Stanley Lubman writes for The Wall Street Journal, February 25, 2014
China’s new leadership has signaled that fundamental changes to the country’s legal system are not on the table. But a brief document, largely ignored in the English-speaking world until recently, suggests high-level support for limited, but important, reforms.
Obama Administration may give permanent asylum to Somali pirate
John Yoo interviewed on Fox News, February 22, 2014
“It’s a natural outgrowth of the policies that the Attorney General and the Obama Administration are pursuing by trying to use the civilian domestic criminal justice system to try terrorists and pirates.”
Detroit proposes a lose-lose bankruptcy plan
Michelle Wilde Anderson cited on CNN Money, February 21, 2014
A substantial chunk of the funds for pensions will actually come from nonprofits and the state, and it will be tied to the preservation of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Nicknamed the grand bargain, the tactic is “basically a strategy to draw external charitable dollars into Detroit,” Anderson writes in an e-mail.
Divide emerges over future of interim Oakland police chief
Franklin Zimring quoted in Inside Bay Area, February 21, 2014
“The best argument for an inside appointment is the less-than-stellar opportunity that a police chief of Oakland might represent to the 10 best young police administrators in the country,” said Franklin Zimring, a criminologist and law professor at UC Berkeley. “I certainly wouldn’t put it in first place.”
Venture capitalist in bid to split California into six states
David Carrillo quoted in Reuters, February 20, 2014
David Carrillo … agreed, saying the U.S. Constitution could also be interpreted to require approval of such a move by the California state legislature. Carrillo also said the U.S. Congress was unlikely to get on board with the plan. “One could wonder whether Congress would look favorably on adding five new stars to Old Glory,” he said.
Preparing students for Korea’s new legal market
Laurent Mayali and John Yoo quoted in the Daily Journal, February 20, 2014 (registration required)
-Berkeley Law professor Laurent Mayali, one of the center’s co-directors, said the prime minister’s involvement, along with the high number of Berkeley alumni in the Korean legal system, will allow for a two-way conversation between the two communities. “It’s really a joint enterprise,” he said.
-Yoo, the other co-director, said the former prime minister was already providing guidance during his first visit to the center, speaking at an internal conference the university held on territorial disputes between China, Japan and Korea. “Obviously, having somebody who’s in the room who’s been a part of the head of the government, giving the perspective of Korea, to understand the problem, the facts, and so on—for us it’s invaluable,” Yoo said.
Korea Law Center in the news
John Yoo cited in Naver, February 19, 2014
The former prime minister Kim Hwang-Sik (photo) and Professor John Yoo describing the plans for the UC Berkeley Korea Law Center in the former prime minister’s office at Berkeley School of Law.
How politicians and plutocrats persuade Americans to vote against their interests
Ian Haney López interviewed on Background Briefing with Ian Masters, February 19, 2014
Then finally we speak with Ian Haney López … author of the new book “Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class”. We discuss his ground-breaking analysis of how politicians and plutocrats use veiled racist appeals to persuade white voters to support policies that favor the extremely rich while threatening the real interests of middle class and working Americans.
Congress in middle of Hollywood copyright clash with Silicon Valley
Pamela Samuelson quoted in Los Angeles Times, February 17, 2014
Since then, “everything has changed,” said Pamela Samuelson…. “This has become something a lot of people feel strongly about.”
Stephen Rosenbaum discusses universal jurisdiction and diplomatic fallout
Stephen Rosenbaum interviewed on Celebrity Court Radio, February 16, 2014
Universal jurisdiction is exercised over “individuals who will never be brought to justice in their own countries because of weak judicial systems, weak forms of due process. So, in other countries with more robust institutions—courts in particular—attempts have been made to… obtain remedies against some of these bad actors…from generals to presidents.”