Dear LSA Community,
The votes are now in: the Law and Society Association has a new president-elect. Congratulations to Mario Barnes, Chancellor’s Professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, for being elected the next leader of our organization. Mario’s outstanding leadership and service to our nation, the academy, civil society, and students is beyond comparison. At our 2025 annual meeting in Chicago, I will officially pass the baton to Professor Barnes.
In addition to Mario, I would like to congratulate all of our newly elected officers and Trustees. Brava! I also want to thank all our nominees and members of our community that stood for office.
As our calendar year draws to a close, it cannot be denied that elections matter. They determine, not only who will serve as president, but also who will be enlisted to serve local and national governments, courts, agencies, and local offices. The air we breathe, food we eat, and water we drink are questions of democracy—all connected to elections.
For these reasons and more, participatory governing matters. We see that within LSA and the broader world. And both need you. In the months and years to come, your thought leadership will set the path for a more just world. In many fields, your research may be the only voice illuminating the conditions of the most vulnerable. Your scholarship will be the necessary archive, chronicling the conditions under which society operates. Your learned and vetted research and scholarship may become crucial not only within the academy, but also to governments, courts, and civil society.
May the future be filled with your voices.
Finally, as the calendar year draws to a close, I want to thank our staff for their steadfast, exemplary work. Without them, LSA would not be possible.
My best,
Michele Goodwin