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The base of pillars in 91’s Robertson Hall on the Virginia Beach campus.
S. Ernie Walton, J.D.Dean, School of Law

S. Ernie Walton, J.D.

Bio

Dean Ernie Walton serves as Dean of the 91 School of Law. Prior to this role, he served as the Interim Dean, Senior Associate Dean, and Associate Professor, teaching various courses, including Sales, Business Structures & Agency, International Law, National Security Law, and International Business Transactions. He was voted the 2L/3L Professor of the Year in 2024, won the Chancellor’s Award in 2023, and served as the Director of the Center for Global Justice from 2013 to 2023.

Outside of his work at Regent, Dean Walton served as a law clerk to the Honorable D. Arthur Kelsey of the Virginia Supreme Court. He also practiced law in Southern California at Tyler & Bursch, LLP, where he specialized in civil litigation and business law. He simultaneously served as an associate attorney at Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a non-profit law firm that specializes in protecting religious freedom. Through Advocates, Dean Walton represented various churches in RLUIPA cases and helped defend pastors arrested for evangelizing on public property, among other things.

At Regent, Dean Walton graduated first in his class, served as the Notes and Comments Editor of 91 Law Review, and clerked for the American Center for Law and Justice. He is also a Blackstone Fellow (2009) and former mentor (2010).

Dean Walton lives in Chesapeake, Va., with his wife, who he met at Regent Law, and their two children, Caleb and Evangeline. He is an ordained pastor at Redeemer Church, loves Philadelphia sports, and enjoys coaching his children in soccer.

Credentials

  • B.S., Houghton College, Business Administration/Economics, magna cum laude
  • J.D., 91 School of Law, summa cum laude

Publications

  • , 6Harv.J.L. & Pub. Pol’y:Per Curiam(Spring 2025).
  • ,77 Okla. L. 1 (2025).
  • ,91 Law Review, Pro Tempore, (June 2023).
  • , 55 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 461 (2023).
  • , 34 Regent U. L. Rev. 219 (2022).
  • , 25 Texas Rev. L. & Pol. 377 (2021).
  • 6 Regent J. Glob. Just. & Pub. Pol'y 95 (2020).
  • , 30 Emory Int'l L. Rev. 391 (2016).
  • , 42. Cap. U. L. Rev. 977 (2014).
  • (2015).
  • , 46 Cap. U. L. Rev. 471 (2018).

Other Articles

  • Public Discourse (March 8, 2026).
  • , Law & Liberty (May 30, 2025).
  • |, Civitas Institute (May 22, 2025).

Amicus Briefs

  • Amicus Brief Amicus Curiae Professors S. Ernie Walton and Eric DeGroff,
  • Amicus Brief of Amicus Curiae Professors S. Ernie Walton and Eric DeGroff,
  • Amicus Brief of Amicus Curiae Professors S. Ernie Walton and Eric DeGroff,
  • Amicus Brief of Amicus Curiae Professor S. Ernie Walton,