Krystal Norton

Krystal D. Norton, JD, is a Professor of Practice in Tulane University School of Professional Advancement (SoPA) Paralegal Studies Program. Krystal joined SoPA as an Adjunct Professor in 2018 and as a Professor of Practice in 2026. Her teaching focuses on helping students connect legal knowledge to the work they will perform in legal settings while developing the judgment and professional habits needed for paralegal roles.

Krystal brings more than a decade of combined experience in immigration law, legal education, and online course design. She served as an Attorney Advisor with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review and later as an Assistant Chief Counsel with the Department of Homeland Security. Her federal service included work involving juvenile immigration matters and complex human-rights-related cases. She received both the Department of Homeland Security Office of the General Counsel’s Rising Star Award and Public Service Award in 2017.

Before becoming a Professor of Practice at Tulane, Krystal taught Introduction to U.S. Law and Legal System in William & Mary Law School’s Master of Legal Studies program and collaborated with law faculty and partner institutions through Carolina Academic Press’s CAP Law Online. Her prior experience also includes instructional-design support for Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and Tulane SoPA, as well as teaching in Northshore Technical Community College’s Paralegal Studies and Criminal Justice programs.

Krystal’s areas of research and professional interest include immigration law; the intersection of immigration and criminal law; juvenile immigration issues; legal research, writing, and advocacy; accessible online learning; and the use of generative AI in legal practice and education. She authored the Case Note, Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting: Why the States Are Permitted to Pass a Tidal Wave of New State Laws So Dangerously Intertwined with Federal Immigration Law, published in the Loyola Law Review. She has also presented and facilitated professional-development programming on online legal education, learner-centered course design, teaching effectiveness, and the teaching of legal reasoning in an era of generative AI.

What fandoms do you belong to?
There are far too many to list, but I am especially devoted to various fantasy or speculative fiction book series and women’s basketball. I am always happy to talk about a great book, a wildly complicated television plot, the WNBA (Go Wings!), or college hoops (Go Huskies!).

What is your favorite mythical creature?
The sphinx, particularly the version that is both clever and a little unsettling. Sphinxes track my appreciation for good stories and strong opinions. My real-life household is also full of animals, including two dogs (Buffy and Fuego), a cat (Dobby), and a ball python (Spike), who provide plenty of personality without requiring ancient Greek mythology.

What movie could you watch repeatedly?
A League of Their Own. This movie never fails to make me laugh. It has arguably one of the most quotable lines in movie history: “There’s no crying in baseball!” As a women’s sports fan, I will always appreciate a movie that lets women athletes be talented, competitive, complicated, and funny.