Faculty News
-
Prof. McGeveran Discusses Problems with Voter Data Collection
July 20, 2017Professor William McGeveran was quoted extensively in an article on Mic.com concerning recent controversial requests that states supply voter data to the federal Pence-Kobach Commission investigating alleged election fraud.
-
Prof. Cotter Discusses Antitrust Law on WCCO News
July 13, 2017Professor Tom Cotter discussed the rules for proving the offense of monopolization under U.S. antitrust law for a WCCO News segment titled “Good Question: Is Amazon Getting Too Big?” Prof. Cotter noted that, under antitrust law, it isn’t an offense merely to be a big company or even a monopolist, but rather for a monopolist to engage in conduct that harms consumers.
-
Prof. Blumenthal Authors Washington Post News Analysis on the Execution of William Morva
July 7, 2017Professor Susanna Blumenthal wrote a commentary for the Washington Post about the case of William Morva on the day set for his execution by the state of Virginia, pointing to the troubling gap between the Supreme Court’s Eighth Amendment jurisprudence, prohibiting the execution of the insane, and the everyday practices of courts in cases involving severely mentally ill defendants. “Unless and until we clarify what it means to be competent to be executed, death row inmates such as Morva deserve the benefit of the doubt,” wrote Blumenthal. “To proceed otherwise is to run the unacceptable risk of ‘killing one who has no capacity to come to grips with his own conscience or deity,’ as Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote in his 1986 opinion in Ford v. Wainwright. His words bear repetition today as the state of Virginia and its governor stand on the verge of ‘exacting a mindless vengeance.’”
-
Prof. Cotter’s Blog in Feedspot’s Top 100 I.P. Blogs Listing
July 3, 2017Professor Tom Cotter’s blog, “Comparative Patent Remedies,” was recently listed on Feedspot’s list of Top 100 I.P. Blogs. According to Feedspot, the list includes “the Best Intellectual Property blogs from thousands of top Intellectual Property blogs in our index using search and social metrics… . These blogs are ranked based on following criteria: Google reputation and Google search ranking; Influence and popularity on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites; Quality and consistency of posts; [and] Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review.” Cotter’s blog has had over 400,000 page hits since its launch in May 2013, and provides a constant update of his book “Comparative Patent Remedies: A Legal and Economic Analysis” (Oxford Univ. Press 2013).
-
Prof. Murray Presents at the 26th Annual FBA/ABA/NACDL Federal Sentencing Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida
June 30, 2017Prof. Murray presented at the 26th Annual Federal Sentencing Conference, organized for practitioners by the FBA, the ABA, and the NACDL. Her topic was “Using Social Science at Sentencing,” and, together with Laura Mate of the Federal Sentencing Resource Counsel, she gave an overview of the most recent federal cases in which judges are citing scientific insights to support downward variances from the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
-
Prof. McGeveran Explains Defamation Law and “Fake News”
June 28, 2017An article in the ABA Journal extensively quoted Professor William McGeveran concerning the limits of defamation law as a possible response to the publication of so-called “fake news,” such as fabricated online rumors alleging Hillary Clinton’s involvement in a pizza parlor’s child sex ring. When public figures are involved, McGeveran warned, First Amendment protections shape defamation doctrine. “It is extremely difficult to define in a clear way the boundary between fake news and alternative viewpoints,” he said.
-
Prof. Hasday on KARE 11 TV News to Discuss How the Supreme Court Decides Which Cases to Hear
June 27, 2017Professor Jill Hasday was interviewed on KARE 11 TV about the process the United States Supreme Court uses to decide which cases to hear. “Unlike most courts, the Supreme Court has almost complete discretion about what cases they take,” said Prof. Hasday.
-
Prof. Meili Presents Research on Constitutionalization of Human Rights Law at Law and Society Conference
June 26, 2017Professor Stephen Meili presented a paper on the growing use of human rights provisions in national constitutions at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, which was held last week in Mexico City. As Prof. Meili noted, lawyers representing refugees in some Latin American countries, including Ecuador and Mexico, have begun utilizing human rights provisions, including the right to asylum, in their advocacy. His presentation is part of a larger research project on the effectiveness of such human rights provisions in the constitutions of countries experiencing an increase in refugee migration, including many Member States of the European Union.
-
Prof. Levinson Publishes Interdisciplinary Volume on Formation of the Pentateuch
June 23, 2017Prof. Bernard Levinson has co-edited a major international volume, The Formation of the Pentateuch: Bridging the Academic Cultures of Europe, Israel, and North America (Mohr Siebeck 2016), xii + 1204 pages. Despite nearly two centuries of scholarship on the Pentateuch, its historical origins and literary history are still a subject of intense debate. With contributions form forty-five specialists and a particular focus on law, this volume seeks to stimulate international discussion about the Pentateuch in order to help the discipline move toward a set of shared assumptions and a common discourse.
-
Prof. Murray Appeared on Almanac to Discuss the Verdict in the Trial of Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez
June 16, 2017Professor JaneAnne Murray was interviewed on Almanac about the acquittal in the trial of police officer Jeronimo Yanez, accused of manslaughter for his killing of Philando Castile during a traffic stop. Acknowledging that this was a difficult case for the jury (which had deliberated for four days), Professor Murray explained how the dash-cam video and audio from Officer Yanez’ patrol car supported the defense theory of the case that Yanez directed Castille several times not to reach for his weapon before the fatal shots were fired.