University of Houston Law Center Logo
HOME Faculty

Chatbots, Deepfakes, And Super PACs: How AI Is Reshaping Texas Political Spending

Yet, regarding the uses of AI, such as the NRSC ad targeting Talarico, University of Houston Law Professor Seth Chandler told Fox 4 that the First Amendment likely covers this messaging. “I think those tweets are legal,” he said. “They are not falsifying what he said. They are using his likeness, but I do not believe that that is unlawful.”

Trump's trade policy cuts both ways for sustainability

"Tariffs function as a double-edged sword, they can either incentivize the local production of sustainable goods or undermine it," says Chinonso Tansi Anozie, assistant professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center. "With the United States' imposition of tariffs, companies have adjusted their strategies by increasing domestic production or nearshoring to other countries with no tariffs or lower tariffs."

Ken Paxton says he will ‘absolutely stop’ ordinance limiting coordination between HPD and ICE

Seth Chandler, a law professor at the University of Houston Law Center, said “the stakes are actually very high here,” because elected officials can face removal from office under SB4. "You now appear to have a definitive decision from the Houston City Council, and you have a statement, at least, by the attorney general that he doesn’t find Houston’s actions to be permissible under the law," Chandler said. "And so I suspect we’re going to see a real fight emerge."

USDA secretary’s ‘He is Risen’ Easter email unnerves some staff members

James Nelson, a law professor at the University of Houston who specializes in religion and speech rights in the workplace, told The Post that Rollins’s email was “very unusual” and that it probably would have violated rules issued during the Clinton administration against official government endorsement of religion. However, Nelson noted that under “recent changes in church-state law under the First Amendment, the current administration seems to have concluded that those rules against government endorsement of religion are no longer operative.”

Lawrence James Pirtle (May 6, 1939 - April 4, 2026)

Larry attended the University of Houston, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in accounting...He continued at the University of Houston Law Center, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1966, demonstrating early on the intellectual rigor and discipline that would define his life and career. Larry served as the Associate Editor of the Houston Law Review and was honored as Chief Baron of the Order of Barons....A loyal alumnus, he remained deeply engaged with the University of Houston Law Center, serving as a multi-year member and chairman of the Law Alumni Association, Law Foundation, and the Houston Law Review Board of Directors.

Hello Houston (April 7, 2026)

On today's "Hello Houston," Law Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center Seth Chandler discussed the recent Supreme Court sessions.

Health Care Laws Could Face First Amendment Attacks After Supreme Court Ruling

That’s sort of the implication of the opinion — that the state can’t regulate therapists at all,” said Laura Portuondo, a constitutional law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

Briefcase: Impeachment Clause of the Constitution

“The Impeachment Clause of the U.S. Constitution gives congress the power to remove presidents, judges, or other Federal officials for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." “The process begins with the House of Representatives which has the power to impeach or formally charge an official. The Senate then holds a trial and two thirds vote is needed for conviction and removal from office.”

Supreme Court stirs free speech debate with ‘conversion therapy’ ruling

“Colorado took sides, where it said it’s fine with us if you want to engage in gender-affirming speech, but we are going to prohibit you from engaging in ‘rethinking your sexuality’ speech,” Chandler said. “That enabled eight of the justices to find that that violated the First Amendment, because it was viewpoint discrimination, which is generally ranked as the highest form of discrimination.”

Today on Texas Standard: Artemis II mission builds on lunar exploration legacy

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments over the future of birthright citizenship and a controversial executive order from President Donald Trump. Seth Chandler, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center, joins the Texas Standard to explain the current legal status, the arguments on both sides, and what’s at stake if the policy is upheld.

Attempts to regulate social media for minors in Wisconsin on hold

“I think the verdicts provide political tailwind for [state-level] age-verification requirements,” Nikolas Guggenberger, a professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center who studies antitrust and technology law, tells Isthmus in an email.

When Juvenile Jurisdiction Ends, the Road to Adult Expectations Begin

Judge Stuti Trehan Patel oversees Fort Bend County’s High-Risk Young Offender Specialty Court, as well as four other felony specialty courts, and recognizes that for the young people on her docket the stakes are real and immediate. This specialty court was created to help reduce incarceration, reduce recidivism, and give more “wraparound services” for young offenders who have pled guilty or been found guilty of crimes and been placed on probation.

Price of natural gas surges 35pc after tit-for-tat strikes destroy key infrastructure

"This could be a game changer for the LNG industry, akin to the attack on Nord Stream or possibly even worse," said Susan Sakmar, visiting assistant professor at the University of Houston Law Center. "This is a sudden disruption, with no indication that Qatar could restart anytime soon."

