Catholic Law's Professor Mary Graw Leary contributed her expertise to a national conversation on criminal law at the 2026 AALS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was an invited speaker on the "The New Age of Pardons" panel, which addressed new developments in clemency and their implications. During her presentation, Professor Graw Leary provided analysis of how recent clemency actions can negatively impact victims of crime. She further explained that these actions often exist in tension with the established framework of federal and state laws, as well as state constitutions, designed to protect crime victim rights.