2011 News Archive
December
December 19–December 25
"If other judges start to follow Rakoff's lead that's a big problem for the SEC because they'll have to try more cases."
—Prof. Adam Pritchard, in a Bloomberg Businessweek story about a judge's questioning of an SEC settlement in Wisconsin
"T-Mobile has made it clear that it doesn't view itself as being able to survive in this market alone. It may now try to partner with a smaller carrier in the market."
—Prof. Daniel Crane on APM's Marketplace, on the end of the T-Mobile/AT&T merger
Prof. Adam Pritchard is cited in a Thomson Reuters story on the definition of securities fraud.
Prof. Pritchard is also cited in AdvisorOne story about the Wisconsin SEC settlement, which was questioned by a judge.
Visiting Prof. Steve Sanders is quoted in an Inside Higher Ed story about counseling standards at Augusta State University.
A Crain's Detroit Business story, on a proposed bill to ban domestic partner benefits, quotes Prof. Len Niehoff.
Prof. Michael Barr takes a three-year view of the financial crisis in a Brookings op-ed.
The Michigan Innocence Clinic is cited in a Battle Creek Enquirer story on clinic client Lorinda Swain.
Prof. Daniel Crane participated in the Univeristy of Richmond School of Law's "Evil Twin Debate" in November. [video]
December 12–December 18
"Even in the Middle Ages they were aware that gluttony just isn't overeating; it's about overdoing sensations....A prissy foodie-type nowadays would qualify as a glutton in the Middle Ages because [they're] just excessively concerned with what goes into their mouths."
—Prof. Bill Miller speaks on gluttony on the CBC radio show WireTap
"The Justice Department did not live up to its name in agreeing not to prosecute Massey for its crimes."
—Prof. David Uhlmann, in the New York Times op-ed, "For 29 Dead Miners, No Justice"
Prof. David Uhlmann is cited in a Charleston Gazette blog about the UBB settlement.
Profs. Barr and Halberstam's CNBC piece is the subject of a blog by U-M history Prof. Josh Cole.
The Wall Street Journal quotes Prof. David Uhlmann in a story on criminal prosecution of environmental offenders.
Prof. Michael Barr is cited in a USA Today story on problems with mortgage relief.
Mother Jones cites the work of Prof. Sam Gross in a piece on innocent people in prison.
Prof. Rich Friedman speaks in Inc. on the Affordable Care Act suit in the Supreme Court.
Losing It, by Prof. Bill Miller, is chosen as one of the best books of 2011 by the Chicago Tribune.
The Detroit Free Press cites the Michigan Innocence Clinic in a story about clinic client Dwayne Provience.
December 5–December 11
"As Europe's leaders gather this week to tackle its economic woes, it is useful to take a step back and remember how and why Europe got here."
—from a CNBC blog by Profs. Michael Barr and Daniel Halberstam
"[The government] never receives the maximum civil penalty in any environmental case. The likelihood they will obtain $4,300 per barrel is all but nonexistent."
—Prof. David Uhlmann commenting in a Bloomberg News story on whether BP would pay the maximum per-barrel penalty for the Macondo oil spill
"No court that understands the law is going to say that because the Occupy Boston movement is speaking politically they have a magic immunity from regular public health and safety regulations."
—Prof. Don Herzog in a Boston Globe story about Occupy Boston's case that eviction would deny their First Amendment rights
Prof. Richard Friedman is quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the Jerry Sandusky case.
Prof. Len Niehoff cited in the Legal News in a piece on allowing cameras in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Corporate Crime Reporter quotes Prof. David Uhlmann in a story on the Justice Department's nonprosecution agreement with Alpha Natural Resources for the Upper Big Branch mine tragedy.
Prof. Uhlmann speaks to The Charleston Gazette about the Upper Big Branch settlement.
Prof. Bill Miller and his book Losing It are profiled in Inside Higher Ed.
Canadian magazine Maclean's names Prof. Miller's Losing It one of the top books of 2011.
The Arts Fuse reviews Losing It, by Prof. Miller.
Prof. David Uhlmann is quoted in Businessweek on the BP oil spill case.
Prof. Uhlmann also speaks to The Christian Science Monitor about the BP case.
Prof. J.J. Prescott is quoted in an Amarillo Globe News story about residency restrictions for sex offenders.
Profs. Alison Hirschel and David Haron are quoted in a three-part Detroit Free Press story on neglect in nursing homes.
November 28–December 4
"'Degrees of freedom' [means]: to understand how something is going to look a certain interval of time out from where we are now. How many different outcomes can we envision? How many degrees of freedom are there?"
—Prof. Rebecca J. Scott discusses her book Degrees of Freedom on WICN's radio program Inquiry
"It's man bites dog. Judge bites agency. You haven't heard about this sort of thing before because it doesn't happen."
—Prof. Adam Pritchard, in a Reuters news service story about New York federal judge Jed Rakoff
"Adam Pritchard, a professor of securities law at the University of Michigan Law School, said courts could become clogged with cases that would normally be settled if other judges adopt Rakoff's reasoning and deprive companies of their incentive to avoid trial."
—The Seattle Times runs an AP news service story that cites Prof. Adam Pritchard
"This is not a left-right split. This is principle versus pragmatism."
—Prof. Richard Friedman, in a Los Angeles Times story about Supreme Court Justice Scalia's adherence to the "original" Constitution, specifically the 6th Amendment
In Other News This Week
ProPublica profiles Serena Nunn, '06, who received a presidential pardon while serving a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence for aiding her boyfriend, a drug dealer; Nunn applied for another pardon in May, to be able to practice law in Georgia.
The Utne Reader cites Prof. James Hathaway in a piece that distinguishing between the terms "human smuggling" and "human trafficking."
Prof. Hathaway is quoted in a story in Australia's Green Left Weekly about that country's violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Britain's Times Higher Education reviews Prof. Bill Miller's book Losing It.
The Michigan Innocence Clinic is cited in a Grand Rapids Press editorial.
A talk by Prof. Michael Barr is covered in The Daily Princetonian.
Prof. Sam Bagenstos pens an op-ed for the Des Moines Register about the pay biases disabled workers face.
Prof. Adam Pritchard is quoted in a New York Times story about Judge Rakoff's ruling and its implications for the SEC.
The Huffington Post also quotes Prof. Pritchard in a story about Rakoff's rejection of the Citigroup settlement.
Prof. Steve Sanders is quoted in a story in the San Jose Mercury News on a same-sex marriage case.
Prof. Bridgette Carr cited in a CNN story on sexual assault allegations against former NFL star Lawrence Taylor.
Prof. Kyle Logue speaks to Michigan Radio in a story about the state's proposed changes to no-fault insurance.
Time magazine's Healthland quotes Prof. Vivek Sankaran on the dangers of removing an obese child from his home and placing him in foster care.
The Daily also quotes Prof. Sankaran in a story about the Cleveland boy placed in foster care due to obesity.
Prof. Sankaran is also cited in the New York Daily News regarding the same case.
The final volume of Restatement (Third) of Property: Wills and Other Donative Transfers, reported by Prof. Lawrence Waggoner and Yale's John Langbein, was published this week, reports PR Newswire.
Bethesda Lutheran Communities honors Prof. Sam Bagenstos.
November
November 21–November 27
The New York Times covers a lecture at the Univercity of Chicago Law School by Prof. Catharine MacKinnon on "Trafficking, Prostitution, and Inequality." The story is from the Chicago News Cooperative.
The Arizona Daily Sun profiles Prof. Bill Miller's book Losing It.
Prof. Bruce Frier is cited in The Chronicle of Higher Education in a story on Michigan legislation that could affect benefits for domestic partners.