Data Center Rush Poses Conflicts for Law Firms With Energy Ties

“There’s potentially conflicting viewpoints on where the data center should be located, how it will be interconnected to the grid, and who should pay for it,” said Gina Warren, a University of Houston Law Center professor who previously represented utility companies as a lawyer at Perkins Coie. “It definitely creates a conflict with meeting energy demands, current demands and future demands, and it’s questionable whether interests of the utility companies will align with interests of the AI data centers.”

After Weak Live Nation-Ticketmaster Antitrust Deal, Klobuchar Introduces Legislation to Ensure Antitrust Settlements Benefit Consumers, Workers, and Small Businesses—Not Special Interests

The bill is endorsed by Jonathan Kanter (former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust), Bill Baer (former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust), Roger Alford (Former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust); Tim Wu (Former White House as special assistant to the president for technology and competition policy) Randy Stutz (President of the American Antitrust Institute), Bill Kovacic (former Republican Chair of the FTC), Gene Kimmelman (former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust), John Newman (Former Deputy Director, Federal Trade Commission), Professor Darren Bush, Public Knowledge, Open Markets Institute, and the American Economic Liberties Project.

Cornyn campaign targets Paxton with AI-generated ‘Love Shack’ parody ad

"I think it will take time for federal or state regulators to even attempt to come up with sensible regulations," Chandler said. "And this may be an area in which the cure is worse than the disease. That is, that when you start saying that, well, because they used AI, we can have additional censoring of the message, that starts to get very, very dangerous."

Briefcase: Powers of the Judicial Branch

The Constitution has guaranteed our freedoms and rights for over 200 years. In this regular series, Dean Leonard Baynes with the University of Houston Law Center looks at the Amendments and how they relate to society today. “The US Judiciary influences every aspect of American life.” “Article Three of the Constitution created the supreme court and any lower courts that Congress established.”

Briefcase: Powers of Federal Agencies

“US federal agencies like the EPA, the IRS, or the FDA implement regulations that have the effect of law. These agencies have the power to set rules agencies have the power to set rules affecting everything from the air we breathe, the taxes we pay, the food we eat, and more.”

Hello Houston: Where Houston Talks!

On today's Hello Houston, we're joined by Nikolas Guggenberger, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center, who breaks down a landmark case examining whether social media companies have designed their platforms to be addictive for younger users.

Choosing the Right LL.M.: Why Fit, Not Rank, Matters Most

However, what ultimately matters most is whether an LL.M. program fits a student’s goals, learning style and long-term plans, says Karen Jones, executive director of global and graduate programs at the University of Houston Law Center. “Don’t just look at rankings. Although rankings can be important, it’s most important to identify your personal and professional goals and then identify schools that are the best fit for you,” Jones says, offering simple but pointed advice to prospective students.

Magnolia ISD approves daily prayer period under new Texas law, experts expect more rejections

"There's a lot that students and teachers can do under existing law without this new bill, S.B. 11. You can pray privately, you can pray in a group at lunch, for example," said University of Houston Law Professor Seth Chandler, adding that the requirements may be difficult for districts to meet.

Missouri City woman says a trademark dispute is hurting her wings business

"We do see a trend in which trademarks are expanding," University of Houston law professor Aman Gebru said. Gebru is not involved in this case, but he teaches contracts and intellectual property law and has also reviewed the contract. "Trademark law is really at its core concerned about consumers. Locations tend to be relevant," he explained. "The provision that attempts to regulate what happens beyond that location and potentially includes any location in the world seems expansive in my mind."

‘No inspection needed’: Former Harris County Tax Office employees accused in vehicle registration sticker scheme

University of Houston Law Center Associate Professor David Kwok said it’s common to see suspects covering their tracks in cases of notary fraud. “These types of corruption tend to be very hidden,” Kwok said. “They tend to be secretive. They thrive in secrecy.”

In Delaware, You Live or Die Under Your LLC Operating Agreement

Notice the quoted language codified in § 18-1101(b), providing that “[i]t is the policy of this chapter to give the maximum effect to the principle of freedom of contract and to the enforceability of limited liability company agreements.” Professors Daniel Kleinberger and Douglas Moll, in their article published by the ABA Business Law Section entitled “The Limited Effect of ‘Maximum Effect,'” opine that the section is more bark than bite, “[t]hat is to say, the ‘maximum effect’ pronouncement is of little practical effect” because freedom of contract has long been embedded in common law without need for statutory pronouncement.In Delaware, You Live or Die Under Your LLC Operating Agreement

AI Resources for Law Professors

There is a robust sector of “Generative AI for law and lawyers” products and services out there, some of which have made significant inroads into legal education (Harvey.ai, Clio, and Josef, for example), and some of which are just now starting to find their ways into the hands of the more adventurous early tech adopters among the professoriate (Midpage.ai, which I learned about via Seth Chandler).

