Belmont Law Welcomes Three New Faculty Members

New faculty bring courtroom, military and research experience to the law school this fall 

Belmont University College of Law new faculty for fall 2026: Nino C. Monea, assistant professor of law; Kaleigh Ruiz, faculty fellow; and Kathryn Booth, visiting professor of law.  

Professor Nino C. Monea 

Professor Monea joins Belmont Law as an assistant professor, teaching Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, National Security and Evidence. His scholarship examines structuralinequalities in the criminal justice system, democratic legitimacy in judicial institutions and the military’s role in society. A graduate of Eastern Michigan University and Harvard Law School, he has served as a state supreme court law clerk, Army judge advocate, federal prosecutor and military prosecutor, and he deployed in support of counterterrorism and diplomatic operations. He continues his service in the United States Army Reserve as a Senior Defense Counsel and is a F ellow with the National Institute of Military Justice. 

Professor Monea is teaching National Security Law and Evidence this semester.  

Professor Kaleigh Ruiz 

Professor Ruiz joins Belmont Law as a faculty fellow and teaches Legal Information and Communication. Her scholarship focuses on gender and judicial behavior, with work published in the Michigan Journal of Gender & Law and the Arizona State Law Journal. She earned a B.A. in politics-philosophy and French from the University of Pittsburgh, a J.D. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in political science from Vanderbilt University. 

Professor Ruiz is teaching Legal Information and Communication this semester.  

Professor Kathryn Booth 

Professor Booth joins Belmont Law as a visiting professor, teaching Evidence, Criminal Procedure, Legal Writing and White-Collar Crime. She previously served as deputy Criminal chief of white-collar crime in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, where she supervised and prosecuted complex economic crime matters and argued appeals before the Sixth Circuit. Her experience also includes teaching legal writing at Vanderbilt Law School, serving as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division and clerking for Judge Barbara Milano Keenan on the Supreme Court of Virginia. She earned her B.A., cum laude, from Duke University and her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center. 

Professor Booth is teaching Criminal Procedure and Legal Information and Communication this semester.  

 “I am delighted to be part of the Belmont Law community,” said Booth. “I have particularly valued the collegiality and intellectual energy of my colleagues and the opportunity to work with such motivated and engaged students. It has been especially rewarding to help our students pursue fulfilling careers while using their legal education to serve their communities and the public.”