Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan) header
Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan) profile picture

Meghan J. Ryan

@MeghanJRyan

Law Professor at SMU focused on torts, law & science, and criminal law & procedure.

smu.edu/Law/Faculty/Profiles/Ryan-Meghan-J
Joined May 2012
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Photo by Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan)Photo by Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan)Photo by Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan)Photo by Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan)Photo by Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan)Photo by Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan)Photo by Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan)Photo by Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan)Photo by Meghan J. Ryan (@MeghanJRyan)
A twist with originalism is that, counter to some critics' expectations, it can be a boon to criminal defendants. Jury size is a great example. Check out my analysis in "An Upside of Originalism? Jury Size" (forthcoming, in J. Crim. L. & Criminology), at: lnkd.in/gCmXJiJy.

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Hi Friends--The Tsai Center at SMU Law (Dallas) is hiring for a full-time position that will consist of event planning, tracking our budget, working with faculty, etc. Here's the posting if you or someone you know might be interested: smu.taleo.net/careersection/…
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Thanks, @lsolum, for reading and highly recommending it!
Lawrence Solum (@lsolum) profile pictureLawrence Solum
@lsolum10 Apr 2025
Ryan on Retribution and the Timing of Desert Decisions, buff.ly/C0N9ika - Meghan J. Ryan (Southern Methodist University - Dedman School of Law) has posted Time and Retribution (89 Mo. L. Rev. 1251 (2024)) on SSRN.
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Idaho House widely passes bill to make firing squad main execution method @pfannyyy @IdahoCapitalSun #deathpenalty idahocapitalsun.com/2025/02/…
Idaho House widely passes bill to make firing squad main execution method • Idaho Capital Sun

Idaho House widely passes bill to make firing squad main execution method • Idaho Capital Sun

If passed into law, the bill could make Idaho the only state to have death by firing squad as the primary death penalty method.

idahocapitalsun.com
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With news of AI predicting crime circulating again on X, I thought it might be a good time to mention my forthcoming @TulaneLawReview piece, which emphasizes importance of digging into differences between humans and machines--an issue at the heart of law: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.…
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For those of you still on here, I just posted my short piece on Grants Pass, which @OSJCrimLaw kindly invited me to write. It calls out the Ct for again chipping away at the 8th A by quietly narrowing the def'ns of "cruel and unusual" & "punishments" papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.…
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Meghan J. Ryan retweeted
Joseph Allen (@j_g_allen) profile picture
Joseph Allen
@j_g_allen30 Oct 2024
We are at a precipice. The World Health Organization has declared clean indoor air a fundamental human right, and ventilation is a key component of ensuring clean indoor air. The current standards governing our ventilation rates are not based on health and have not been for decades. There does seem to be alignment forming on health-focused ventilation targets. A group of more than 40 international experts wrote a commentary in Science in March 2024 proposing indoor air quality standards, wherein they recommended … 30 cfm/p17; the same target recommended by The Lancet COVID-19 Commission,13 and the same health-focused ventilation target used 100 years ago. The lessons from our past combined with recent experiences present an unambiguous call to action: to recommit to ventilation not as a technical standard for minimally acceptable conditions but as a cornerstone of public health.
Image from Joseph Allen (@j_g_allen)
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A colleague recently directed me to this great article (which I somehow missed back in April) by @ljstprof about rehabilitation on death row, as demonstrated by the case of Brian Dorsey (Missouri). Congrats, and thanks for discussing my work, Prof. Sarat! thehill.com/opinion/4582604-…
Missouri case shows that even people sentenced to death can be rehabilitated

Missouri case shows that even people sentenced to death can be rehabilitated  

From the time he was sentenced, Brian Dorsey’s story was a powerful antidote to despair. It calls on all of us not to give up hope, even for those who commit horrible crimes.   

thehill.com
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Finally, the 5th Cir. issues its opinion in Hopkins v. Watson--upholds lifetime felon disenfranchisment provision that was challenged pursuant to 8th A.
Chris “Law Dork” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) profile pictureChris “Law Dork” Geidner
@chrisgeidner18 Jul 2024
BREAKING: The full Fifth Circuit, on a 13-6 vote, upholds Mississippi’s lifetime ban on voting by those convicted of any of a number of felonies. A prior three-judge panel had held that the ban violates the 8th Amendment. The full court rejected that. storage.courtlistener.com/re…
IV. Holding Art. XII, Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution categorically unconstitutional, even as to a limited set of offenders, is at odds with the Supreme Court's and other courts' decisions, would thwart the ability of the State's legislature and citizens to determine their voting qualifications, and would require federal courts overtly to make legislative choices that, in our federal system, belong at the State level. The district court's judgment denying relief to the Plaintiffs is AFFIRMED.

