John Yoo Opposes Investigation of CIA

The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 13, 2009 by John Yoo
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/59146512.html

What has gone less well understood is what the investigation will do to the CIA as an institution at a time when it serves as the nation’s eyes and ears and, sometimes, the sword and shield, during war against a shadowy, covert enemy…. All intelligence involves probabilities and educated guesses, but effective intelligence can actually provide the information needed to avoid costly wars. Persecuting the CIA risks another surprise attack or major intelligence failure.

Jesse Choper Says First Amendment May Protect G-20 Activists

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, September 12, 2009 by Rich Lord and Paula Reed Lord
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09255/997503-482.stm

Mr. Choper said governments “can stop people from protesting so it disrupts the event.” But demonstrators are “entitled to some place where [they] can effectively communicate … within sight” of the targets of their message. Rules that aim to keep demonstrators from embarrassing their host city or guests have been struck down, he said.

Eric Stover Shares His Passion for Human Rights Work

Berkeleyan, September 10, 2009 by Barry Bergman
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2009/09/10_hrc-anniversary.shtml

It wasn’t until 1996, in Srebrenica, that he fully realized the devastation felt by people who are unable to identify their lost or “disappeared” family members. “That was a deep learning moment for me,” he recalls. “The court was supposed to be working for these victims. But the thing family members want most is identification of these bodies. More than justice, they want proper burial.”

Jonathan Simon Says California is on a ″Prison-Building Binge″

Democracy Now, September 9, 2009 Host Amy Goodman
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/9/overcrowded_and_going_broke_a_look

I think we need a whole new paradigm change about public safety in the state. We treat public safety as if it equaled prisons. It’s sort of like treating hamburgers as if they were the only food that one could consume. We need police. We need probation officers. We need first responders. We need drug treatment and mental health caseworkers.

Susan Gluss Explains Berkeley Law’s Enhanced LRAP

The Daily Californian, September 9, 2009 by Zach E. Williams
http://www.dailycal.org/article/106532/law_school_to_launch_loan_forgiveness_program

“The law school has been concerned for some time about the impact of the economic downturn on our grads,” said Susan Gluss, Boalt Hall director of media relations, in an e-mail. “In response, the law school has launched a number of initiatives to help alumni—including an enhanced loan repayment assistance program.”

Christopher Edley Supports 21st Century Commission’s Proposed Tax Plan

-The Sacramento Bee, September 9, 2009 by Kevin Yamamura
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/025307.html

John Cogan, a Hoover Institution fellow, and Christopher Edley, dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, issued a joint memo to their colleagues supporting the plan….”We are confident that the tax package is the right course for California,” they wrote. “We also recognize that the BNRT (business net receipts tax) represents an extraordinary change in California’s tax code. A tax change of this magnitude should only occur after the proposal has been fully vetted and all of its ramifications have been fully assessed by the Legislature and the governor and the public.”

-Los Angeles Times, September 15, 2009 by Eric Bailey
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-me-taxes15-2009sep15,0,6431594.story

Christopher Edley Jr., dean and professor at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, acknowledged that the plan could be a difficult sell but said, “I do believe, in balance … it’s good for California’s future.”

Stephen Sugarman Questions Defense Strategy in Death of Water-Drinking Contestant

McClatchy News, September 7, 2009 by Andy Furillo
http://www.connpost.com/breakingnews/ci_13287287

While the defense plans to fight the case on the issue of foreseeability, the legal experts said the Entercom lawyers could have a difficult time making that argument … that Strange “knew as much—if not more—about the dangers of drinking water as any defendant. “She knew and they didn’t? That seems unlikely,” said Stephen D. Sugarman. “And I’m skeptical about her awareness of the danger. How many people are going to do this if they think they’re going to kill themselves?”

Jason Schultz Believes Libraries Will Retain Value Even as Books Go Digital

CNN.com, September 4, 2009 by John D. Sutter
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/04/future.library.technology/

Jason M. Schultz, director of the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic…. said libraries always have served two roles in society: They’re places where people can get free information; and they’re community centers for civic debate. As books become more available online, that community-center role will become increasingly important for libraries, he said. “It depends on whether we prioritize it as a funding matter, but I think there always will be a space for that even if all the resources are digital,” he said.

Dennis Tominaga and Grad Rebecca Hart Laud Enhanced LRAP

-The Shark, September 3, 2009 by Petra Pasternak
http://theshark.typepad.com/weblog/2009/09/page/2/

Dennis Tominaga, assistant dean of financial aid, told The Shark that the school was able to make the changes because of the new loan repayment option offered by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which in July allowed enrollment in its Income-Based Repayment plan. Private loans don’t qualify for the IBR or public loan forgiveness plans, but Tominaga said the school will offer help with those payments for students who graduate by 2012.

-The Daily Journal, September 4, 2009 by Sara Randazzo
http://www.dailyjournal.com/

For Rebecca Hart, a 2007 Berkeley grad working at the Center for Reproductive Rights, knowing her loans would be forgiven was pivotal to being able to accept the job in costly New York City. “There is no way I would be able to work at the Center without loan repayment assistance,” she said. “There were times I thought, ‘What if I don’t qualify? What if I make over a certain amount?’ It is a life line for me.”

At last count, Berkeley had 130 graduates receiving assistance, a number assistant dean for financial aid Dennis Tominaga said has been growing in recent years.

-KCBS All News, September 6, 2009 by Melissa Culross
http://www.kcbs.com/pages/5159243.php?

“The law school provides the graduates who meet the income and employment requirements with a forgivable loan. Every six months, they’re required to make their student loan payments,” explained Dennis Tominaga.

“If I was going to pursue public interest work, it had to be at a place that it was going to make it possible for me to purse that work financially after law school because the salaries are not the same as salaries when you start as an associate at a law firm,” said Hart.