The AALS Committee to Review Scholarly Papers has selected Ela Leshem, Associate Professor at Fordham University School of Law, as the winner of the 2026 AALS Scholarly Papers Competition for law school faculty in the field for five years or fewer. Leshem won for her article “Law’s Shifting Circles.”
In the article, Leshem argues that U.S. legal history does not show a simple, linear expansion of moral personhood but instead reveals multiple, shifting circles of moral concern. She develops the concepts of “superpersons” and “epipersons” to explain how lawmakers have historically attributed dignity and moral status to non-human and inanimate entities—including God, sovereigns, corpses, flags, and religious artifacts. Leshem then applies this framework to contemporary debates over rights of nature, AI, and abortion. The article will be published in an upcoming issue of the Georgetown Law Journal.
Fordham University School of Law
“It’s an honor to receive this award,” Leshem said. “My hope in writing this article was to help us resist a simplistic narrative of moral progress, and approach future status determinations with a greater sense of both agency and humility. I’m grateful to AALS for recognizing the importance of personhood law and to my colleagues and mentors for supporting my work in this emerging field.”
The selection committee also recognized the following papers as honorable mention:
Alicia Solow-Niederman, Associate Professor, The George Washington University Law School, for the article “AI and Doctrinal Collapse.”
Roberto Tallarita, Assistant Professor, Harvard Law School, for the article “Hohfeld in the Boardroom.”
The AALS Committee to Review Scholarly Papers for the 2026 Annual Meeting included distinguished legal scholars from around the country, including:
- Aziza Ahmed, Boston University School of Law, Chair
- Valena Beety, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
- Jessica Eaglin, Cornell Law School
- Christopher Hampson, University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law
- Christopher Jaeger, Baylor University School of Law
- Felipe Jiménez, University of Southern California Gould School of Law
The competition is now in its 40th year, and the winners will be recognized during an awards ceremony at the AALS Annual Meeting in New Orleans on January 9, 2026.