LL.M. Alumni Networks Adapt to the Age of WhatsApp and LinkedIn

Karen Jones, head of global and graduate programs at the University of Houston Law Center, says student-led initiatives often outlast school-run platforms when it comes to LL.M. student alumni networks. “They usually create a WhatsApp group and keep that group even after they graduate,” she says. These groups rarely disappear, she adds.

University of Houston International Grad: This is How to Make Yourself More Employable After an LL.M.

Karen Jones, executive director of global and graduate programs at UH Law Center, stresses that an LL.M. should be approached as a strategic investment, rather than a pause from professional life. Students who arrive with clarity about what they want the degree to do for them tend to navigate the workload and the broader experience more effectively.

AI-Generated Legal Scholarship

In his his “AI for Legal Education” newsletter, Seth Chandler (Houston) reports on using AI to help him and his seminar students produce not only seminar papers but also a published book that contains the students’ final products. The book is titled “Issues in Contemporary Constitutional Law,” edited by Professor Chandler, and it is now available at Amazon.com.

New details about Camp Mystic flood response could play role in wrongful death lawsuits

"It was an extraordinary weather event," Sanders said. "The question is whether you should expect serious weather events along this river, and at least there’s some evidence you should." When it comes to the action or inaction of local officials — which Camp Mystic's defense has pointed to as relevant to the tragedy — Kerr County is well-shielded from these types of lawsuits, Sanders said. "I think that they’re pretty responsible," he said. "Unfortunately, (state law) makes it very difficult for any individual to sue the county for their negligence under that circumstance, which leaves of course all of these different entities along the river, including Camp Mystic."

Behind the front lines of the legal battle against Trump's National Guard deployments

Since this law has been used so rarely in our history, we had very little sense of what any of these terms meant, because none of them are defined by the statute," says Chris Mirasola, a national security law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

Can Trump shut Houston-based Exxon out of Venezuela? What legal experts say about his takeover plans.

Venezuela must maintain direct control over its oil assets, especially since it is not a U.S.-occupied territory, said Ted Borrego, a longtime attorney who teaches oil and gas contracts law at the University of Houston.

85 Predictions for AI and the Law in 2026

Seth J. Chandler | Foundation Professor of Law, University of Houston Law Center 2026 Prediction: Google enters the legal research market in a big way, harnessing its immense dataset. Midpage AI permits API access to its research capabilities; a model beats established human authors in a brief writing competition (a Deep Blue moment). Biggest Surprise 2026: There will be the equivalent of AIStudio or Claude Code, but for legal research and writing.

‘Fumed’ Found Problems With Houston’s Industrial Permitting Process. The City Changed Its Policies.

Kellen Zale, a University of Houston professor who teaches property law, land use and real estate, told Public Health Watch the new affidavit could be especially helpful for communities on Harris County’s industrialized east side. Areas with lower incomes and large populations of color are typically the places most burdened by industrial development, Zale said.

Trump Will Try to Defend Aggression Toward Venezuela. It’s Still Illegal.

“The OLC opinion completely failed to address numerous recognitions of the founders, framers, and Supreme Court justices that the president and members of the executive branch are bound by international law,” Jordan Paust, professor emeritus at the University of Houston Law Center and former captain in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, told Truthout. “Further, the express constitutional duty is to faithfully execute the law — not to disobey law.”

The President's Protective Power

Jack spoke with Chris Mirasola of the University of Houston Law Center about the President’s “protective power” to use the regular armed forces or the National Guard (if properly federalized) in the domestic sphere for the protection of federal property and functions. They discussed the origins and scope of the protective power, its relationship to the Posse Comitatus Act, why it was relevant in Trump v. Illinois, and the president’s prominent options for domestic deployment of the military (including using regular armed forces for a protective function) after Trump v. Illinois.

Greenpeace's Fight With a Pipeline Giant Exposes a Legal Loophole (Subscription Required)

UH Law Professor Renee Knake Jefferson was recently quoted in the New York Times, explaining how amicus briefs are increasingly being used as a strategic litigation tool for a story about Greenpeace's legal battle with the pipeline company Energy Transfer. 

First trial to begin on the Uvalde school shooting police response | AP News

UH Law Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson provided expert commentary and legal context to the AP, ABC News, and other news outlets for stories about the first criminal trial focusing on the delayed law-enforcement response in the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde.

View 2025 UHLC in the News Archive