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Commentator: Helen Hershkoff

Herbert M. and Svetlana Wachtell Professor of Constitutional Law & Civil Liberties and Co-Director of the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program, New York University School of Law

DePaul College of Law is an accredited Illinois MCLE provider. 

This presentation is worth 1.25 hours of general CLE credit. 

State courts are often labelled “poor people’s courts,” in part because landlord-tenant, family law and debt cases dominate their civil dockets. However, their role in overseeing other state agencies, like those that that administer welfare benefits, has been largely overlooked. 

Professor Hammond will examine whether state courts provide effective oversight of these agencies, using the administration of the two largest anti-poverty programs in the United States—Medicaid and SNAP (formerly food stamps)—as a case study. He will explore how state courts handle appeals from unrepresented claimants, adjudicate actions brought by states regarding alleged overpayments, and resolve disputes between states and third-party providers. 

Taken together, these cases offer new insights into the ongoing relationship between civil litigation and public administration in the United States. 

Andrew Hammond is an associate professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law where he writes and teaches in the areas of administrative law, civil procedure and poverty law. His scholarship focuses on how agencies, courts and legislatures respond to poor people’s claims. His articles have appeared in or are forthcoming in the California Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, Michigan Law Review, Northwestern University Law Review and Yale Law Journal, among other publications.  

Before joining the Maurer faculty, Professor Hammond taught at the University of Florida and the University of Chicago. Before entering academia, he practiced as a Skadden Fellow at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago. He also clerked for then-Chief Judge Diane P. Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Judge Robert M. Dow of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Professor Hammond holds degrees from the University of Chicago, University of Oxford and Yale Law School. 

The Clifford Scholar-in-Residence Program annually recognizes a talented rising star in the field of civil justice and complements the annual Clifford Symposium on Tort Law & Social Policy​, which for over 30 years, has brought together civil justice scholars to exchange ideas and publish their work. The program not only builds upon this tradition but also provides a unique platform for emerging scholars to contribute fresh insights to the field. 

The Clifford Scholar-in-Residence Program advances Robert A. Clifford's (JD '76) vision by fostering dialogue of civil justice issues that impact all Americans. A cornerstone of the Program is a presentation to the entire legal community by a rising civil justice scholar, as well as a response from a senior commentator.​ 

Please register by April 1, 2025. 

There is a room cap of 100 in-person attendees, and online participants will receive a link to view the presentation just ahead of the event. 

Masks are optional, and no proof of vaccination is required. Attendees may be asked to present an ID while on campus. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.