Best Untenured Article Award
The AALS Section on Federal Courts is pleased to announce the annual award for the best federal courts article by a full-time, untenured faculty member at an AALS member or affiliate school—and to solicit nominations (including self-nominations) for the prize to be awarded at the 2027 AALS Annual Meeting.
This Award recognizes outstanding scholarship in the field of federal courts by untenured faculty members. To that end, eligible articles are those specifically in the field of Federal Courts that were published by a recognized journal during the twelve-month period ending on September 1, 2026 (date of actual publication determines eligibility). Eligible authors are those who, at the close of nominations (i.e., as of October 1, 2026), are untenured, full-time faculty members at AALS member or affiliate schools, and have not previously won the award.
Nominations (and questions about the award) should be directed to the Section Chair, Professor Fred Smith of Stanford Law School, at fsmith@law.stanford.edu with the subject line “Best Untenured Article Award – Nomination: [Nominee’s Name].” Without exception, all nominations must be received by 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on October 1, 2026.
Nominations will be reviewed by a prize committee consisting of Fred Smith (Stanford, Section Chair), Katherine Mims Crocker (Cornell, Section Chair-Elect), Will Baude (Chicago), Monica Haymond (Northwestern), and Caprice Roberts (LSU). The result will be announced at the Federal Courts Section program at the 2027 AALS Annual Meeting.
Daniel J. Meltzer Award
The AALS Section on Federal Courts is pleased to announce that it is seeking nominations for the 2027 Daniel J. Meltzer Award, which is designed to honor the life and work of the late Professor Meltzer.
This Award recognizes a professor of Federal Courts who has exemplified over the course of their career Professor Meltzer’s excellence in teaching, careful and ground-breaking scholarship, engagement in issues of public importance, generosity as a colleague, and overall contribution to the field of Federal Courts. Eligible nominees are those who are full-time faculty members at AALS member or affiliate schools and have not served as an officer of the Federal Courts Section in the two previous years. It is not required that the award be given out in any particular year, and it may not be given out more frequently than every three years.
Nominations (and questions about the award) should be directed to the Section Chair, Professor Fred Smith of Stanford Law School, at fsmith@law.stanford.edu with the subject line “Meltzer Award – Nomination: [Nominee’s Name].” Without exception, all nominations must be received by 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on October 1, 2026.
Nominations will be reviewed by a prize committee consisting of Fred Smith (Stanford, Section Chair), Katherine Mims Crocker (Cornell, Section Chair-Elect), Jack Goldsmith (Harvard), Vicki Jackson (Harvard), and Judith Resnik (Yale). If the committee decides to make the award, it will be announced at the Federal Courts Section program at the 2027 AALS Annual Meeting.