Assistant Dean for Admissions Sarah Zearfoss is quoted in NYU’s Washington Square News, in a story on admissions officers resaserching students on the Internet.
Prof. Andrew Stumpff is cited in a Chicago Tribune story on the Tribune Co. bankruptcy.
November 14–November 20
"Sexual harassment is not a Democratic or Republican issue, a liberal or conservative issue, or a black or white one, although those politics can shape it. As a consequence, it does not present a test of group loyalty but a chance to evaluate the reported behavior of someone who seeks to govern."
—Prof. Catharine MacKinnon, in a New York Times op-ed on why Herman Cain is unfit to lead
"The securities class-action firms must be salivating. ...This could be long and painful."
—Prof. John Pottow, in a CNBC story about the demise of MF Global
In Other News This Week
President Obama nominates 1972 grad Gershwin Drain for district judgeship.
The Chicago Maroon covers Prof. Catharine MacKinnon's talk on the misconceptions surrounding prostitution.
The St. Petersburg Times' PolitiFact cites Prof. Steve Ratner as a source in an article verifying statements by Ron Paul during a recent debate.
The Chicago Tribune reviews Prof. Bill Miller's new book.
Maclean's magazine also features Prof. Miller's new book.
A paper on good legal writing, written by Prof. Mark Osbeck, is cited in Canada's online magazine Slaw.
November 7–November 13
"The term 'economic refugee' muddies the water...it suggests that there are 'political refugees,' and then there are 'bogus refugees,' and the truth is: there are refugees."
—Prof. James Hathaway, in an Univision story about the debate surrounding when and why Senator Marco Rubio's parents left Cuba
In Other News This Week
MLive and affiliated Michigan newspapers quote Prof. Kimberly Thomas on the juvenile lifers case in the Supreme Court.
Prof. Vivek Sankaran is interviewed in a WXYZ Channel 7 report on a foster child whose natural grandmother lost in her efforts to adopt him.
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted in a Bloomberg Businessweek piece on behavioral economics.
Prof. David Uhlmann is quoted in an iWatch News piece on polluters' prosecution under the Clean Air Act.
October 31–November 6
"There is nobody taking a consolidated view of the firm. If you have a major participant, as MF Global was in the derivatives and commodities markets, there should be a regulator looking at the risks it poses to the system as a whole."
—Prof. Michael Barr, in The New York Times
"A trial will probably take a fair amount of time, a lot of effort by both sides, and I think will draw negative attention to the people who are accused of discriminating on the basis of race."
—Prof. Sam Bagenstos, commenting on Texas's proposed new voting maps and the state's suit against the federal government, on NPR's Morning Edition
"Me: Claude Rains was being more than a mere cynic, which of course he was also being, when he said 'round up the usual suspects' because the usual suspects were not innocent but the known criminals of whatever the city was, Tangiers, Marrakesh, I forget which.
Colleague: Casablanca.
Me: I am going to go shoot myself."
—Prof. Bill Miller, in an essay he wrote for The Chronicle of Higher Education about his new book, Losing It
Prof. John Pottow is quoted in The Washington Examiner on Elizabeth Warren's candidacy.
Assistant Dean for Admissions Sarah Zearfoss talks to U.S. News & World Report about some of the consequences, for law school applicants, of one's online persona.
Thomson Reuters talks to Prof. Adam Pritchard about MF Global.
The New York Times quotes Prof. Michael Barr on the regulation of MF Global.
The Fiscal Times quotes Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah on whether corporate tax reform can really be revenue neutral.
CQ Today quotes Prof. Avi-Yonah in a story about corporate tax.
Prof. Christopher McCrudden writes on slavery and the constitutional role of judges for the UK Constitutional Law Group.
October
October 24–October 30
"We are happy we will have the chance to have her unresolved issues decided, and remain eager to have the prosecution talk to Ronnie and Lorinda and anyone else they would like to talk to."
—Prof. Bridget McCormack in the Battle Creek Enquirer, on a recent court ruling that more testimony can be heard in the case of Lorinda Swain, a Michigan Innocence Clinic client
"I promise you that these gates will be open. We will win this case."
—Prof. Mark Rosenbaum, who is leading an ACLU class action suit against the VA, in a CNN.com story about West Los Angeles property donated in the 19th century as a refuge for homeless veterans, from which homeless vets have been barred since the Vietnam War
In Other News This Week
The Washington Post quotes Prof. Michael Barr on the Obama Administration's efforts to help struggling American homeowners.
Margaret Leary, former director of the Law Library, is profiled in the Legal News.
On Michigan Radio, columnist Jack Lessenberry cites Prof. J.J. Prescott's work in an essay on sex offender registry and notification laws.
The Detroit Free Press quotes Prof. Dave Moran on the lack of standards for police departments on how long to preserve evidence.
October 17–October 23
"It's perilously close to entrapment. It's just the kind of shabby treatment that the Fourth Amendment was designed to prevent."
—Prof. David Moran, on the methods employed by law enforcement to search vehicles, in a Detroit Free Press story about drug checkpoints along major highways in Flint, Michigan
"ETFs are derivative instruments that have some of the same attributes of mortgage-backed assets that caused the financial crisis in 2008…It would be good for the SEC to take a cold, hard look at reform."
—Prof. Michael Barr, in a story about exchange-traded funds in The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch
An essay by Prof. Emeritus Richard Lempert is the "Conversation of the Week" for USARiseUp.com.
Prof. Catharine MacKinnon is featured on CSPAN in a conference marking the 20th anniversary of Anita Hill’s testimony in the Clarence Thomas case.
October 10–October 16
"The drumbeat gets louder with every passing week for criminal charges against BP, Transocean and Halliburton."
—Prof. David Uhlmann, in a New York Times story on BP's ability to bid on new leases in the Gulf, and the criminal charges the company will likely face for the Gulf oil spill
"This is the first case in more than 30 years in which the court has directly dealt with the issue of strip searching detainees in jail, and specifically those who have been arrested for minor offenses."
—Prof. David Moran, in an ABC News story on the strip-search case before the Supreme Court
In Other News This Week
Former New York governor David Paterson quotes Prof. Sam Bagenstos in The Wall Street Journal's Marketwatch.
The Legal News profiles Prof. Bruce Frier, an expert in Roman Law.
Lansing radio station WILS talks to Prof. J.J. Prescott about the study he coauthored on sex-offender notification laws.
Prof. Prescott also talks to Michigan Radio about the study.
The Washington Post quotes Prof. Michael Barr in a fact-checking piece following a GOP debate.
October 3–October 9
Emeritus Prof. Roy F. Proffitt, pioneering dean of students and former associate dean at Michigan Law, dies at 93.
Read more...
"If I'm a convicted sex offender and I'm out in a neighborhood where everybody treats me badly, nobody allows me to come near them, I can't find somebody to date, and nobody will give me a job, it's not all that hard to believe that the threat of putting me in prison, where I at least get three meals a day and a bed to sleep in, is really not that much of a threat."
—Prof. J.J. Prescott, quoted in Brian Dickerson's column in the Detroit Free Press
In Other News This Week
Prof. J.J. Prescott's research into sex-offender notification laws yields unexpected findings.
The Law Quadrangle gets an appreciative nod in the New York Times' Travel section.
Prof. David Moran comments on a current Michigan Inocence Clinic case in The Detroit News.
Prof. David Uhlmann is quoted in a New York Times story about an EPA agent who has pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice.
In a Chicago Tribune story, Prof. Jessica Litman offers an opinion on current copyright law.
The Washington Post quotes Prof. Vivek Sankaran on complications that arise when child welfare cases cross state lines.
Prof. David Uhlmann is featured in a Bloomberg story on the Koch brothers.
September 26–October 2
"What Michigan needs is jobs and investment. The Chinese government and Chinese firms have a great deal of money right now."
