Professor Rose Cuison Villazor was a Professor of Law and Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall Research Scholar at the University of California at Davis School of Law before joining the Rutgers Law faculty as one of the Chancellor's Social Justice Scholars. She is an expert in immigration, citizenship, property law, and race and is the founder of the Rutgers Center for Immigration Law, Policy and Justice.

What drew you to work at Rutgers Law School? 

Rutgers' strong commitment to social justice, support of the rights of immigrants, engaging faculty, and driven students were among the many reasons why I came to Rutgers.     

What is your area of expertise and what will you be teaching/doing during the school year? 

Broadly speaking, my work examines how law regulates membership and who belongs in a particular space. More specifically, I analyze this general question through the lens of two different (though sometimes intersecting) areas of law: immigration and citizenship law and property law. My current immigration projects examine the turn to localism in immigration law through the passage of "anti-sanctuary" state laws. I'm also exploring how derivative citizenship laws discriminate against non-marital children. As for property, I am currently working on a book on the intersection between property and race.  

Talk about some of your past work experiences or what you have been doing most recently? 

This fall, I am launching the Center for Immigration Law, Policy and Justice. The center will engage in interdisciplinary research of immigration and citizenship laws, promote policy changes to ensure the constitutional and statutory rights of immigrants, and conduct community-based advocacy. Having just started at Rutgers, launching a center right away is no small task. The support that I have received thus far from the Rutgers University and Newark communities, however, have been valuable in ensuring that the center is able to contribute to local, state and national discourse on immigration law and immigrants' rights.

What makes Rutgers special or unique? 

Progressive and social justice values. The Minority Student Program. Rich legal scholarship by the faculty. Smart and hardworking students.

What advice would you give law students today?

In law school, you study what the law is. But it is equally important to examine what the law should be. 

What do you like to do for fun or to unwind?

I play the drums and the ukulele. I have been part of a faculty rock band and faculty/student rock band. I would love to start a rock band here at Rutgers.