Rally and march planned to protest effort to pass new anti-homeless laws in Berkeley

Osha Neumann and Jeffrey Selbin quoted in The Berkeley Daily Planet, March 12, 2015

Osha Neumann: “Taken together with existing laws, these ordinances would essentially make it illegal for people who are homeless to have a presence on our streets and sidewalks.”

Jeffrey Selbin: “The evidence from around the state and country is quite clear: criminalizing people who are homeless doesn’t solve any of the underlying causes or conditions of homelessness; in fact, it only makes them worse. It would be inhumane, ineffective and expensive for Berkeley to double down on punitive laws that will only hurt our most vulnerable residents.”

That ‘good news, bad news’ behind stock buybacks

Steven Davidoff Solomon quoted in Marketplace, March 9, 2015

Large piles of cash tend to invite some investors to complain — loudly.  … “One of the ways the company responds to this,” says Steven Davidoff Solomon … “is to say, ‘Look, we’re trying to help our shareholders, we’ll give them back some cash.'”

Letting dentists feel the bite of competition

Aaron Edlin and Rebecca Haw Allensworth write for The Wall Street Journal, March 8, 2015

Though it is uncertain how states will react, one thing is clear. The Supreme Court is intolerant of cartel activity, whatever its form, and it has taken an important step toward restoring competition in these licensed professions.

How criminal records hold Americans back

Eliza Hersh quoted in The Boston Globe, March 8, 2015

“This is not a new problem, it’s just one that’s getting recognition now,” said Eliza Hersh. “One thing that often surprises people is they were arrested wrongly, or years and years ago, and it always remains on their records.”

Groundbreaking textbook makes the case for reproductive justice field

Melissa Murray, Kristin Luker and Jill Adams quoted in Los Angeles Times, March 5, 2015

“There were lots of instructors who were interested in teaching, but the absence of a casebook was a huge deterrent because it means you actually have to compile the materials yourself,” Murray said. “It also suggested that the field was not a field at all because it hadn’t been defined by a book.”

“Reproductive justice,” Luker said, “suggests that having a baby is just as important as the right not to have a baby.”

“The publication of this book signals the legitimacy of the subject matter as an area of study, and also as an area of practice,” said Jill Adams. … “In legal education, these cases and concepts are given very short shrift. It’s a victory to have this subject matter encased in that familiar blue binding on the shelf alongside all the other well-established courses.”

OK, so who gets to go free?

Jonathan Simon interviewed by Slate, March 4, 2015

Many crimes are legally considered violent “even if no force is used, let alone injury suffered,” said Jonathan Simon. “Violence is a much more capacious legal category than most people assume.”

Georgia waffles on execution with cloudy drug

Megan McCracken quoted in The Washington Post, March 4, 2015

The cloudy drug “raises significant concerns about Georgia’s ability to carry out executions in compliance with the Constitution, but we don’t know what really happened,” said Megan McCracken. … “Because of the secrecy surrounding Georgia’s procedures, it is impossible to say if this is indicative of a larger problem,” she said.

Chief Justice John Roberts in hot seat in health-law case

Jesse Choper quoted in The Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2015

Jesse Choper said it is “wholly legitimate” for Chief Justice Roberts to consider the real-world impact of his vote, regardless of his best reading of the statutory text. “He is the chief, and part of his mission is to preserve the integrity of the court, and to preserve at least its appearance of impartiality,” Mr. Choper said.