The Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin and Ohio Northern University’s Pettit College of Law(ONU), in consultation with the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) Section on National Security Law, have established the Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship. The prize honors Professor Mike Lewis of ONU, a much-loved colleague and prolific scholar who passed away in 2015.

Each year, the Mike Lewis Prize—in the amount of $1,000—will be awarded to the author of an outstanding national security law article.

About the Nomination and Selection Processes

Only articles written by full-time faculty members of AALS-member schools are eligible for nomination. Anyone may nominate an article, with the exception that self-nominations are not permitted.

Nominated articles must be expected to be accepted for publication (whether in print or online) by December 31, 2022. No articles published before 2022 will be permitted. Nominated articles will be judged based on the quality of the research involved, the quality of the writing, the originality of the work, and the significance of its contribution to the field. Diversity in nominees and perspectives is strongly encouraged, and we especially hope to see nominations of the work of new and emerging scholars.

The selection will be made by a committee comprised of delegates from the Strauss Center at UT Austin, ONU, and the AALS National Security Law section. 2021’s delegates were Rachel E. VanLandingham, Lt Col (ret.) (Southwestern), Bobby Chesney and Adam Klein (UT Austin), Bill Banks (Syracuse), Chris Jenks (SMU), Sudha Setty (Western New England), Peter Margulies (Roger Williams), and Liam O’Melinn (ONU). The winner each year will be announced in January at the National Security Law section program during the AALS Annual Meeting.

How to Make a Nomination

Nominations for the 2022 prize must be submitted by October 31 to Ali Prince of the Strauss Center ([email protected]). A nomination should include the following:

• Full citation to the nominated article
• PDF copy of the nominated article
• Information about the nominated author’s full-time faculty status
• The nominator’s concise case (100-300 words) in favor of awarding the prize to that article

About Mike

Mike was a unique and cherished contributor to our field. He was a former naval aviator who trained in the elite “Top Gun” program and served in the first Gulf War. As a law professor, he brought his experience with armed conflict to bear on his scholarship and teaching. Mike never lost sight of the polestars of international and constitutional law, even as he acknowledged the challenges of today’s armed conflicts with non-state actors such as ISIS and Al Qaeda. He was widely known and appreciated in our community and is missed by all.