UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW

MARCH 4, 2026

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mar. 6–7

National Conference of Constitutional Law Scholars

Mar. 17

Program in Criminal Law and Policy Speaker Series with Laura Conover

Apr. 8

2026 Haury Indigenous Leadership Awards Celebration

Greetings,

The University of Arizona community recently gathered to honor outstanding alumni from across the university. During the event, I was privileged to present the Alumni of the Year Award on behalf of the College of Law to litigator Rick Fried (’63, ’66).

Read below about Rick’s career and support for Arizona Law.

Read on,

Jason

FEATURE

Hawaii Litigator Rick Fried Honored with 2026 Alumni of the Year Award

Litigation and tennis have a lot in common. Both require strategy, endurance and a bit of a competitive spirit. There’s rigorous preparation and, during the match, plenty of volleys.

For decades, Double Wildcat Rick Fried (’63, ’66) has found success in both.

Fried is now investing in students who need those same qualities to prepare for their own demanding matches. On February 13, 2026, he received the 2025–26 Alumni of the Year Award in recognition of his legal work and commitment to the James E. Rogers College of Law. Fried also recently donated more than $410,000 to endow the L. Richard Fried, Jr. Future Advocates Scholarship Endowment, which will support law students with a demonstrated interest in trial advocacy.

Fried, who grew up in Scottsdale, played tennis as a University of Arizona undergraduate student before going on to the College of Law. According to Fried, law school taught him to be “persistent, stubborn, hardworking.” “I had to work hard,” he recalls, “and I think that carried over to my practice.”

In addition to founding Cronin, Fried, Sekiya, Kekina & Fairbanks, the largest plaintiffs’ litigation firm in Hawaii, Fried has long been a competitive tennis player. In 2021, he earned the number one ranking in the men’s 80-year-old division of the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA).

With the new L. Richard Fried, Jr. Future Advocates Scholarship Endowment, Fried is helping a new generation of aspiring litigators. When asked his advice for current students, he encourages the work ethic that has benefited him.

“You have to be ready, as I did, [to] spend lots of time at night on your couch in your office, and you just have to really want it badly,” Fried advises. “And what I always remember is it’s one of many cases for me, but it’s my client’s only case, and they really count on you.”

For the full story, see here.

FROM THE COLLEGE

Former Dean E. Thomas Sullivan to Discuss New Book on the Presidency During Event April 27

Few topics are of more urgent contemporary interest and concern than the contours of presidential power. In recent years, the United States Supreme Court has interpreted presidential powers expansively, relying on a theory of “exclusive” constitutional presidential powers, paired with what has been described as the “unitary executive” account of Article II. This in turn has led to increasingly expansive assertions of presidential power.

Former College of Law Dean E. Thomas Sullivan recently released a book on the U.S. presidency. On April 27, he will be discussing the new book with Professor and Milton O. Riepe Chair in Constitutional Law Andrew Coan. The Arizona Law community is invited to attend in person or via Zoom.

Registration is required.

Event: A Conversation with E. Thomas Sullivan: The U.S. Presidency: Power, Responsibility, and Accountability

When: Monday, April 27, 2026, 12:15–1:15 p.m.

Where: College of Law, Charles Ares Classroom 164, or on Zoom. Lunch will be served for the live event.

In December 2025, former Dean Sullivan’s new book, “The U.S. Presidency: Power, Responsibility, and Accountability,” was released. Co-authored with Richard Painter of the University of Minnesota, the book addresses the presidency from a political, historical and legal perspective. Rather than promote a single theory of presidential power, Sullivan and Painter offer a range of arguments for and against power in various circumstances and Supreme Court holdings. The authors make a case for a democratic model of self-government centered on accountability and the rule of law.

Arizona Justice Project Celebrates Prof. Silverman

The Arizona Justice Project (AJP) recently honored Andy Silverman (’69), Joseph M. Livermore Professor Emeritus of Law and Director of Clinical Programs, during its One Injustice Is Too Many Gala.

According the AJP website, the annual gala recognizes individuals who have been freed from prison or exonerated and the people working behind the scenes on their behalf. Prof. Silverman is pictured above with Betty Smithey and Khalil Rushdan, both of whom Prof. Silverman represented with the help of Arizona Law students.

Over the course of around two decades, Prof. Silverman worked with Smithey, who was released from prison through the clemency process in 2012. At the time she was released, after 49 years in prison, she was the longest-serving woman in the United States. Prof. Silverman and Arizona Law students also represented Rushdan, who was exonerated after serving 15 years for a murder he did not commit. He is now a member of the AJP board.

Prof. Silverman has been a long-time criminal justice advocate. The Arizona Law Wrongful Conviction Clinic was founded in 2014 from the roots of his work with AJP. Renamed the University of Arizona Innocence Project in 2019, the clinic has given students opportunities to explore issues of wrongful conviction and provide pro bono legal services to people with innocence claims for more than a decade.

Last Chance to Register for Constitutional Law Conference

At the end of this week, on March 6–7, the Rehnquist Center will host the eighth annual National Conference of Constitutional Law Scholars at the Westin La Paloma in Tucson. If you are interested in attending and have not done so already, please register as soon as possible.

Mila Sohoni of Stanford Law will give the keynote lecture, “The Strange Career of Judicial Restraint.”

The conference also will feature various panels led by prominent constitutional scholars, along with lightning sessions where participants deliver short, no-paper presentations on early-stage projects followed by group discussion.

Visit the Conference Webpage

IN THE NEWS

How can the Supreme Court protect electoral integrity?

SCOTUSblog, by Ned Foley

What to Know About the Live Nation Antitrust Trial

Wall Street Journal, quoting Barak Orbach

Trump fast-tracked permitting a Utah uranium mine in record 11 days. Tribes call it a rubber stamp

KJZZ, quoting Justin Pidot

Rethinking Multiple Use Management of America’s Public Lands

Ground Shift, by Justin Pidot

Do You Have News?

Your success is the college’s success and we want to celebrate with you! If you have landed a new job, received an award or recognition, stepped into a leadership role or have good news in general, let us know.

Share Your News Here

Facebook, @University of Arizona Law

Members of our community like Rick Fried and Andy Silverman are using their legal skills to represent their clients and guide future generations. Our College is a hub of intellectual curiosity, leading conversations on crucial current topics.

LawCats have much to be proud of!

Onward,