UC Berkeley law professor Jesse Choper receives award from state bar

Jesse Choper and John Yoo quoted in The Daily Californian, October 14, 2012

Choper said he feels humbled by the recognition. “I am very pleased to have received it,” he said. “I have studied the names who have received it in the past, and they all have very distinguished careers. I feel privileged and honored to join them.”

John Yoo, a professor at UC Berkeley’s law school, called Choper a “long-time servant” of the law school and the campus whose work studying judicial review and the rights of religious minorities has had a considerable impact on the legal community. “It is fair to say that in both fields, Choper has published leading works that have moved his field forward and influenced generations of scholars,” Yoo said in an email.

California greenhouse gas rules face major court test

Daniel Farber quoted in San Jose Mercury News, October 14, 2012

“Any comprehensive plan is going to have to confront this issue,” said Daniel Farber, co-director of UC Berkeley’s environmental law [center]. “A negative decision in this case could pose a barrier to aggressive state efforts to address climate change.”

Obama has pursued a dangerous change in the powers of the president

John Yoo writes for Foxnews.com, October 12, 2012

Although the Constitution is silent on border control and immigration, the Supreme Court declared long ago that these authorities reside with Congress. Congress has passed an extensive Immigration and Naturalization Act, which specifies the limited cases where the executive branch can suspend the removal of illegal aliens. The act does not give the president the authority to interrupt the deportation of whole classes of illegal aliens, and certainly nothing approaching one million.

Decision on S.F. Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi outrages domestic violence activists

Nancy Lemon quoted in San Jose Mercury News, October 11, 2012

One domestic violence expert in particular, however, says that Mirkarimi fits into the abuser narrative: “denying, not taking responsibility, saying it was just a grab, not a big deal,” said Nancy K.D. Lemon…. It is also typical for victims of domestic violence to minimize the actions of their abusers. “There’s mixed messages coming down,” Lemon said Wednesday. “One of the messages is you can do this and get away with it. That’s dangerous. The second is saying the sheriff is held to a lower standard than his own deputies.”

Debate preparation like boot camp

Jennifer Granholm quoted in San Francisco Chronicle, October 10, 2012

“I think the challenge is going to be not to appear too wonky,” Granholm said. “Both he and Paul Ryan have that challenge. “For Biden, because he is so loquacious, the challenge for him in this debate is how to deliver a message in the format. That was a tough thing for him before,” Granholm said.

Government, industry leaders convene to explore financing of large-scale energy efficiency real estate improvements

Ken Taymor quoted in Yahoo! Finance, October 9, 2012

“California needs to find ways to achieve wide-scale improvement in the energy footprint of commercial and multifamily residential real estate,” said Ken Taymor…. “Building connections between the government, real estate, technology and finance industries—and intertwining the expertise and unique perspectives of each—is the first step in eliminating costly waste and employing efficient, long-lasting energy solutions.”

The patent, used as a sword

Jason Schultz quoted in The New York Times, October 7, 2012

Law school faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, have proposed a “Defensive Patent License” in which companies would contribute patents to a common pool that shielded participants from litigious aggressors. Companies would be allowed to participate as long as they did not become first-strike plaintiffs. The benefit is that “you don’t have to worry about your patent being weaponized” and used to attack competitors, said Jason M. Schultz, an assistant professor who helped design the license.

Elizabeth Warren, Scott Brown and the myth of race

Ian Haney-Lopez quoted in TIME, October 5, 2012

“There are no genetic characteristics possessed by all blacks but not by non-blacks,” wrote University of California at Berkeley law professor Ian Haney Lopez in the landmark 1993 essay The Social Construction of Race. Lopez concludes: “Race is a social construction.”