ALT IV. Holding Art. XII, Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution categorically unconstitutional, even as to a limited set of offenders, is at odds with the Supreme Court's and other courts' decisions, would thwart the ability of the State's legislature and citizens to determine their voting qualifications, and would require federal courts overtly to make legislative choices that, in our federal system, belong at the State level. The district court's judgment denying relief to the Plaintiffs is AFFIRMED.

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Professor @MeghanJRyan's article, "Taking Another Look at Second-Look Sentencing," was cited in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent in Trump v. United States. Read the article: shorturl.at/Z3wpi Read the opinion: shorturl.at/bsTll
Photo of the SMU Dedman School of Law campus.

ALT Photo of the SMU Dedman School of Law campus.

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#Breaking: Texas hides the source of its execution drugs. @ChiaraEisner just revealed it on @NPR. Rite Away in San Antonio sold lethal pentobarbital to the state’s prisons while facing a DEA lawsuit, fines, and other accusations around opioid deaths. vpm.org/npr-news/npr-news/20…
NPR investigation reveals information about death row in Texas - VPM

NPR investigation reveals information about death row in Texas - VPM

State law shields information about the process of lethal injection. A new NPR investigation finds where the drug comes from.

vpm.org
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Not surprisingly, Ct finds no 8th A violation in Grants Pass. Majority also doesn't acknowledge evolving standards of decency & instead focuses on historical approach. Not surprising for this Ct, but significant considering ESD are at the heart of traditional 8th A jurisprudence.
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It’s official! I have the best team! 4 1st places for 4 epis of our limited podcast series on homelessness, A Place to Sleep. Thank you @SPJOregon @shayla_esc @kugwuede @OregonAlex @hansnboyle @News_Mann_ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
Image from Penny Rosenberg, legacy (@PennySRosenberg)
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Waiting for Ct's opinion in Grants Pass, I'm re-posting 6/23 article worrying about Ct abandoning 8th A evolving standards of decency. Some, such as Idaho Amicus Br., have traced my arg. re Ct's move away from ESD but not admitted the alarming results. ssrn.com/abstract=4488732
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In oral arguments, most Justices didn't seem to indicate intention to abandon ESD so likely narrower decision, but we'll see.
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If you missed the discussion of the Supreme Court's 8th A Grants Pass with @MarisaKendall, @mkimreporter, and me @KQEDForum, check it out here: kqed.org/forum/2010101905468…
Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Major Homelessness Case | KQED

Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Major Homelessness Case | KQED

The case, Grants Pass v. Johnson, could have massive implications for how California cities address homelessness. We’ll discuss the arguments and how the Court might rule.

kqed.org
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Looking forward to chatting about Grants Pass (S.Ct.’s 8th A case on homelessness) on San Francisco NPR member station KQED's live, call-in radio show Forum today from 12-1 PM CT (10-11 AM PT). Join us!
KQED Forum (@KQEDForum) profile pictureKQED Forum@KQEDForum23 Apr 2024
TUE at 10AM w/ @mkimreporter: @MarisaKendall & @MeghanJRyan join to discuss the arguments in the Grants Pass case, which has implications for California's homeless population, & how the Court might rule. ❓ What thoughts or Qs do you have about the case? calmatters.org/housing/homel…
Supreme Court weighs upending homeless protections

Supreme Court weighs upending homeless protections

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a case that could give cities in California greater authority over homeless encampments.

calmatters.org
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Great job on KQED today, @MarisaKendall!
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Gearing up for oral args in Grants Pass on Mon? Check out these great resources: 1. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… (@PennySRosenberg) 2. themarshallproject.org/2024/… (@MauriceChammah et al.)
Brownsville

Brownsville

Podcast Episode · A Place to Sleep · November 14, 2023 · 31m

podcasts.apple.com
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"I just want to recommend a wonderful podcast called A Place to Sleep which did a more journalistic account of the background of the case and the issues that it involves. It's definitely worth checking out," Said my hero @LeahLitman 😍 democratherald.com/news/loca…
Image from Penny Rosenberg, legacy (@PennySRosenberg)
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