Faculty News

Professor Jane Kirtley was quoted in an Associated Press story, which ran in numerous media outlets including the Star Tribune, about the Minnesota Supreme Court's recent order approving a limited pilot project to permit cameras in state civil trials. Kirtley said it is crucial that news organizations make the effort to find and cover cases. "It's an experiment, but to have a successful experiment you've got to light the Bunsen burner and try some things. If none of that happens, it's not going to be much of a pilot."

Read Jane Kirtley's Faculty Profile

Professor Stephen Cribari, who is teaching courses in criminal procedure and in law and cultural heritage at the University of Notre Dame Law School's London Law Programme, is giving a lecture March 22 entitled "'Say What?' The Overdependence on Rules in Criminal Justice" to the American Law Society at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, United Kingdom.

Read Stephen J. Cribari's Faculty Profile

Professor Prentiss Cox was quoted in Joe Nocera's column, "Talking Business," in the New York Times. Cox commented on the multistate investigation and possible settlement by state attorneys general with the nation's largest mortgage service companies. Cox, as well as Georgetown Law Professor Adam Levitan, discussed the value of such a settlement as currently proposed by the state attorneys general.

Read Prentiss Cox's Faculty Profile

Professor Jane Kirtley appeared on Hungarian National Radio to discuss comments by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had unfavorably compared U.S.-based news media with Al Jazeera on Hungarian Radio. Kirtley expressed concern that Clinton's remarks might be construed as encouraging government control of the press.

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Professor Bernard Levinson was quoted on divine retribution in a blog entry on CNN.com. The entry was written in response to recent statements by the governor of Tokyo and media personality Glenn Beck, who have both suggested that the latest earthquake and tsunami in Japan may have been the results of divine retribution. The blog entry focuses on six other calamities throughout history blamed on divine retribution. Levinson was quoted in statements about the Holocaust and on the Biblical flood.

Read Bernard M. Levinson's Faculty Profile

Professor Jane Kirtley was quoted in a Star Tribune story about libel suits against bloggers and others who utilize social media. Kirtley suggested that one reason such suits are comparatively rare is that "A lot of people recognize that these unaffiliated bloggers don't have a lot of resources," so that recovery of damages is difficult.

Read Jane Kirtley's Faculty Profile

Professor Michele Goodwin was recently invited to join the editorial board of Law and Social Inquiry: Journal of the American Bar Foundation (LSI) for a three-year term. LSI is a quarterly journal showcasing empirical work in the field of law and social science. Published four times a year by the American Bar Foundation and Wiley-Blackwell, LSI is one of the highest ranked scholarly journals in the law and society field. Goodwin's invitation to serve on the LSI Editorial Board recognizes her outstanding scholarly achievements and respect among her academic peers. This recognition follows the AALS announcement earlier this year that Goodwin will serve as the Chair of the Standing Committee to Review Scholarship for the Annual Paper Prize.

Read Michele Goodwin's Faculty Profile

In interviews with MPR and the Star Tribune, Professor Jane Kirtley discussed the ramifications of the jury verdict against "Johnny Northside" awarding $60,000 in damages for comments he made on his blog. The jury ruled that the remarks amounted to tortious interference with the plaintiff's employment. Kirtley suggested that the verdict was inconsistent with U.S. Supreme Court precedent holding that plaintiffs may not avoid constitutional protections for speech by recasting a libel case under an alternative tort theory. Professor Bill McGeveran was also quoted in the same Star Tribune article.

Read Jane Kirtley's Faculty Profile

Professor Amy B. Monahan's work on the legal protections provided to public pension benefits has been cited extensively in a report issued by California's Little Hoover Commission, "Public Pensions for Retirement Security." The Little Hoover Commission is an independent state oversight agency that investigates state government operations and ? through reports, recommendations and legislative proposals ? promotes efficiency, economy and improved service in state government. Monahan testified in front of the commission last year.

Read Amy B. Monahan's Faculty Profile

Professor Jane Kirtley was interviewed by MPR's Laura Yuen for a story about John Hoff, better known as "Johnny Northside," a blogger who is defending a libel case brought in Hennepin County by a former community leader who argues that bloggers shouldn't enjoy First Amendment protection. Kirtley noted that it is unusual for such cases to go to trial, adding that "the give-and-take atmosphere of the blogosphere raised a greater tolerance" for free-wheeling speech on the Internet.

Read Jane Kirtley's Faculty Profile

Professor Tom Cotter was cited 38 times in a new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report entitled, The Evolving IP Marketplace: Aligning Patent Notice and Remedies with Competition. The report is the culmination of hearings the FTC held in 2008 and 2009, two of which Cotter participated in (Dec. 5, 2008, and Feb. 11, 2009). The report extensively cites both Cotter's scholarship, including his book Intellectual Property: Economic and Legal Dimensions of Rights and Remedies (Cambridge University Press 2005), co-authored with Roger Blair, and his testimony before the FTC.

Read Tom Cotter's Faculty Profile

Professor Jane Kirtley was quoted in a Politico article about the Obama administration's aggressive legal offensive against federal employees who disclose information without authorization, and the journalists who receive it. The policy contrasts with recent history, as well as pledges for greater openness made in the early days of the Obama presidency. "It is not to me a good sign when government chooses to go after leakers using the full force of criminal law when there are other ways to handle these situations," Kirtley said. "I certainly hope they're being very selective about these prosecutions."

Read Jane Kirtley's Faculty Profile

Professor William McGeveran was quoted in an article in the Star Tribune entitled, "Local blogger's defamation trial could have broad effect." The story details a defamation lawsuit against local blogger John Hoff, better known as "Johnny Northside." McGeveran explained weaknesses in the claims, calling some of them "far-fetched."

Read William McGeveran's Faculty Profile

Professor Jane Kirtley conducted two workshops for collegiate journalists at the Associated Collegiate Press National College Journalism Convention in Hollywood, CA. The topics were "When Do Online Comments Become a Crime?" and "Handling Leaked Information."

Read Jane Kirtley's Faculty Profile

At the confirmation hearing for Berkeley Law Professor Goodwin Liu's nomination to the Ninth Circuit, Senator Al Franken read into the record portions of Professor Richard Painter's op-ed in The Huffington Post supporting Liu. "This guy is a great law professor and he's no liberal," Franken said, noting that Painter worked on the confirmations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. "Anyone who has any doubts about your [Liu's] nomination should I think read this article." To view a webcast of the hearing, click here. Senator Franken's discussion of Painter's op-ed begins around minute 68.

Read Richard W. Painter's Faculty Profile