—Prof. Nicholas Howson, in a Detroit News article about a trade trip to China by Michigan's Governor Rick Snyder
"There are some judges who like to position themselves as feeders to the Supreme Court, since that's one way that a judge can make a reputation for him or herself. I have had a feeder judge say to me, 'Yes, Joan, I'm sure he would be a great clerk, but I can't send him upstairs.'"
—Prof. Joan Larsen, in a New York Times article on the aggressively competitive process of hiring judicial clerks
In Other News This Week
Prof. Jessica Litman is quoted in Inside Counsel in a story about the "hot news" doctrine.
Asst. Dean Sarah Zearfoss comments on declining law school applications in NYU's Washington Square News.
September
September 19–September 25
"There's no evidence Japanese people have extreme norms of honesty. It's partly cultural training, but mostly the law urges people to hand in lost property to the police."
—Prof. Mark West comments in the Los Angeles Times on the Japanese turning in more than $48 million of found cash—recovered from the debris of March's earthquake and tsunami—to the authorities
"Other countries explicitly use the tax system to redistribute resources in society. But going all the way back to no taxation without representation, Americans have had a mistrust of government. So we tolerate a greater inequality in terms of wealth. There is more opposition to tax increases, even when rates are low. And there is less confidence that government will use the money wisely."
—Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah, in a New York Times story about the president's proposed tax on millionaires
"Congress is a big, lumbering beast. It's difficult to raise from its torpor."
—Prof. Nicholas Bagley, in a USA Today story about the rarely used Congressional Review Act
Brian Dickerson quotes Prof. David Moran in a Detroit Free Press column on the decay of the Fourth Amendment.
Prof. James Hathaway speaks about asylum seeker policies on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, on a nationally broadcast radio show.
September 12–September 18
"Today's report increases the likelihood that BP, Transocean and Halliburton will face criminal charges for their roles in causing the gulf oil spill."
—Prof. David Uhlmann, in the New York Times, comments on a report compiled jointly by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement and the Coast Guard
Prof. Uhlmann was also quoted on the report's findings by the following publications/news outlets:
Los Angeles Times
Houston Chronicle
Associated Press (picked up by The Detroit News and Forbes)
Reuters news service
"You are not sending the U.S. Marshals over to China to enforce this."
—Prof. Adam C. Pritchard, in a CNBC story concerning the SEC's attempts to investigate possible accounting fraud by U.S.-listed companies that are based in China
"Proposal 2 is an old-fashioned racial gerrymander that locks out Michigan citizens of color from the political process."
—Prof. Mark D. Rosenbaum, in a Detroit Free Press story about Michigan's 2006 ban on using race as a factor in college admissions
In Other News This Week
The work of Prof. Margaret Jane Radin is cited in a Salon article about humans' relationship with stuff.
The Michigan-Jindal Centre for Global Corporate and Financial Law and Policy, of which Prof. Vic Khanna is co-director, will work with India's Infrastructure Development Finance Company to help grow India's infrastructure.
Both Prof. James Hines and Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah are quoted in a Fox Business story about offshore profit taxation.
A National Law Journal story on schools' reported GPAs and LSAT scores quotes Assistant Dean for Admissions Sarah Zearfoss.
Prof. Leonid Feller is quoted in a Detroit Free Press piece about a codefendent who made a plea deal to testify against former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Reuters news service quotes Prof. Adam Pritchard and Prof. Nicholas Howson in a story about possible accounting fraud at Chinese company Longtop Financial Technologies Ltd.
September 5–September 11
"They already have a lot of money now—they're not going to start spending it because of a tax holiday."
—Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah, quoted in a New York Times DealBook story about proposed tax breaks currently being pushed by corporate America
In Other News This Week
Prof. J.J. Prescott is quoted in an NBC Montana piece about the study he coauthored on sex-offender laws.
Prof. James Hines testifies on tax reform to the Senate Finance Committee.
Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah also testifies on tax reform to the Senate Finance Committee.
The testimonies of Profs. Hines and Avi-Yonah are cited in an AdvisorOne story.
Prof. John Pottow is quoted in a Detroit News story about a former Borders employee who is suing the company for insufficient notice of layoffs and liquidation.
Prof. Don Duquette and the National Quality Improvement Center on the Representation of Children in the Child Welfare System are featured in a GPB News story.
Prof. Adam Pritchard, in the Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney, weighs in on what to do when a stock stops trading.
Prof. Dave Moran and Innocence Clinic staff member Imran Syed write a Detroit Free Press op-ed about the shortcomings of eyewitness testimony.
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted in a Wall Street Journal MarketWatch story on preparations by the government to sue more than a dozen major banks.
In the TPM Muckracker, Prof. Sam Bagenstos is quoted in a story on the impending battle over requiring voters to show identification at the polls.
In the Houston Chronicle, Prof. David Uhlmann is quoted in a story about Halliburton's accusation that BP hid information that could have prevented the Gulf oil spill.
Prof. Uhlmann is also quoted in a Reuters news service story about a recent damages ruling in the BP oil spill case.
August 29–September 4
"Well this is a horizontal merger—meaning it's a merger between competitors… And this is a case involving a merger between the second and fourth largest firms in the market with a market that has a total of four firms. So it's really a four to three merger, which traditionally would raise anti-trust scrutiny."
—Prof. Daniel Crane speaking about the T-Mobile/AT&T merger on APM's Marketplace
"The kinds of things that are likely are ones that are going to have a modest positive impact. ... They're worth doing, but they're not game-changers."
—Prof. Michael Barr, in a Wall Street Journal story about refinancing help for homeowners
In Other News This Week
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted on CNNMoney.com in an article about economic adviser nominee Alan Krueger.
Prof. Barr appears on CNBC in a story about a possible housing fix in Obama's jobs package.
Prof. Barr also comments in a Wall Street Journal story on the acting director of the FHFA.
A study, coauthored by Prof. J.J. Prescott, on whether sex offender laws contribute to recidivism is the subject of a story in Slate.
Prof. Prescott's study is also referenced on Freakonomics.
Prof. Gil Seinfeld is profiled in the Legal News.
Prof. Emeritus Ted St. Antoine was quoted in a Detroit Free Press story about the Central Michigan University faculty strike.
Prof. Vivek Sankaran speaks in a WXYZ-TV investigative piece on at least one Wayne County judge who is delegating authority for child removal to staffers.
August
August 22–August 28
"...the best reason for the U.S. Supreme Court to eventually hold California’s notorious Prop 8 unconstitutional is to 'protect the integrity of thousands of existing marriages . . . against the coercive power of states that believe heteronormativity is so important a policy that it justifies not only banning new same-sex marriages, but breaking up existing ones.' "
—Forbes cites a SCOTUSblog entry by Visiting Prof. Steve Sanders, '05, a former SCOTUS litigant
"Many tax policy experts—such as professor Reuven Avi-Yonah at the University of Michigan Law School—say it is clear that wealthy people 'don't pay too much.' "
—from a Detroit Free Press story that examines whether higher taxes for America's most wealthy would effectively decrease the deficit
Prof. David Uhlmann is quoted in The Huffington Post about the BP oil spill
Prof. J.J. Prescott is quoted in a DecaturDaily.com story about his paper on sex offender registries
August 15–August 21
"They're going to go on the offensive by saying they're the victim here."
—Prof. Daniel Crane, in a Reuters news service story about potential antitrust implications in Google's acquisition of Motorola
"The idea that we're going to keep people from talking about what they might or might not do, based on the idea that they might all agree to violate the law, is positively Orwellian."
—Prof. Len Niehoff, in a Forbes story about BART shutting down cell-phone service in several stations to prevent a possible protest
In Other News This Week
Prof. Niehoff is quoted in The San Francisco Chronicle about BART's cell phone shutdown.
