun laws, a new study in the Journal of Criminal Justice (Jiru & Worrall, 2026) offers a critical piece of evidence-based strategy. The researchers analyzed the impact of federal enforcement on firearm homicides, and the results are revelatory for our policy agendas. The article is  Disaggregating Enforcement: Evidence on Certainty, Severity, and Firearm Homicide Under the ATF Zero Toler...