Lesley Wexler

Lesley Wexler serves as the Associate Dean for Research and John D. Colombo Professor of Law at the University of Illinois College of Law. She joined the faculty in fall 2010 after teaching at Florida State University College of Law and serving as a Bigelow Fellow and Lecturer on Law at the University of Chicago Law School.

Professor Wexler's research examines how anti-discrimination and humanitarian norms propagate through domestic law, international law, social movements, and corporate practices. Her scholarship includes case studies on DeBeers (blood diamond trade), Wal-Mart, and Chik-fil-A, exploring human rights impact statements, depleted uranium regulation, and landmine policies. She specializes in legal areas where humanitarian norms intersect with corporate and domestic legal systems.

Her recent work focuses on military law issues, particularly transgender military service policies and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Professor Wexler has published multiple articles in 2025 analyzing the transgender military ban through constitutional and military law lenses, addressing equal protection aspects and judicial responses to the executive order.

Professor Wexler has earned recognition for her military law expertise through her affiliation with the National Institute of Military Justice (NIMJ) as a Fellow. NIMJ, founded in 1991, is the only American non-profit institute dedicated to improving the military justice system.

• International Humanitarian Law Divergence (2015)
• Valuing Foreign Lives (2014)
• International Humanitarian Law Transparency (2014)
• Designing Amends for Armed Conflict (2016)
• Transgender military ban analysis (2025)

She teaches courses in Torts, International Human Law: The Laws of War, International Environmental Law, and Law Teaching Practicum, bridging academic scholarship with real-world legal practice. Professor Wexler is active in public discourse, frequently contributing to media discussions on international law issues and maintaining a professional presence on Twitter @lesley_wexler.