News Archive

Three new professors have joined the faculty at the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law: Zachary Cormier, Jennifer Mitchell, and Sarah Parks.

Zachary Cormier practiced for more than a decade as a litigator in the areas of constitutional law, civil rights, and employment law. He was a First Amendment Fellow at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he helped to supervise students in the First Amendment Clinic. Clients included news organizations, journalists, and local citizens with a wide variety of cases involving free speech issues, including oral argument before the Supreme Court of Arizona.

Much of Professor Cormier’s research explores current issues related to free speech and free press protections, in particular, debate surrounding application of the First Amendment’s actual malice privilege amidst the rise of social media and online misinformation/defamation. He is also drawn to the practical importance of defining effective and workable constitutional protections related to interactions between law enforcement and the public. At IU McKinney, Professor Cormier teaches a survey course focusing on the freedom of the press, evidence, and a criminal procedure course covering constitutional protections in the context of law enforcement investigations.

Professor Cormier’s most recent article, “Constitutional ‘Detours,’” was published in spring 2025 by the Missouri Law Review. The article identifies growing disagreement amongst courts about the application of a recent Supreme Court decision that sought to prevent police from extending the duration of pretextual traffic stops to perform unrelated investigations without cause. 

Jennifer Mitchell teaches and writes in the areas of legislation, civil procedure, torts, legal writing, and property. Her scholarly interests include increasing democratic representation through legal and institutional reform, advancing neurodiversity in legal education and the legal profession, and promoting professional identity formation in law school curricula.

Before joining the McKinney Law faculty, Professor Mitchell taught at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she served as interim director of the Introduction to Advocacy Program. She also previously taught in the Fundamentals of Lawyering Program at The George Washington University Law School.

A former active-duty officer in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Professor Mitchell served as a prosecutor and legal assistance attorney and deployed to Afghanistan as a NATO Rule of Law Field Support Officer. She currently serves as associate general counsel for the National Guard Bureau within the District of Columbia Air National Guard.

In addition to her military service, Professor Mitchell was a military legislative assistant and counsel to a United States Senator, where she advised on defense and veterans affairs matters and drafted legislative and regulatory language for appropriations and authorization bills.

Professor Mitchell’s recent publication, “Rethinking Legal Education: Demystifying Neurodiversity and Building an Inclusive Future,” will be published in the Journal of Law Teaching and Learning later this year.

Professor Mitchell holds a J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a B.S., cum laude, in Political Science with minors in Economics and Music from Illinois State University. She also studied abroad at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sarah Parks joined IU McKinney School of Law in fall 2023 as a visiting clinical assistant professor teaching legal communication and analysis. Professor Parks researches in the area of civil procedure. Her current work focuses on how procedural rules—especially those governing venue and transfer—shape the experience of litigants across the legal system. Her most recent piece, “Procedural Justice in Parallel Lawsuits,” was published in May 2025 by Fordham Law Review. In the classroom and beyond, she fosters a culture rooted in collaboration and mentorship. She is passionate about preparing future lawyers to think critically, engage constructively, and practice with excellence and integrity. 

A 2017 graduate of the IU Maurer School of Law, Professor Parks received a B.A. from Wichita State University. During law school she worked as a judicial extern in the Indiana Supreme Court, as a summer associate at the Indianapolis law firm Densborn Blachley LLP, as a law clerk to then U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly, and as a legal intern for the IU Office of the Vice President and General Counsel. After completing her legal education, she worked as an associate attorney for Densborn Blachley LLP, Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, and Quarles & Brady LLP. Parks serves on the executive committee of the Indianapolis Art Center board.

"My colleagues and I are delighted to welcome these new professors to the IU McKinney Law faculty," said Dean Karen E. Bravo. "Their educational backgrounds, life experiences, and achievements, and their research and teaching experiences make them terrific additions to our faculty. We look forward to their contributions to IU McKinney’s rigorous program of legal education that is so essential to our students’ success and to their participation in our scholarly community."