Professor John A. (Alex) Erwin, an assistant professor of law at Florida International University College of Law, will join the Wallace Stegner as the 19th Annual Young Scholar on November 9, 2023 to deliver his Young Scholar Lecture on “Litigating Predator Management.” Professor Erwin will explore legal challenges to predator hunting, taxonomizing existing case law and explaining why successful challenges to state hunting regimes are difficult and rare.
Professor John A. (Alex) Erwin is an assistant professor of law at Florida International University College of Law. He earned both a J.D. and a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Arizona with a background in wildlife biology and genetics. Combining his legal training with his background as a wildlife biologist, his research is situated at the intersection of environmental law, genetics, and wildlife conservation. His publication record spans both peer-reviewed scientific journals and more traditional law reviews.
In discussing his upcoming visit to the Wallace Stegner Center, Professor Erwin said, “I’m incredibly honored and thankful for this opportunity to present my work at the Stegner Center. I admire and look up to so many of the affiliated faculty and the previous winners of this award. So much of my own journey as a scholar has been focused on wildlife issues here in the West, so it is truly a privilege to be associated with Wallace Stegner’s name.”
In discussing Professor Erwin’s scholarship and his upcoming visit as the Stegner Center’s 19th annual young scholar, Bob Keiter, Stegner Center Director and University Distinguished Professor of Law, noted, “The Stegner Center looks forward to welcoming Alex as this year’s Young Scholar. With his rich background in law and biology, Alex has fast established himself as an important voice in the intersection of science, the Endangered Species Act, and biodiversity law more generally. His upcoming presentation on state hunting laws and the role of courts promises to push the boundaries of wildlife law.”
Professor Erwin’s Young Scholar presentation on “Litigating Predator Management” will be published in the environmental and natural resources law issue of the student-edited Utah Law Review.
The Young Scholars Program, which is made possible by the generous support of the Cultural Vision Fund, is designed to recognize and establish a relationship with promising scholars early in their academic careers. Recipients are selected based on their accomplishments, the quality of their academic work, and their promise in the field of environmental and natural resources law and policy.
Past Stegner Center Young Scholars include: Professor Vanessa Casado Perez, Professor and Dean’s Research Chair at Texas A&M School of Law; Professor Etienne C. Toussaint, University of South Carolina School of Law; Professor Karen Bradshaw, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University; Professor Jason Robison, University of Wyoming College of Law Professor; Uma Outka, University of Kansas School of Law; Professor Felix Mormann, Texas A&M University School of Law; Professor Sanne Knudsen, University of Washington School of Law; Professor Dave Owen, UC Hastings College of Law; Professor Emily Hammond, George Washington University Law School; Professor Katrina Kuh, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University (now at Pace); Professor Noah Hall, Wayne State University of Law; the late Professor Lesley McAllister, then at the University of San Diego School of Law; Professor Jason Czarnezki, Vermont Law School (now at Pace); Professor Barbara Cosens, University of Idaho School of Law; Professor Kim Connolly, University of South Carolina School of Law (now at SUNY Buffalo); Professor Jamison Colburn, Western New England College School of Law (now at Penn State); Professor Amy Sinden, Temple University Beasley School of Law; and Professor Reed Benson, University of Wyoming College of Law (now at New Mexico).