Franklin Zimring quoted by San Francisco Chronicle, March 19, 2018
There is always a local angle, and “in this digital age,” writes UC Berkeley law school Professor Franklin Zimring, “a good idea can have a half-life of 60 years.”
Trump’s opioid battle plan includes seeking more death-penalty prosecutions
Franklin Zimring quoted by The Wall Street Journal, March 18, 2018
“You do have murder convictions for repetitive drunk drivers, but you don’t have death penalties for them,” said Franklin Zimring. … “It would be an extraordinary change in the boundaries of the Eighth Amendment.”
California’s anti-abortion pregnancy centers want the Supreme Court to overturn state notice law
Erwin Chemerinsky quoted by Los Angeles Times, March 18, 2018
“The law is so clearly constitutional,” said UC Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. “It is one thing to compel somebody to speak. It is another thing to say you have to post on your wall information that is completely accurate.”
George Boardman: Supreme Court will decide if clinics have to promote abortion services
Erwin Chemerinsky quoted by The Union, March 18, 2018
“Merely requiring clinics to post a notice informing women of the availability of free or low-cost reproductive health services does not violate the First Amendment,” he said. … “The new law simply ensures that clinics expose their patients to accurate information about the existence of state programs.”
California judge warns against rise of partisanship in judicial elections
Erwin Chemerinsky quoted by Courthouse News Service, March 16, 2018
Chemerinsky, who also found the apparent partisanship concerning, said, “We should be evaluating their conduct on the bench, not on the party of the governor that appointed them. The question is, is this person performing well?”
How debt could blow up the Trump economy
Alan Auerbach quoted by Fortune.com, March 15, 2018
“We exported a financial crisis to the rest of the world, and they sent us their money,” says UC–Berkeley economist Alan Auerbach.
Why Australia is ‘saving’ SA’s white farmers
Ian Haney López cited by Mail & Guardian, March 15, 2018
Dog whistling politics, and by this we mean “expressing racially loaded ideas in coded terms”, as … Ian Haney Lopez explains it, has become part of the armoury of conservative politicians in Australia since Howard’s time.
Porn star raising funds for legal expenses in Trump disclosure fight
Mark Gergen quoted by ABC News, March 14, 2018
“Their ability to collect liquidated damages is only as good as their ability to enforce it,” explained Mark Gergen. … “And any effort to get damages for a breach of the agreement could really expose [Trump and Cohen] to some very embarrassing discovery and cross-examination.”
Raise taxes or ration health care? Why single-payer won’t work in California. Yet
Alan Auerbach quoted by The Sacramento Bee, March 13, 2018
“The tax increases we’re talking about are so ridiculously high that you can’t assume there wouldn’t be significant behavioral responses – people earning less income or leaving the state,” said Alan Auerbach.
Some tax law provisions could make for a tougher recession
Alan Auerbach quoted by Bloomberg BNA, March 13, 2018
“Legislators somehow feel that NOL recovery is sort of an inappropriate gift, whereas it really is a way of cushioning the effects of cyclical income,” he said, calling the provision a “money grab.” “Tightening the rules—getting rid of the loss carrybacks, allowing only 80 percent offset against taxable income in the future—I think that is not good for cyclical industries.”