News

Associate Professor Cody Corliss was recently selected to present his work at the University of Michigan Law School’s 11th Annual Junior Scholars Conference in April 2025 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Professor Corliss’s abstract, The War Crime of Terror, was chosen from approximately 400 applications after a peer review process.

His paper analyzes acts of terror in armed conflict and the barriers to criminal accountability, explaining how this war crime is frequently committed yet seldom prosecuted. The paper argues for expanding jurisdiction to prosecute the crime and increased prosecution, noting that prosecution not only reinforces accountability for atrocity crimes, but also serves such important goals as linking senior officials to war crimes and acknowledging civilian suffering.

A dedicated family of West Virginia University supporters is strengthening academics at the WVU College of Law with a gift to establish a new professorship.

The Deem family, of Bridgeport, established the Patrick D. Deem Professor of Law, which provides faculty support to aid research, teaching and service. First preference for the position goes to a faculty member whose focus is on real estate, energy and natural resources, or business law.

The professorship recognizes Patrick Deem’s commitment to the legal profession for more than 50 years. He earned his law degree from WVU and practiced with Steptoe & Johnson, joining the firm in 1969 and retiring in 2020.

“We are so thrilled to receive this transformational gift from the Deem family,” Amelia Smith Rinehart, William J. Maier, Jr. Dean and professor of law, said.