Prof. Douglas Kahn co-authors an article in the Michigan Law Review about the extent to which current health-care reform adresses the "free rider" problem.
Also in the Michigan Law Review, Prof. Jill Horwitz and Prof. Nicholas Bagley pen a response to Kahn's argument.
Prof. Steve Croley's recent White House appointment is discussed in the blog of the Legal Times.
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted in a Wall Street Journal MarketWatch story about living wills for banks.
Georgia's Effingham Herald notes the selection, by the National Quality Improvement Center at the University of Michigan Law School, of Georgia as one of two research and demonstration sites for the center.
Prof. Nico Howson speaks to Voice of America in a Chinese-language broadcast about private lawsuits to enforce China’s new freedom of information laws. [in Chinese]
August 8–August 14
"We need to do more investment in infrastructure to help create jobs and build demand."
—Prof. Michael S. Barr in a CNBC discussion about a meeting of the Fed and the S&P downgrade
In Other News This Week
Prof. Eve Brensike Primus is quote in a Detroit Free Press story about a judge who gives jail time to drunk-driving first offenders.
A study cited in the State Bar of Michigan Blog lists U-M Law as the top partner-feeder law school in the Midwest, and the #7 partner-feeder overall.
August 1–August 7
"This question [of foreseeability], and how it's interpreted going forward, is going to make all the difference in how important this case is."
—Prof. J.J. Prescott, on WDET's Craig Fahle Show, on a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that Wayne County wasn't liable for the actions of a sheriff's deputy who raped an inmate
In Other News This Week
The ABA Journal interviews Prof. Mark West about his book Lovesick Japan.
Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah is cited in Canada's Financial Post on the American practice of taxation based on citizenship, as opposed to place of residence.
Prof. David Moran, on Michigan Radio, comments on a rare Michigan death sentence overturned by a federal appeals court.
Prof. Michael Barr discusses Dodd-Frank on Ideas in Action.
The American Society of International Law notes the passing of Prof. Eric Stein.
The Legal News also publishes an obituary of Prof. Stein.
AnnArbor.com remembers Prof. Stein as well.
July
July 25–July 31
In Memoriam:
Prof. Eric Stein, 1913-2011
"He worked ceaselessly for laws and policies whose purpose and function would be to unite peoples and nations."
—Lee C. Bollinger, the president of Columbia University and a former president of the University of Michigan and dean of its law school, in Stein's Law School obituary
"We must send the message in Michigan that all victims of human trafficking will be treated like victims, and those who choose to exploit them will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
—Prof. Bridgette Carr, in a Detroit News story about the arrest of a Detroit man known as "Gruesome" on human trafficking charges
In Other News This Week
Prof. Jim Hines is quoted in Reuters about Microsoft's use of low-tax havens to shrink its tax bill.
Prof. Eve Brensike Primus is quoted in the Detroit Free Press about the disparity in sentencing guidelines for drunken-driving offenses in Michigan.
CNNMoney.com quotes Prof. Michael Barr in a story on Dodd-Frank.
July 18–July 24
"We had a whole set of practices that were wrong, that hurt American families and that in the end blew up our financial system and devastated our economy. And that's why we need a consumer bureau to set a level playing field with clear standards—fair rules of the road."
—Prof. Michael Barr, in a story about the new CFPB on NPR's Morning Edition
"One of the best gifts the world can give to the new nation is unwavering support of President Kiir's cabinet's efforts to forge a successful nation-state under what at times will seem like impossible circumstances."
—Taken from Prof. Laura Beny's piece on South Sudan in Newsweek
In Other News This Week
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted in a Washington Post story about how the Obama administration will likely not introduce another program to address the weak housing market.
Prof. Barr writes a post on Dodd-Frank for The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation.
Prof. Jessica Litman is quoted in an Associated Press story about trademark infringement involving cupcake bakers.
Prof. Steve Ratner talks to War News Radio about the legality of drone strikes.
On AnnArbor.com, Prof. John Pottow comments on Borders Group Inc.'s liquidation.
Prof. Pottow is also quoted in The Detroit News about Borders stores' liquidation sales.
Prof. Len Niehoff is cited in a Detroit Free Press story about legal questions surrounding Rosa Parks memorabilia.
July 11–July 17
"This is really dangerous stuff we're talking about. A lot of people don't realize how traumatic it is for children to be ripped away from their parents."
—Prof. Vivek Sankaran, in Time magazine's Healthland, on the perils of removing kids from their parents—even if those kids are health-threateningly obese.
"I tell people to examine the risks they take" by learning the law in foreign countries.
—Prof. Vikramaditya Khanna, in a Fortune/CNNMoney story about a businessman's nightmare: being forced to stay for more than a year in Qatar because of a dispute with his business associates.
In Other News This Week
The Detroit News quotes Prof. John Pottow in a story about the possible liquidation of Borders.
Michigan Radio also quotes Prof. Pottow concerning Borders' liquidation.
Prof. Adam C. Pritchard is quoted in a Bloomberg story about Ron Perelman's proposed buyout of M&F Worldwide Corp.
Prof. Ted Parson is quoted in Mother Jones about CFC-free asthma inhalers.
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted in a New York Times story about the expected rise of foreclosures resulting from the Bank of America settlement.
Prof. Barr is also quoted in The Street in a story about the extent to which the Dodd-Frank bill would impact nonbank financial institutions.
July 4–July 10
"It was not an easy fight to win. There was no reason to think the fight would be over just because we won the legislative battle."
—Prof. Michael Barr on the Dodd-Frank bill, in a Politico story about the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
"Combating obesity requires a mammoth social commitment. Posting calorie counts just doesn't cut it.... we've just got to change people's attitudes about food."
—Prof. Nicholas Bagley, in a Marketplace story about the FDA's proposal that chain restaurants post calorie counts
In Other News This Week
Prof. Kristina Daugirdas is profiled in The Legal News.
Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah is cited in a Bloomberg News story about a "tax dodge" lawsuit against Caterpillar.
The National Law Journal covers the two-day summit in which Dean Evan Caminker and other U.S. law-school deans met in Beijing with deans from Chinese law schools, to form a committee promoting the integrity of the legal profession.
Prof. Michael Barr comments in a Bloomberg News story about Elizabeth Warren and the CFPB.
June 27–July 3
"Back in 1957, then-Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote Chief Justice Earl Warren requesting that potentially-sensitive business opinions be released after the close of the 'New York Exchange,' according to Pritchard.... The justice's wish never became practice, though."
—Prof. Adam C. Pritchard is cited in a Thomson Reuters story on how SCOTUS decisions can affect the market
"The strikes in Yemen are nothing different from what's been done since the Authorization for Use of Military Force has been passed. There are problems with interpreting it this way to authorize conflict in perpetuity but it's been broadly viewed this way, the courts have viewed it this way, two administrations have viewed it this way. What Obama is doing is nothing new."
—Prof. Julian Davis Mortenson, in the International Business Times
"The loser cases all tend to follow a pattern, which is an absolute ban. ...if you can have a more moderated policy, one that is not an absolute ban, it increases the likelihood of winning."
—Prof. Len Niehoff, on college gun-ban policies being challenged in court, in The Chronicle of Higher Education
In Other News This Week
Prof. Michael Barr discusses the 2008 financial crisis on C-Span.
Prof. Barr is quoted in The New York Times in a story about Bank of America's claims settlements.
The Legal News profiles Prof. Daniel Crane.
The Legal News also profiles Prof. Edward Cooper.
June
June 20–June 26
"I don’t see Toyota or Honda pulling out of the American market if we impose more taxation on them. The market is too important."
—Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah, in Bloomberg News
"The Wal-Mart case featured two of antidiscrimination law's most powerful tools for attacking discrimination wholesale, at the structural level: the class action and the disparate impact doctrine."
—Prof. Richard Primus, in The New York Times
In Other News This Week
Sallyanne Payton talks to Federal Computer Week about whether public comments should be allowed on e-dockets.
Prof. Catherine McKinnon's work is cited in a New York Times op-ed.
June 13–June 19
"Let's be frank, the Government is acting in extraordinary bad faith.... Both political stripes have acted with extraordinary callous disregard for obligations they helped craft."
—Prof. James C. Hathaway, in Australia's Catholic Leader, about the conditions for refugees on Christmas Island
"I think he would have been an exceptionally strong Federal Reserve member, helping the Fed to guide monetary policies."
—Prof. Michael S. Barr, on NPR's All Things Considered, about Nobel laureate Peter Diamond, who recently withdrew his nomination
In Other News This Week
The Detroit News quotes Prof. John Pottow on a deal in the Borders bankruptcy case to keep 40 stores from closing.
Prof. Michael Barr is featured in The New York Times' DealBook on the demise of the concept "too big to fail."
Prof. Barr is also featured in a CNNMoney story on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The New York Times quotes Prof. Barr in a story about businesses that do not want to be considered "systemically important."
Prof. Barr comments on a likely candidate to head the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in The Wall Street Journal's SmartMoney.
Prof. Barr provides testimony to the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Committee on Financial Services.
Prof. David Moran talks about the Michigan Innocence Clinic on Michigan Radio's What's Working.
Prof. Len Niehoff has a letter on legal ethics published in The New York Times.
June 6–June 12
"One, you can't share with someone who isn't a party; and number two even if Malaysia were a party there is no agreement here to actually honour the refugees' acquired rights. So it's an illegal deal to put it simply."
—Prof. James C. Hathaway, on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's radio program The World Today
"I've seen it before, people complaining about the short sellers—the Chinese are just the flavor du jour. They bring these suits and then quietly let them drop. You would look hard to find a verdict in favor of the company."
—Prof. Adam C. Pritchard, in a Bloomberg News story about lawsuits Chinese companies are bringing against short sellers
"Japanese courts have no problem waltzing into bedrooms and brothels in ways that are not essential to deciding the case at hand."
—from Prof. Mark West's book Lovesick Japan, which was reviewed in The Economist
In Other News This Week
Prof. Jim Hathaway is interviewed in The Kathmandu Post.
Reason magazine cites Prof. Sam Gross in a story on wrongful convictions.
Prof. Dave Moran is quoted in a Detroit Free Press story about a convicted felon who freed himself of his tether and fled before sentencing.
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted in a Bloomberg News story on the pros and cons of applying behavioral economics to government policy.
Reuters news service quotes Prof. Adam Pritchard in a story about shareholders suing the auditors of Chinese companies that are also being sued for fraud.
Legal Newsline also quotes Prof. Pritchard, in a story about cy pres awards.
Prof. John Pottow talks to the Detroit News about a report that Borders may sell most of its bookstores within the month.
May 30–June 5
"...the child welfare system is plagued by poor decision-making, resulting in both over-and under-intervention in families. This is one of the reasons Michigan has so many children in foster care."
—Prof. Donald Duquette, in the Lansing State Journal
"They feel as if it would be simply giving permission to rip them off."
—Prof. Jessica Litman, in a Chronicle of Higher Education story about copyright legislation and accessibility to so-called orphan works
In Other News This Week
Canada's United Church Observer quotes Prof. James Hathaway in a story explaining the distinctions between human trafficking and human smuggling.
In The Detroit News, Prof. John Pottow provides an opinion on the bankruptcy proceedings for Borders Group, Inc.
Prof. Donald Duquette provides testimony to the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Detroit News quotes Prof. David Moran in a column about the city's deserted crime lab.
May
May 23–May 29
"It's just a general duty of police to preserve evidence or dispose of it properly. Just leaving it to rot in a building is pretty disturbing."
—Prof. David Moran, in a Detroit Free Press story about the discovery of an abandoned Detroit police crime lab that contained case files and evidence kits
"Looking to other countries to support a case for territoriality is misplaced because it ignores key differences between the US and those countries."
—from Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah's testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee. Also see Prof. James Hines' views on the subject.
"It's a step in the right direction, but I am concerned about the focus being on the kids already in foster care, rather than preventing kids from entering into care. Funding for prevention workers is being cut every year."
—Prof. Vivek Sankaran, in a Detroit News story on Michigan's hiring of hundreds of child welfare workers
In Other News This Week
Prof. Vivek Sankaran comments on the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) in South Carolina's Sun News.
Prof. Michael Barr is featured in a Wall Street Journal story about regulating foreign entities involved in financial transactions in the U.S.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that a new hearing has been delayed in the case of Innocence Clinic client Lorinda Swain.
The Detroit Free Press quotes Assistant Dean for Admission Sarah Zearfoss in a story about a blind student who is suing the ABA over the LSAT.
Prof. Saul Green steps down from his post as Detroit Deputy Mayor, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Prof. Richard Friedman is quoted in a Detroit Free Press story about the recent discovery of an abandoned crime lab.
May 16–May 22
"That would be shocking."
—Prof. David Moran, quoted in an article in New Scientist, on the scenario of a jury being asked to sniff an air sample submitted as evidence of the "smell of death"
"...underneath our sophisticated modern legal processes 'we still harbour talionic beliefs that make us uneasy when wrongdoers don't pay for their crimes in exact proportion to the harm they cause'"
—An Independent story draws on the work of Prof. William Miller and his book An Eye for An Eye
"The judge wants to give her a thorough day in court."
—Prof. Bridget McCormack, in the Battle Creek Enquirer, on Innocence Clinic client Lorinda Swain, about whose case a judge has agreed to hear new testimony
"There is no basis for accepting the prosecution's claim that Mr. Book is a liar without holding a hearing at which the Court may judge Mr. Book's credibility."
—Prof. Bridget McCormack, in the Battle Creek Enquirer, about potential new testimony in Lorinda Swain's Innocence Clinic case
In Other News This Week
Prof. David Moran is cited in a Detroit Free Press editorial about Michigan's broke public defense system.
Prof. David Barr weighs in on transparency among credit rating agencies in the Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch.
Prof. James Hines testifies to the Ways and Means Committee on corporate taxation.
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted in a CNBC Reality Check blog about the debt ceiling.
May 9–May 15
"Insider trading will never be eliminated, but the means of exchanging information will become more sophisticated, and the means to detect it will become more expensive."
—Prof. Laura Beny in India's Open magazine on the conviction of Raj Rajaratnam in the largest hedge fund insider trading case in U.S. history
"Our deepening recognition of the sentience and suffering of farm animals has not yet led to our facing the consequences of the ownership and processing of animals as agricultural commodities by modern business corporations. But I think it will."
—Prof. Emeritus Joseph Vining, in The New York Times' "Room for Debate"
"When doubt lingers globally, surety is found in the United States. All that would change with default."
—Prof. Michael S. Barr, in a CNBC guest blog on the importance of Congress raising the debt ceiling
In Other News This Week
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted in The New York Times in a story about the gvoernment no longer backing larger-than-average mortgages.
In The Economist, Prof. Laura Beny weighs in on Galleon Group boss Raj Rajaratnam's insider-trading conviction.
Prof. Vic Khanna is interviewed on CNBC India program The Firm.
WXYZ-7 Action News interviews Prof. Vivek Sankaran for a story about parental rights in Michigan.
Bloomberg News cites Prof. James Hines in a story about overseas tax changes.
Prof. David Uhlmann, in iWatch News, discusses the four-year sentencing delay in the Citgo case.
