Law Professor Karen Woody Interviewed by Time Magazine Woody was interviewed concerning allegations of insider trading related to stock market volatility.

By Law Communications
April 11, 2025

Washington and Lee law professor Karen Woody was interviewed recently by Time magazine about insider trading accusations against President Trump. Some lawmakers have expressed concern after planned tariffs on imported goods were paused and the stock market surged following a post by President Trump on Truth Social urging investors to buy stocks.

Woody, an expert in securities law, financial regulation, and white-collar crime, told Time that an investigation into the President and others given the circumstances would not be unusual.

“This isn’t a witch hunt, where it seems like allegations that have come out of thin air. This is a pretty clear example of what we would say is some potential of real market manipulation by someone who has the ability to move the markets,” Woody said, adding that the next step would be an investigation by the SEC, which serves as the “market watchdog.”

Woody joined the W&L Law faculty in 2019. She is very active in advisory roles within the financial industry. She is a fellow with the International Academy of Financial Crime Litigators, a collaboration between public- and private-sector litigation professionals and the Basel Institute on Governance to promote worldwide access to solutions in cases of economic crime. In addition, she was appointed to a four-year term on the National Adjudicatory Council (NAC) of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

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