Faculty News
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Prof. Murray Interviewed on MPR’s “Morning Edition” About Third Degree Murder Indictment of Police Officer
March 21, 2018Professor Murray was interviewed by Cathy Wurzer on MPR’s “Morning Edition” about the indictment of Police Officer Noor in connection with his fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk. Murray laid out the elements and penalties of the two charges he faced—third degree murder and second degree manslaughter—and explained why she believed the third degree murder charge in the circumstances of this case would be difficult for the prosecution to sustain. Such a charge requires a level of depraved indifference that is inconsistent with a police officer mistakenly (even if unreasonably) fearing for his own life or that of his partner.
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Prof. Kitrosser Quoted in Reuters Story on Trump Non-Disclosure Agreements
March 20, 2018Professor Kitrosser was quoted in an article about the constitutionality of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that the Trump White House reportedly required staffers to sign. Kitrosser is quoted as explaining that the NDAs, if as broad as reported, seem “clearly unconstitutional under the First Amendment.” The article also cites her explanations to the effect that the NDAs reportedly extend much further than the pre-publication clearance requirements that courts have upheld with respect to classified information, and that the White House’s broad power to fire employees does not translate to a right to prevent former employees from publishing memoirs.
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Prof. Cox Quoted in Los Angeles Times on State of Consumer Protection Law
March 20, 2018Professor Prentiss Cox was quoted in an article in the Los Angeles Times discussing the state of consumer protection law. Cox observed that the Trump administration’s actions on consumer protection were unusually hostile compared to other incoming administrations.
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Insurance Press Covers Prof. Schwarcz’s U.S. House Testimony
March 11, 2018Last week, Professor Daniel Schwarcz testified to a subcommittee of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee regarding a Bill that would exempt a new category of savings and loan holding companies—those with a focus on insurance—from federal supervision. The Insurance Journal’s Right Street blog covered Professor Schwarcz’s heated exchange with Rep. Dennis A. Ross (R-FL 15th District) regarding the impact and advisability of the Bill.
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Prof. Kitrosser Talks About the First Amendment on WCCO Radio
March 11, 2018Professor Kitrosser appeared on the WCCO Radio show, “Steele Talkin’,” with Jearlyn Steele to discuss various First Amendment issues, including the scope of high school students’ rights to protest during the school day, and a pending U.S. Supreme Court case involving a challenge to a Minnesota statute that prohibits political apparel at polling places on election day.
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Prof. Schwarcz Testifies to Congress on Bill to Reform Federal Role in Insurance Regulation
March 9, 2018Professor Daniel Schwarcz testified to a subcommittee of the United States House Financial Services Committee regarding a Bill that would exempt a new category of savings and loan holding companies—those with a focus on insurance—from federal supervision. Professor Schwarcz testified that the Bill violates the core principle that owners of federally-insured banks must be subject to effective consolidated oversight at the federal level and creates the prospect for the same type of regulatory arbitrage that helped cause the 2008 financial crisis. This was Professor Schwarcz’s seventh time testifying to Congress in the last seven years.
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Prof. Soper Discusses Twin Cities Archdiocese Bankruptcy in Star Tribune
March 8, 2018As the St. Paul Archdiocese bankruptcy drags into its fourth year, Professor Christoper Soper spoke with the Star Tribune about recent developments in the case. Soper, who represented many insurance carriers in archdiocese bankruptcies when he was in practice, noticed that, “This is a long time for any bankruptcy case, it’s an especially long time for an archdiocese bankruptcy case.” The most notable development in the case is the recent resignation of the mediator, and the appointment of a new mediator. According to Soper, “There’s so much entrenchment now. To get a new person could give the parties a chance for a reset, a chance to drop some of the baggage that they’ve been dragging.”
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Prof. McGeveran Discusses Uber Data Breach Settlement in Wired
March 6, 2018Professor William McGeveran, an expert in data privacy regulation, commented in Wired about an action brought by the Pennsylvania Attorney General seeking over $13 million in penalties against Uber for failure to notify victims of a data breach. Because almost every state has a law requiring data breach notification, McGeveran said, the company may face many more regulatory actions if other states follow Pennsylvania’s lead.
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Prof. Rozenshtein Quoted in BuzzFeed About Indictments of Russian Nationals in Special-Counsel Investigation
March 2, 2018Professor Alan Rozenshtein was quoted in a BuzzFeed article on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s indictment of 13 Russian nationals for interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Professor Rozenshtein explained the effect of these indictments on individuals connected to the Trump campagin and administration: “[The indictments] should scare the bejesus out of anybody connected to the Trump campaign who committed malfeasance or is considering being anything other than 110% truthful when they talk to investigators.”
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Prof. Kitrosser Quoted in Washington Post About Executive Privilege
February 28, 2018Professor Kitrosser was quoted at length in a Washington Post article about the Trump Administration’s use of executive privilege. Kitrosser was quoted as saying, among other things, that “This is not the first administration to try to get the benefits of executive privilege without formally invoking it,” but that “[w]hat is new and really troubling … is that we’ve seen it quickly become routine that the administration sends out a witness who says, ‘I categorically can’t discuss this whole set of really important issues because I want to preserve the ability of the president to assert executive privilege.’ And then there’s no follow up by either the administration or Congress.”