May 2–May 8
"[The photos are] far more likely to be inflammatory than to end any belief of people that he is still alive."
—Prof. Steven R. Ratner, in a Detroit Free Press story about President Obama's decision not to release photos of Osama bin Laden
"One fact we know is that in all of the countries that have lowered their corporate rates in recent years, they still collected the same amount in revenues or more."
—Prof. Reuven S. Avi-Yonah, in a New York Times story on American corporate tax code
In Other News This Week
Prof. Bridget McCormack is quoted in a Battle Creek Enquirer story about Innocence Clinic client Lorinda Swain.
WXYZ-7 Action News also covered developments in Lorinda Swain's case.
In an entry of the NPR news blog The Two-Way about the legality of releasing photos of Osama bin Laden, Prof. Steven Ratner comments on whether international law applies.
Michigan Law places among the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report's rankings of "law schools that send the largest proportions of their graduates on to judicial clerkships for federal judges."
Prof. Steven Ratner is quoted in a PolitiFact story about how to distinguish between "wartime" and "peacetime" for America.
Prof. Ratner also comments in a Reuters news agency story on legal questions arising from the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Prof. Ratner is quoted in a similar story in the Guardian as well.
In the ABA Journal, Prof. Jessica Litman comments on issues of copyright surrounding a collection of unknown early jazz recordings.
April
April 25–May 1
"The remedy for the speech we hate is more speech."
—Prof. Len Niehoff (paraphrasing Justice Louis Brandeis) in The Gainesville Sun, in a story about Wayne County invoking Michigan's "peace bond" law to prevent Florida pastor Terry Jones from staging a protest outside a Dearborn mosque
In Other News This Week
Prof. David Moran is quoted in a Detroit Free Press editorial about Innocence Clinic client Karl Vinson.
Prof. Richard Primus's research is cited in a CNN piece about the "birther" movement.
WXMI Fox 17 reports on Innocence Clinic client Lorinda Swain being denied a new trial.
April 18–April 24
"Around 330,000 civilians were trapped in an ever-decreasing area...kept hostage by the LTTE.... From February 2009 onwards, the LTTE started point-blank shooting of civilians who attempted to escape the conflict zone, significantly adding to the death toll in the final stages of the war."
—Prof. Steven Ratner, member of a U.N. panel investigating Sri Lanka's offensive against the LTTE (Tamil Tigers), in a Washington Post story
"If no new legislation is passed, the Justice Department is likely to negotiate for a large natural resource damage claim...and may try to obtain additional funds for restoration efforts as part of any criminal plea agreement or civil consent decree."
—Prof. David Uhlmann, in a New York Times story on an alternative course of action if a bill is not passed to allocate BP's fines for the Gulf oil spill
"This is meant to be a training programme that can help people resolve situations of conflict with cooperative solutions by unlearning zero-sum biases that otherwise tend to get reinforced in resource-scarce environments."
—Prof. Pavan Mamidi, in a story in The Hindu about his Internet-enabled negotations workshop
"The scientific evidence conclusively proves that this man is innocent."
—Prof. David Moran, in a Detroit Free Press story about an Innocence Clinic case involving a man convicted of rape in 1986
In Other News This Week
In the South Bend Tribune, Prof. David Moran comments on Michigan legislation that would prohibit court-appointed representation for parolees in certain cases.
Prof. David Uhlmann, in a U-M News Service podcast, discusses the BP spill one year later.
In a WUOM / Michigan Radio story, Prof. Len Niehoff comments on the half-million-dollar fee proposed by Michigan State Police in response to a FOIA request from the ACLU.
Prof. David Uhlmann talks to the UK's Telegraph on the one-year anniversary of the BP spill.
Prof. Uhlmann also comments on the aftermath of the BP spill in the National Journal and the Houston Chronicle.
Prof. Uhlmann talks to Bloomberg News about BP's fine.
April 11–April 17
"They're going to have to go back to the drawing board, and they're going to have to do it quickly because the executives aren't going to work for free."
—Prof. John Pottow, in the Detroit News, in reference to a judge's ruling that Borders Group Inc. needs to rethink its nearly $8 million executive retention bonus plan
"It's a good first step, but it doesn't improve the quality of the decision."
—Prof. Vivek Sankaran, in a Detroit News story detailing Michigan's efforts to revise a 76-year-old adoption law, which delays thousands of state adoption cases each year
In Other News This Week
MLaw alumnus and Ohio senator Rob Portman is scheduled to be the speaker for May 7 Senior Day ceremonies.
2L Samuel Rudman wins first prize in the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition.
The Washington Post profiles Prof. Steven Croley.
Prof. Vivek Sankaran, in a Detroit News editorial, argues for fewer bureaucratic steps to adopt a child from foster care in Michigan.
In the Detroit Free Press, Prof. Richard Friedman comments on Monica Conyers' request to finish her prison sentence at home.
April 4–April 10
"The SEC is working under the political constraint that they can't be imposing penalties on a U.S. government entity. The executives are the perfect scapegoats."
—Prof. Adam C. Pritchard, in a Bloomberg News story about the SEC's investigation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
"In some plausible but unfortunate future you could have shooting wars between your country and mine over proposals on what to do on climate change."
—Prof. Ted Parson, attendee of an international conference on geoengineering, in an Associated Press story picked up by npr.org
In Other News This Week
Prof. James R. Hines Jr. is quoted in a New York Times article on corporate tax revenue and minimization.
U-M Law Library's poster campaign is awarded first-place honors by the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL).
Fisk Fellowships for Public Service for 2011 are awarded to grads working in the Departments of Justice and Education.
In a Detroit Free Press article, Prof. Don Duquette comments on the rights of parents in determining a child's medical care.
Prof. David Uhlmann, in Bloomberg News, comments on BP's filing to assess fines for its oil spill by duration and not by barrel.
Prof. Joseph L. Sax, pioneer in environmental law, returns to MLaw April 11 to give the closing talk in the Environmental Law and Policy Program lecture series.
In Bloomberg News, Prof. Michael Barr says the bond markets are showing "a little bit of false optimism."
Michigan governor and MLaw alum Rick Snyder appoints Prof. Vivek Sankaran to the state's Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.
Prof. Michael Barr is quoted in an On Wall Street story about federal regulators' plan to progress with enforcement action against mortgage servicers.
Prof. James Hines comments on Puerto Rico tax law in The Daily Caller.
March
March 28–April 3
"I'd be surprised if they don't prosecute BP and Transocean. Whether individuals can be charged is a much more difficult question....individuals have defenses available to them that the company doesn't."
—Prof. David Uhlmann, in The Washington Post
"It's certainly true almost all American corporations had enormous losses in the crash of 2008/2009. ...If you run an income tax, you have to allow people to deduct losses against their gains."
—Prof. James R. Hines Jr. , as a guest on On Point with Tom Ashbrook
"You have relatively low-level people in these companies responsible for making bad decisions.... It's not clear they had adequate training. It's not clear they all knew what everyone else involved knew."
—Prof. David Uhlmann, quoted in Bloomberg News, on the difficulty in bringing manslaughter charges against BP managers
"What particularly is important is to see how this concept can be applied to urban areas, and how it will be able to provide what these businesses need."
—Prof. Dana Thompson, in a roundtable discussion on Michigan's economy, about Governer Rick Snyder's "economic gardening" strategy; quoted in Crain's Detroit Business.
In Other News
A Conference on Race, Law, and History marks U-M's launch of an Inter-School, Interdisciplinary Program.
Prof. Steven Ratner and Assistant Dean Virginia Gordon offer comments in a U.S. News & World Report article on the trend in law schools to offer more international opportunities.
The Chicago Tribune quotes Prof. Bridgette Carr in an Associated Press story on the prevalence of human trafficking in Michigan, where a stronger law is about to take effect.
