Leslie Y. Garfield Tenzer

  • Professor of Law
  • Semicentennial Faculty Scholar
Preston Hall 314
Contact professor via email to schedule an appointment.
Assistant: Kathy Martins
Preston Hall 201-207
(914) 422-4194

Education

BA, University of Florida
JD, University of Florida College of Law

For media inquiries, contact:

Rachael Silva
Assistant Dean for External Affairs
(914) 422-4354

Professor Tenzer's scholarship and teaching bridge the worlds of theory and practice, with a particular focus on regulating conduct in the digital age. Prior to coming to Pace, Professor Tenzer was a legislative attorney in the Legal Division of the Council of the City of New York. Her responsibilities included drafting legislation, organizing public hearings and coordinating with city agencies and interest groups on the city's legislative process. She currently teaches and writes in the areas of Commercial Law, including Contracts and UCC Article 2, Criminal Law, Torts and Social Media Law Law. Professor Tenzer's most recent scholarship focuses on issues concerning emotional harm and the impact of the Internet on the law.

In addition to her regular teaching at Pace, Professor Tenzer is the host of Law to Fact, a podcast for students studying the law.  She frequently works with recent law graduates, court administrators, judges, lawyers, educators, legislative and executive branch officials on projects to improve the communication and administration of justice. She previously served as the chair of the AALS Section on Academic Support. Professor Tenzer has received several awards during her tenure at Pace including the Ottinger Prize for Faculty Achievement, (2012-2013; 2003-2004); the Goettel Prize for Faculty Scholarship (2012)  and Professor of the Year (2014) (voted by the 2014 graduating class).

Professor Tenzer regularly lectures nationally, most often on issues concerning Affirmative Action and Social Media Law. Professor Tenzer was named the James D. Hopkins Professor for the 2019–2021 academic years.

 

Publications

SSRN

Law Review Articles by Professor Garfield Tenzer

A Legal Emoji Dictionary  Pitt. L.Rev. Online  (forthcoming)
 
Free Speech Proponents Win Victory in Supreme Court Social Media Decision, Westchester Lawyer, Aug. 2021

A Period Fail Emoji, Colum. J. Gender & L. (2021)
 
The GenZ Juror, 88 Tenn.  L. Rev. 173 (2020)
 
Social Media, Venue, and the Right to a Fair Trial, 71 Baylor L. Rev 421 (2019) (awarded Goetell Prize)

#MeToo, Statutory Rape Laws, and the Persistence of Social Media Stereotypes,  2019 Utah L. Rev. 117.

"Ratings Fetishism," New York University Law Review & Social Change (Winter 2015).

"The Paradox of Race-Conscious Labels," 79 Brooklyn Law Review 1523 (Fall 2014).

"The Inevitable Irrelevance of Affirmative Action Jurisprudence," 39 J. Col. & U. L. 1 (2013).

"The Death of Slander," 35 Colum. J. L. & Arts 17 (2011) (winner of the 2012 Goettel Prize for Faculty Scholarship).

"The Case for a Criminal Law Theory of Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress," 4 Crim. L. Brief  33 (2010).

"Don't Count Them Out Just Yet: Toward the Plausible Use of Race-Preference Student Assignment Plans," 10 Rutgers Race and the Law Review 340 (2008).

"Adding Colors to the Chameleon: Why the Supreme Court May Adopt a New Compelling Governmental Interest Test for Race-Preference Student Assignment Plans" 56 Kansas Law Review 101 (2008).

The Glass Half Full: Envisioning the Future of Race Preference Policies," 63 New York University Annual Survey of the Law 385 (2007).

"The Cost of Good Intentions: Why the Supreme Court's Decision Upholding Affirmative Action Admission Programs is Detrimental to the Cause," 27 Pace Law Review 15 (2006).

"Back to Bakke: Defining the Strict Scrutiny Test for Affirmative Action Policies Aimed at Achieving Diversity in the Classroom," 83 Nebraska Law Review 631 (2005).

"Finding Success in the Caldron of Competition: The Effectiveness of Academic Support Programs," 2004 Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal 1 (2004) (with Kelly Koenig Levi).

"Back to the Future: Does Apprendi Bar a Legislature's Power to Shift the Burden of Proof Away from the Prosecution by Labeling an Element of a Traditional Crime as an Affirmative Defense?" 35 Connecticut Law Review 1351 (2003).

"The Academic Support Student in the Year 2010," 69 University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review 491 (2001).

"A More Principled Approach to Criminalizing Carelessness: A Prescription for the Legislature," 65 Tennessee Law Review 875 (1998).

"Hopwood v. Texas: Strict in Theory or Fatal in Fact," 34 San Diego Law Review 992 (1997).

"Squaring Affirmative Action Admissions Policies with Federal Judicial Guidelines: A Model for the Twenty-First Century," 22 Journal of College & University Law 895 (1996).

"Curtailment of Early Election Predictions: Can We Predict the Outcome?" 36 University of Florida Law Review 489 (1984).

Book Chapters and Editorial Reviews by Professor Garfield

Co-Editor, CRIMINAL DEFENSE TECHNIQUES (Matthew Bender Pub. 2008-present)

Co-Editor, Prosecution and Defense of Sex Crimes, (Matthew Bender Pub. 2018 – present)

Co-Editor, Criminal Law Advocacy (Matthew Bender Pub. 2018-present)

Book Chapter: Affirmative Action: 1996-Present and Beyond, CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION (J. Beckman ed. Praeger Press 2013)

Book

Teaching Skills through Substantive Law: Integration of the Principles of the MacCrate Report (1994) (with Michelle  S. Simon).