Breaking: Jocelyn Benson Named Interim Dean of Wayne State Law School

Wayne State University has announced the appointment of Jocelyn Benson as interim dean of the Law School effective today. Robert Ackerman did not seek reappointment to a new five-year term, and left the deanship on Nov. 28,  the last day of law classes. He will return to full-time teaching next semester.  John Rothchild, associate dean and associate professor of law, has served as acting dean.

Dean Benson is the associate director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, and founded and is the executive director of the nonpartisan Michigan Center for Election Law and Administration, which hosts projects that support transparency and integrity in elections. Prior to joining Wayne's law faculty, she clerked for Judge Damon J. Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals. Like Dean Ackerman, she is a graduate of Harvard Law School.