Prof. Michael Barr weighs in on the Home Assistance Modification Program in a New York Times article.
As guest on CNBC, Prof. Barr discusses an FDIC vote and QRMs (qualifying residential mortgages) (video).
Prof. Barr argues on the Center for American Progress website that financial reform needs to go forward.
In a CNBC guest blog entry, Prof. Barr writes that risk retention standards are important, but only one part of necessary housing finance reform.
Prof. Barr is one of 44 Washington economic insiders polled by the National Journal on what the nation's most urgent economic priority is.
A paper coauthored by Prof. Damien Geradin is abstracted in the Antitrust & Competition Policy Blog.
March 21–March 27
"This is the most important criminal investigation in the Justice Department today....So it's a little surprising that they've waited until now to start a task force."
—Prof. David Uhlmann, on NPR's Morning Edition, speaking about the newly created task force assigned to the criminal investigation of the BP oil spill
"The Court should adhere to what it has recognized—what every parent knows—that kids are categorically different from adults. The rules for questioning children must be different, too."
—Prof. Frank E. Vandervort, in a Detroit Free Press op-ed coauthored with 3L John Seber, on a Supreme Court case involving how police question minors
"The worst that can happen is that they have to transfer the money back."
—Prof. Lawrence W. Waggoner, quoted by Jane Bryant Quinn of CBS Money Watch in its investment blog, on FDIC suits against Washington Mutual executives and their wives, into whose names the execs transferred assets
In Other News
The American Society of International Law awards the Manley O. Hudson medal for lifetime achievement to Prof. Emeritus Eric Stein.
Prof. Michael Barr is not interested in heading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, says Bloomberg News.
March 14–March 20
"It's an odd ruling....I would appeal."
—Prof. Adam C. Pritchard, in a Reuters news agency story on the surprising dismissal of an investor lawsuit that accuses Countrywide Financial of hiding details about the shaky loans backing their bonds.
"Why don't Japanese loot? Because it's not in their culture. How is that culture defined? An absence of looting."
—Prof. Mark West, in a slate.com article about the societial and legal conditions that discourage looting in the wake of Japan's catastrophies
"...getting serious about eating less is going to take a lot more than slapping a number on a menu board....The travesty here isn't just that posting calorie counts is so ineffectual. It's that it lulls us into thinking we've done something meaningful about the problem."
—Prof. Nicholas Bagley in the The Hive on slate.com, on the FDA's proposal that chain restaurants post calorie counts
In other News
Prof. David Uhlmann talks to The Times-Picayune about the possible ramifications of a new task force to investigate the BP oil spill.
Prof. Michael Barr supports the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but does not want to be its chief, writes The Wall Street Journal.
Prof. Barr also writes an editorial about said bureau for The Hill.
And Prof. Barr joins Brookings as a nonresident senior fellow.
Prof. Richard Friedman speaks on WDET about Michigan's new Emergency Financial Manager law (audio).
Berkshire Hathaway vice-chair Charlie Munger gives the Law School a $20 million gift to jumpstart Lawyers Club renovations.
Now ranked no. 7, Michigan Law is the top-ranked public law school, and its other rankings are also strong.
March 7–March 13
"It is in the interest of the banks, the interest of homeowners, the interest of regulators and the interest of the economy to have a foreclosure settlement, to fix the problems and to put these issues behind us."
—Prof. Michael S. Barr in the New York Post
In Other News
Hwa-Jin Kim, newest Cook Global Law Professor, brings his corporate governance expertise to the Law School.
Prof. Joh Pottow, in the New York Times, comments on the Mets owners' legal proceedings in the wake of Madoff.
The Michigan Daily highlights the work of the Michigan Poverty Law Program.
A US News/Best Lawyers survey of hiring partners finds Michigan Law is in the top five in the country.
Prof. David Uhlmann talks to the Michigan Messenger about last year's Enbridge spill.
February 28–March 6
The work of Prof. Lawrence W. Waggoner is cited in a Wall Street Journal article on dynasty trusts:
"According to a 2010 report written by ...Waggoner for the American Law Institute, which endorsed the restriction on dynasty trusts, the average person can expect to have 450 descendants 150 years after a trust is established."
"People want those who are in economic trouble to get a fair shake. But they don’t want them bailed out for making their own mistakes, like buying too big a home."
—Prof. Michael S. Barr, in The New York Times
"Google's competitors naturally fear Google's emergence as a formidable rival in travel search, but.... The most likely scenario is that Google's acquisition of ITA would allow Google a quick and efficient entry point into travel search that would expand consumer options."
—Prof. Daniel Crane, in a guest post on TechCrunch
In Other News
Legal News quotes Dean Evan Caminker's remarks on U-M President Mary Sue Coleman's selection for the McCree Award.
Prof. David Uhlmann pens a guest post on ACSblog questioning the REINS Act.
Don Herzog is the first law prof. to earn the student-organized Golden Apple award.
February
FEBRUARY 21–FEBRUARY 27
India's Bar & Bench writes about the Joint Centre on Global Corporate & Financial Law and Policy, and Prof. Vic Khanna.
The Law School's International Transactions Clinic supplies research to a study on debt restructuring of microfinance institutions, as reported in Business Wire.
The Detroit News quotes Prof. Dana Thompson in a story about warming centers for the city's homeless.
Legal Theory Blog lauds an artice by Prof. Julian Mortenson on executive power.
FEBRUARY 14–FEBRUARY 20
"Until drilling companies demonstrate that they can comply with the new regulations, it would be irresponsible for the Interior Department to issue new permits. ...[Judge Feldman's] ruling today blithely disregards safety concerns about deepwater drilling, as if the Gulf oil spill never happened." —Prof. David Uhlmann, in a Wall Street Journal story about U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman ordering the Obama Administration to decide whether to resume deepwater drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico.
They are hitting the ground running and [that] augurs well for the reorganization prospects.... The big question I want to watch is: Do they have a sense of where the company is going? Does the current leadership have staying power?" —Prof. John Pottow, in a Detroit News story on the bankruptcy case of Ann Arbor–based Borders bookstores.
"It's easy to rail against regulations in the abstract. It's like railing against taxes.... But it's hard to sell to the American people that we should water down environmental or consumer protection regulations specifically." —Prof. Nicholas Bagley in a USA Today story about GOP attempts to cut regulations.
MLaw Prof. Christopher McCrudden earns Major Research Fellowship from Leverhulme Trust.
Prof. David Uhlmann, in the The New York Times, comments on a $9 billion fine levied by an Ecuadorian judge against Chevron.
Uhlmann also predicts manslaughter charges in connection to the BP spill in Corporate Crime Reporter.
Prof. John Pottow comments on Borders' bankruptcy in The Detroit News
...and on AnnArbor.com.
Pottow also comments on the bankruptcy of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Prof. Michael Barr is profiled in the Legal News.
Barr rejoins the Center for American Progress as a Senior Fellow.
Barr tells the Associated Press the housing system needs more private capital.
Barr reiterates his stance in another AP story.
William W. Cook Global Law Professor Damien Geradin is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article on Apple's digital subscription service.
FEBRUARY 7–FEBRUARY 13
"One of the questions we hear over and over again in our work is, 'does human trafficking happen in my community?' The answer, almost always, is: Yes it does." —Prof. Bridgette Carr, in a Huffington Post/Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism story on Michigan Law's new national database on human trafficking.
AnnArbor.com notes Michigan Journal of International Law symposium and launch of MLaw's new national human trafficking database
Prof. Michael Barr appears on public radio's Diane Rehm Show to discuss the fate of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Barr also spoke on the topic with The Economist
...and with The New York Times.
