L. Darnell Weeden
Associate Dean
Roberson King Professor of Law

Joined Faculty 1989

Education:

• B.A., 1972 University Of Mississippi
• J.D., 1975 University Of Mississippi
• As an under graduate student at Ole Miss Weeden majored in Journalism and Political Science. Weeden is the first African American to graduate from the Ole Miss Journalism School.

Biographical Information

• Associate Dean and the Roberson King Professor of Law, Texas Southern University-Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Houston, TX 2005 - Present
• Professor of Law, Texas Southern University-Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Houston, TX 1989-2005
• Interim Dean, Texas Southern University-Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Houston, TX 1998
• Director of Clinical Programs, Texas Southern University-Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Houston, Tx 1990-1992

Affiliations
Life Member of NAACP
Texas Association of College Teachers
Texas Faculty Association
American Bar Association
Mississippi Bar Association

Research and Teaching Interests
Constitutional Law
Federal Jurisdiction
First Amendment
Torts

Achievements

While serving as the law school’s legal clinic director, Prof. Weeden coauthored a $250,000 federal grant to establish a legal clinic too assist homeless people in Houston. Weeden believes that his childhood exposure to poverty in the Mississippi Delta makes him very sensitive to the needs of the poor and homeless in our society.

In 1997 he served as Chair of the Faculty Senate at Texas Southern University and Editor of The Faculty Speaks. Professor Weeden has authored more than fifteen law review publications on issues such as the Confederate Flag, affirmative action, racial profiling, separation of powers, presidential impeachment, independent counsel statutes, federal preemption and health law. Professor Weeden’s law review publications have been cited by law reviews published at Harvard, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, Duke, the University of Texas, Baylor, Boston University, the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama and other highly respected law journals. He is in demand as a speaker on a variety of controversial issues. He has presented papers on a variety of topics throughout America and outside of the United States.

Publications (Since 2001)

1. LatCrit XI Symposium: Working And Living In The Global Playground: Front stage And Backstage The Less Than Fair Employment Practice Of An English-Only Rule In The Workplace, 7 Nev. L.J. 947 (2007)
2. Hurricane Katrina and The Toxic Torts Implications Of Environmental Injustice In New Orleans 40 John Marshall L. Rev. 1 (2006)
3. Symposium: Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina: First Amendment Censorship and the News Media, 31 T. Marshall L. Rev. 479 (2006)
4. Symposium: Essay: Does the No Child Left Behind Law (NCLBA) Burden the States as an Unfunded Mandate under Federal Law?, 31 T. Marshall L. Rev. 239 (2006)
5. Raising The Bar In The Affirmative Action Debate: A Pragmatic Comment On Professor Richard H. Sander’s Systemic Analysis Of Affirmative Action In American Law Article,15 Southern California Review of Law And Social Justice 195 (2006) (Lead Article)
6. Special Edition: Alito Nomination: Article: Justice Alito And The Issue Of Racial Discrimination: From Racial Segregation To Racial Diversity, 33 S.U. L. Rev. 469 (2006) 
7. Symposium: Second National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference BACK TO THE FUTURE: SHOULD GRUTTER'S DIVERSITY RATIONALE APPLY TO FACULTY HIRING? IS TITLE VII IMPLICATED?, 26 Berkeley J. Emp. & Lab. L. 511 (2005).
8. CASENOTE: ERISA'S PREEMPTION RULING PREVENTS A PATIENT FROM SUING AN HMO UNDERSTATE MALPRACTICE LAW:AFTER AETNA HEALTH,INC. V. DAVILA WHO WILL GRANT THE WORKING MIDDLE CLASS A MEANINGFUL RIGHT TO BE HEARD? 7 U. Pa. J. Lab. & Emp. L. 715 (2005);
9. EMPLOYING RACENEUTRAL AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO CREATE EDUCATIONALDIVERSITY WHILE ATTACKING SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS DISCRIMINATION, 19 St. John's J. Legal Comment. 297 (2005);
10. AFTER GRUTTER V. BOLLINGER HIGHER EDUCATION MUST KEEP ITS EYES ON THE TAINTED DIVERSITY PRIZE LEGACY, 19 BYUJ.Pub.L.161(2004);
11. Copyright (c) 2004 Thurgood Marshall Law Review Thurgood Marshall Law Review Spring, 2004, 29 T. Marshall L. Rev. 399 (2004), ESSAY: CAN BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION MEET THE CHALLENGE OF RACE-NEUTRAL DISCRIMINATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY? , L. Darnell Weeden *
12. Tactical Self-Funded ERISA Employers Unnecessarily Threaten Employers’ Right To An Independent Review Of An HMO’s Medical Necessity Determination With Preemption, 77 St. Johns L. Rev. 867 (2003);
13. HMOs, ERISA’s “Relate To” Preemption” And A Patient’s Right To An External Review Of Medical Necessity Decisions And The Implications Of Field And Conflict Preemption, 5 DePaul J. Health Care L. 207 (2002);
14. An HMO Does Not Owe an ERISA Fiduciary Duty to Its Employee Beneficiaries: After Peg ram V. Herdrich, Who Will Speak for the Working Class, 23 W. New Eng. L. Rev. 381 (2002);
15. The Rise and Fall of Enron: A White House Nondisclosure Entangles Separation of Powers and Contempt of Congress, 34 McGeorge L. Rev. 65 (2002);
16. Creating Race-Neutral Diversity In Federal Procurement In A Post Adarand World, 23 Whittier L. Rev. 951 (2002);
17. A Post- impeachment Indictment of the Independent Counsel Statute, 28 N. Ky. L. Rev. 536 (2001);
18. How to Establish Flying the Confederate Flag with the State as Sponsor Violates the Equal Protection Clause, 34 Akron L. Rev. 521 (2001);
19. Essay: The Clinton Impeachment Indicates a Presidential Impeachment Offense Is Only Limited by Constitutional Process and Congress’ Political Compass Directive, 27 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev. 2499 (2001).