Who’s teaching whom?

Eleanor Swift and Stephen Rosenbaum quoted in California Lawyer, May 2012

“The university and the professor were very, very upset about that case,” notes Eleanor Swift, a Berkeley law professor who was one of several unofficial faculty advisors to the Campus Rights Project. “I know the student conduct office hated the CRP,” she adds.

“The CRP has been a thorn in the side of the administration and top-notch in their legal work,” says Stephen A. Rosenbaum, a longtime lecturer at the law school who, like Swift, has worked closely with the group. “They represent the finest in the tradition of student activism, going back to the Free Speech Movement of the sixties,” he adds.

Suits against IP firms raise “fair use” questions

Peter Menell quoted in InsideCounsel, April 30, 2012

“The model for publication is shifting. This looks like an effort by publishers to squeeze some more juice out of the lemon,” says Prof. Peter Menell…. “It sounds like publishers see this as a new revenue stream. There are a half-million patent applications per year, and they figure they can make some money here.”

American democracy examined at racial healing conference

Ian Haney-López quoted in Native News Network, April 30, 2012

Haney Lopez detailed how racism has evolved from the challenge of segregation in the 1950s and 1960s to now “mass incarceration,” which has a disproportionate impact on young African American and Latino males, and “mass deportation” of undocumented persons, which has led to thousands of parents having to leave their children behind in the care of the child welfare system.

The new pay phone and what it knows about you

Christopher Hoofnagle and Jennifer Urban cited in The New York Times, Bits, April 30, 2012

A new survey … suggests that most Americans are uneasy with the idea that their phones could divulge behavioral and personal information, like phone numbers and in-store browsing habits. The survey was created by Chris Hoofnagle and Jennifer Urban…. The Berkeley professors warned of the prospect that “social network services with payment systems could add transaction histories to their already rich databases of behavioral information.”

Waiting for the UN: The Obama administration embraces international paralysis

John Yoo writes for The Weekly Standard, April 30, 2012

U.S. military strikes could topple Tehran’s close allies in Damascus and destroy the mullahs’ nuclear infrastructure, potentially ushering in more democratic regimes that would be at peace with their neighbors. But instead of seizing the initiative, the White House has wrapped itself in a web of international law and institutions that have brought only paralysis and indecision.

Criminal justice conversations with David Onek: law professor Joan Petersilia

David Onek host on KALW-FM, April 29, 2012

“A lot of the focus on realignment has been on reducing the state prison population, but realignment is also going to lead to enormous changes in county jails…. Now they may hold inmates for much longer periods of time and will need to develop this type of programming with relatively limited resources.”

California’s death penalty—a consumer’s guide

Franklin Zimring writes for San Francisco Chronicle, April 29, 2012

Without moral leadership from respected California politicians, this initiative probably is doomed. Prosecutors embrace a California death penalty, not because they like or expect executions, but because it enhances their plea-bargaining power and provides them with a starring role in the high-stakes public drama of a capital trial.

Will California end its death penalty?

Franklin Zimring quoted in San Francisco Chronicle, The Opinion Shop, April 27, 2012

Franklin E. Zimring … writes that no state or nation ended state execution because of a popular vote, and predicts the initiative will fail. Only when political leaders take up the cause to end a policy that both opponents and proponents agree is not working, will California end its 34-year death penalty, he says.

“Girls” reflects a lack of diversity in primetime television

Russell Robinson interviewed on WNYC-FM, The Takeaway, April 27, 2012

“So, it changes the construction of black men to have a black man included in a group of nerds. And that’s powerful. Another thing is that being black doesn’t mean that every moment of your life you’re talking about race.”

Five at UC awarded for distinguished teaching

Christopher Edley and David Sklansky quoted in Berkeley Patch, April 27, 2012

Berkeley Law Dean Chris Edley writes that Sklansky “communicates complex legal concepts to large classes of students and encourages their serious analysis of often politically and emotionally charged issues of criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence.”

Sklansky says his challenge is to keep classroom learning fresh for his students, “but that challenge is a big part of why I find teaching so joyful, so rejuvenating, and so deeply rewarding.”