Barr also helps Bankrate.com explain the new financial regulations.
Wayne State’s The South End student newspaper previews tomorrow's China conference at Wayne Law, organized by Prof. Nico Howson (with help from Wayne Law and U-M’s Center for Chinese Studies).
Prof. Dana Thompson pens an op-ed in The Detroit News on the role of micro-loans in rebuilding big cities.
Prof. John Pottow speaks to NPR’s "Morning Edition" about findings indicating Toyota’s sudden acceleration problems weren’t electronic.
Prof. Dan Crane talks to the Detroit Free Press about a suburban Detroit raid on a Toyota parts supplier.
Crane also helps The Blade of Toledo explain the circumstances around the FTC's blocking of a proposed takeover of a struggling Maumee hospital.
Prof. Kim Thomas publishes an article in the Michigan Bar Journal about the constitutionality of sentencing juveniles to life in prison without parole.
Prof. Bridget McCormack is interviewed in a WXYZ-TV story on an Innocence Clinic case.
JANUARY 31–FEBRUARY 6
"They are serious about it. They are really going to push hard for it. Conceptually, people say there's agreement. When push comes to shove, we'll see who in Congress is willing to take it on." —Prof. Michael Barr, a former assistant secretary of the Treasury, in a story in The Washington Post on the Obama Administration's desire to change the corporate tax system.
"You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who was making those phone calls." —Prof. David Moran, Innocence Clinic co-director, in a front-page Detroit Free Press story about a workplace alibi for a man who served seven years in prison after a wrongful manslaughter conviction.
"It was an experiment but turned out to be fantastic. ... We are constantly evaluating how to build a global university and global law school. ... How about getting a dialogue with Michigan students?” -- Dean Raj Kumar of India's O.P. Jindal Global Law School, in a Legally India story about a pioneering transatlantic law class taught by MLaw Prof. Vikramaditya Khanna (left). Khanna's effort also was noted in the Times of India.
The New York Times Magazine notes the work of Michigan Law's Innocence Clinic.
The National Law Journal notes Michigan's leadership in a story about the New Hampshire School of Law’s new collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The Legal News profiles Prof. Steve Ratner.
The Guardian (U.K) prints an obituary for Prof. A.W. Brian Simpson, penned by fellow Michigan Law Prof. Chris McCrudden.
R&D Daily notes this week's launch of Prof. Bridgette Carr's new Human Trafficking database.
Prof. Nico Howson is profiled in The Legal News.
The Legal News also notes upcoming U.S.-China Economic Law Conference, organized by Prof. Howson and colleagues from Wayne State University School of Law and Michigan's Center for Chinese Studies.
Pulitzer prizewinner David Cay Johnston quotes Prof. Michael Barr on tax.com.
Assistant Dean Sarah Zearfoss talks to the National Law Journal for an in-depth look at the debate over the value of the LSAT.
January
JANUARY 24–JANUARY 30
"The case indicates that Chinese firms are climbing up the ladder of production." —Prof. Nicholas Howson, in a story in The Washington Post about a lawsuit filed by Chinese tech giant Huawei against its former partner, Motorola.
"I don’t think that private shareholder-owned entities should issue federal government guarantees. ... I think that creates the same conflict we had in the past." —Prof. Michael S. Barr, former Assistant Treasury Secretary for Financial Institutions, in The New York Times on banks that are looking for a piece of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The State Bar of Michigan notes Prof. Susanne Baer's appointment to the German high court
David Mills—a 2002 graduate from Ohio who argued in the U.S. Supreme Court against Ohio Solicitor General (and MLaw classmate) Ben Mizer—learns the Justices' decision, according to The Plain Dealer of Cleveland.
The passing of Prof. Brian Simpson is noted in The University Record
Prof. David Moran and the Innocence Clinic are cited in a Detroit Free Press editorial.
Prof. Rich Friedman helps the Detroit Free Press understand the promise and perils of cooperating witnesses
The State Bar of Michigan notes that Michigan Law placed third among U.S. law schools in a crowdsourcing effort online
JANUARY 17 - JANUARY 23
IN MEMORIAM:
Prof. A.W. Brian Simpson, 1931–2011
"Few professors have commanded the affection of students more completely or naturally than Professor Simpson. He will be sorely missed by his colleagues on the faculty and by generations of alumni of the institution he served so well for more than 20 years."—Law School Dean Evan Caminker, in an obituary in The University Record.
Professor Michael Barr appears in a Wall Street Journal MarketWatch story on the possible fates of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Barr also makes his first official appearance as a CNBC commentator.
The Credit Union Times notes Barr's recent appointment as a Filene Fellow
The Legal News takes a rare look at what makes Prof. Bill Miller tick
The State Bar of Michigan notes Assistant Dean Sarah Zearfoss' thoughts on changes in the law school application process
Prof. David Uhlmann is interviewed by the "Living on Earth" public radio show
Prof. Bridget McCormack appears in a Michigan Daily story on an open records threat to law school clinics.
JANUARY 10–JANUARY 16
"There are many reasons why the rest of the world should join Southern Sudanese in celebrating" the ongoing plebiscite over separation from the north. "(I)t ends at least a half-century of war and destruction that left most of Southern Sudan outside of the modern world." —Prof. Laura Beny, in an op-ed in New Sudan Vision
In Other News This Week
Prof. Eve Brensike Primus helps the Detroit Free Press with a story about accusations of officially sanctioned perjury in a local drug case.
Prof. Bridget McCormack talks to Detroit's Metro Times about women falsely convicted of crimes.
The D.C. Daily Caller talks to Prof. Jim Hines about a Puerto Rico tax issue.
Michigan Public Radio interviews Prof. John Pottow on elder bankruptcies.
And Prof. David Uhlmann speaks to the Financial Times about the BP oil spill.
JANUARY 3–JANUARY 9
The New York Times' DealBook and The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch both cite Michigan Law Prof. Adam Pritchard in stories about a controversial deal involving Facebook and Goldman Sachs.
"Cuba's got reason to hope that it will be able to enter the U.S. market within the foreseeable future. ... Its mark is pretty valuable, and the potential for confusion seems real." —Prof. Jessica Litman, in an AP story in The Los Angeles Times, on a novel trademark infringement case pitting Cuba's government tobacco company against a suburban Detroit cigar lounge.
Prof. Michael Barr, recently returned from a stint as Assistant Treasury Secretary for Financial Institutions, talks to The Detroit News about the appointment of Gene Sperling as head of Obama's National Economic Council.
Prof. John Pottow tells AnnArbor.com that bankruptcy may be inevitable for Borders.
Pottow's study on elder bankruptcy is cited in Newsweek.
And Michigan Radio corrals Pottow for a report on Michigan’s elderly.
Sam Gross is quoted in an Agence France-Presse story, via The Vancouver Sun, on how bad science can lead to bad convictions.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, in one of her last acts as governor, commutes the sentence of Innocence Clinic client Thomas Cress.
Prof. Rich Friedman tells The Baltimore Sun about testimony by victims of sexual assault.
Prof. Reuven Avi-Yonah pens an op-ed on Obama’s best course in the Middle East for the Detroit Free Press
A Detroit Free Press story quotes Prof. Len Niehoff on the fallout from Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's corrupt administration, and how some who paid to play won’t have to pay the price
Prof. Ted Parson talks climate change with the Ventura County Star
SPECIAL SECTION: The Oil Spill Report
David Uhlmann talks to The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, ABC News, The Financial Times, the AP, and others about recently released sections of a report showing problems with management of the rogue Gulf of Mexico oil well by BP, Transocean, and Halliburton.
Uhlmann also speaks with NPR’s All Things Considered about the moment when an environmental accident becomes a crime.
And he takes part in a segment on public radio’s national Diane Rehm Show.