1. Dinner and Discussion Featuring Brandon Hasbrouck ’11L and Blake D. Morant to Headline W&L’s 2026 MLK Celebration

Washington and Lee University will celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a weeklong series of events headlined by a Jan. 19 dinner and discussion focusing on King's legacy and his impact on democracy.

The dinner and interactive discussion will be held in Evans Dining Hall at 6 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Seating is limited so advance registration is required. The event will feature dialogue between Brandon Hasbrouck '11L, Sydney and Frances Lewis Professor of Law at W&L, and Blake D. Morant, Robert Kramer Research Professor of Law and former dean at the George Washington University Law School. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions and participate in the discussion.

"When we met with Brandon and Blake in preparation for this event, MLK week co-chair and dean Tammy Futrell and I were so struck by how excited they were to soon be in public conversation," said Leslie Wingard Cunningham, associate provost for faculty development and professor of English and Africana Studies. "We, too, look forward to these two distinguished professors of law speaking together and in depth about Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of American democracy. They represent separate age cohorts, and so this cross-generational dialogue will be quite engaging and enlightening. Because they were born and raised at different times, you can expect them to interpret historical events and cultural shifts in unique ways."

Hasbrouck, who joined the W&L Law faculty in 2019, is an accomplished scholar and teacher who focuses on criminal law and procedure, constitutional law and theory, movement law and abolition. His research explores the legal and constitutional principles available to Congress and the courts to redress the ways law fails Black and other marginalized people, along with the structural possibilities for radical change in American society. His work has been published in numerous leading scholarly journals, and he has authored or coauthored amicus briefs in federal court on some of the most important issues at the intersection of constitutional law and civil rights and habeas law. He is frequently consulted on litigation strategies involving civil rights and racial justice.

Hasbrouck is the three-time recipient of both the Ethan Allen Faculty Fellowship for scholarly excellence and the John W. Elrod Law Alumni Fellowship for teaching excellence and was the first professor in the law school's history to have received both awards in the same year. In addition, he was twice awarded the Lewis Prize for Excellence in Legal Scholarship and was voted the Student Bar Association's Professor of the Year in 2022, the first Black professor in W&L Law's history to receive the award.

Before joining the university, Hasbrouck worked at McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond, Virginia, and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York. He also clerked for two federal judges, Emmet G. Sullivan of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and Roger L. Gregory of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Law from Dominican College and is admitted to the bar of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Hasbrouck received his J.D. from W&L in 2011, serving as editor-in-chief of the Washington and Lee Law Review and as a member of the Black Law Students Association. He was also the recipient of the Frederic L. Kirgis Jr. International Law Award for excellence in international law, graduated Order of Coif and was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa. He also holds a B.A. in history from Dominican College.

Morant speaks around the globe on pressing issues in legal education. He has been published extensively in his areas of scholarly focus, including contract theory, media law and administrative law. In addition to his role at George Washington, he also serves as a distinguished counselor for the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). Prior to his time at GW, Morant served as dean of the Wake Forest University School of Law, where he built a national reputation as an exceptional law school administrator, tireless advocate for students and respected legal scholar. He was also a member of the W&L Law faculty and served as assistant dean, twice receiving professor of the year honors from the Women Law Students Organization (WLSO).

Morant has served in numerous national leadership positions at AALS and the American Bar Association (ABA), including as AALS president in 2015. He has served as a member of the ABA's Commission on the Future of Legal Education and is president-emeritus of the AALS Fellows. Among his professional honors, Morant was named the John R. Kramer Outstanding Law Dean by Equal Justice Works and was recognized four times by National Jurist magazine as one of the most influential people in legal education. He has received the Attorney of the Year Award from the National Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Heman Marion Sweatt Award from the National Bar Association.

Morant served as a visiting fellow of University College, Oxford and became the Straus Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at the Caruso School of Law at Pepperdine University in 2022. He previously served as the Distinguished Visitor Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. He commenced his academic career at The University of Toledo College of Law.

Morant received his B.A. degree from the University of Virginia and J.D. degree from the UVA School of Law.

The university's MLK Commemorative Planning Committee is co-chaired by Wingard Cunningham and Tammy Futrell, dean of student engagement and leadership. They would like to extend a special thanks to the W&L Office of the President, Office of the Provost, the Division of Student Affairs, the Institute for Honor, School of Law and Virginia Military Institute for their support of the week's events.