Michael Bazeley Questions San Jose Mercury News Decision to Charge Web Fees

KGO-TV, May 13, 2009 by David Louie
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/business&id=6811995

“There’s an expectation, particularly among the younger generation, that when you go online, most of the information you’re going to get is going to be free with few exceptions, and this idea of re-training people to think now they have to pay for this content, I think, is a risky proposition,” said Bazeley. “You’re going to essentially open up the market for other people who want to come into the market and offer content for free.”

Robert MacCoun Sees Shift in Marijuana Debate

Contra Costa Times, May 12, 2009 by John Simerman
http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_12353484?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

“I’ve never seen a … phone survey that showed more than half of adults favoring legalization. I’ve certainly never seen a governor putting forth the idea of debating the issue, much less an actual bill,” said Robert MacCoun, a UC Berkeley public policy professor. “It’s a comfort zone for politicians we didn’t have 10 years ago.”

Jonathan Simon Explains Pros and Cons of Gentrification

The Sacramento Bee, May 12, 2009 by Stan Oklobdzija
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2322125/

“As a neighborhood gentrifies, affluent people are more demanding consumers. They demand security,” said Dr. Jonathan Simon, an associate dean at UC Berkeley’s Boalt School of Law…. While gentrification might do great things for crime rates and land values, lower-income residents can be pushed into poorer parts of town, said Simon.

Christopher Edley and Maria Echaveste Shed Light on Obama’s Ideal Supreme Court Pick

NPR, All Things Considered, May 11, 2009 Host Michelle Norris
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=104032583&m=104032563

Maria Echaveste: I read it as he was looking for someone who understood that these decisions were not abstract notions to be determined solely, solely upon the strict legal reasoning without any consideration of the real life consequences when you make a decision. People who are going to think critically: what does this mean? How does this impact people’s real lives? Because that is what the Supreme Court does.

Chris Edley: The easy questions are dealt with by the lower courts. It’s the hardest questions and the most important questions that get before the Supreme Court, and, on those questions, it is unusual if strict doctrine gives you the answer by itself. You can’t just look at the page and find the answer. You have to think about what’s the purpose of the law to make it alive.

Christopher Edley Sees Silver Lining in Law Firms’ Job Crunch

The Shark blog, May 11, 2009 by Petra Pasternak
http://theshark.typepad.com/weblog/2009/05/berkeley-law-comes-out-with-its-list-of-helpful-whatnots-for-students-and-alums-in-a-financial-pickl.html#more

Edley predicts the bigger crunch will come next year, when he says he expects fewer private sector openings for second-years and for students earning their JDs in 2010. Students who may have—in more robust economic times—hopped and skipped off to big firm gigs will instead be taking a closer look at their options in public interest work. “This is useful for opening their eyes to other forms of practice,” Edley said.

John Yoo Calls for a Moderate Supreme Court Justice

The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 10, 2009 by John Yoo
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/20090510_Obama_needs_a_neutral_justice.html

Obama could make a pick based solely on race or sex—though it’s not clear why the most empathetic judges are minorities or women—to please parts of his coalition. But if the president wants to secure the success of his economic, political, and national-security objectives, he should remember FDR’s example and choose a judge who believes in the right of the president and Congress, not the courts, to make the nation’s policies.

Stephen Rosenbaum, Chris Kutz, Susan Gluss Respond to Questions about Professor Yoo

The Daily Californian, May 8, 2009 by Katie Meyer (Corrected May 11)
http://www.dailycal.org/article/105632/professor_john_yoo_could_face_disbarment

“One can argue about the appropriateness of someone teaching in a law school who has expressed those interpretations of the law,” Rosenbaum said.

“The dean is always mindful of the interplay between academic freedom, which is the right to express an opinion no matter how vile or odious, and the need for law professors to abide by the highest ethical and professional standards,” Gluss said.

“I do not believe that the memos are professionally adequate statements about the law, nor did the Justice Department—they repudiated all the memos written by John Yoo,” [Kutz] said.