Torey Dolan, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation whose research focuses on political equality for Native American people, has been selected as the 2023 William H. Hastie Fellow.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hastie Fellowship, through which the University of Wisconsin Law School fulfills its commitment to expanding access to the legal academy and launching the careers of many leading legal scholars.
The Hastie Fellowship has provided aspiring scholars with an outstanding opportunity to prepare for a career in teaching law since 1973. It honors civil rights advocate William H. Hastie (1904-1976) and was established through the leadership of legendary UW Law Professor Jim Jones (1924-2014).
The two-year fellowship reflects UW Law’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in legal education. Over the decades, the Hastie Fellowship has provided a launching pad for many outstanding law professors, law deans and other leaders in law in government, including members of historically underrepresented groups and scholars whose research focuses on race and law.
Fellows pursue a scholarly agenda of their choice, typically prepare two pieces for publication and receive mentoring in their teaching and scholarship.
Dolan has been working on voting rights issues at Arizona State University’s (ASU) Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. Her research focuses on how American Indians express ideas of self-determination and political actualization through participation in state and federal democracies and how conflicts of Tribal, state and federal law impact the administration of elections on Tribal lands.
“I am incredibly honored to be chosen for this esteemed fellowship and to continue to build on the work I’ve started in the Indian Legal Clinic around Native American participation in democratic systems,” said Dolan, who earned her Juris Doctor and a certificate in Indian Law from ASU in 2019. “As a student and a fellow, I have developed a deep appreciation for addressing the practical issues that Tribal leaders, election administrators and community members face when participating in elections.”
BJ Ard, who led the selection process as chair of the Hastie Fellowship Committee, expressed excitement that Dolan’s work will bridge multiple efforts at UW Law, including those of the State Democracy Research Initiative and the Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center.
“We are enthusiastic about the synergy between Dolan’s work and UW’s scholarly commitments,” Ard said. “Her scholarship will shed new light on intersections of Indian law and election law that have enormous consequences for the representation of American Indians in the democratic process.”
While in the program, Dolan will receive mentoring and support to devote the majority of her time to research and writing. The fellowship program also provides practice opportunities for interviewing in the law teaching market. Dolan will have the option of teaching a seminar in Spring 2025 or another future semester.
Dan Tokaji, the Fred W. & Vi Miller dean and professor of law at UW Law, will serve as Dolan’s research adviser.
“The Hastie Fellowship has a long history of expanding access to the legal academy and producing first-rate legal scholars,” Tokaji said.
“Torey Dolan is an ideal person to serve as our next Hastie Fellow, with a research agenda that will advance equal justice under law and help historically underrepresented people gain an equal voice in our democracy,” he said. “She is poised to join dozens of former Hastie Fellows who have made their marks on our profession through their groundbreaking work.”
Dolan follows in the footsteps of Willard H. Pedrick Dean and Regents Professor of Law Stacy Leeds of ASU Law, who was awarded the Hastie Fellowship in 1998.
“The Hastie Fellowship continues a long and impactful legacy of placing up-and-coming talent on law faculties across the country, including a number of law deans,” Leeds said. “I am proud to see Torey enter this remarkable pipeline.”
Article by Jennie Broecker, University of Wisconsin Law School External Affairs
Submitted by Law School News on November 16, 2023
This article appears in the categories: Features
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