Nila Bala

Nila Bala is an Acting Professor of Law at UC Davis School of Law (King Hall), where she has been since 2023. Her research focuses on children’s rights, criminal justice reform, and the intersection of law and emerging technologies. She teaches Criminal Law, Evidence, and Children and the Law. Bala holds a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University (2008) and a J.D. from Yale Law School (2012).

Her scholarship has appeared in top-tier law reviews such as the Michigan Law Review, Washington University Law Review, and New York University Review for Law & Social Change. Recent works address facial recognition in schools, children’s DNA ownership, and postsecondary education in prisons. Her essays have been published in major media outlets like the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

Bala’s awards include the UC Davis Public Scholarship Faculty Fellow (2024), Stanford Digital Civil Society Fellow (2022–2023), and Rockwood Movement Leaders Fellow (2020–2021). Her career includes roles as Director of Legislative Initiatives at NYU’s Policing Project, Assistant Director of Criminal Justice Policy at R Street Institute, and a public defender in Baltimore, where she led bail reform efforts.

Her work spans advocacy for juvenile justice, equitable legal policies, and technology’s societal impacts. She has advised on sealing juvenile records, prison education access, and facial recognition risks in classrooms.