Law Professors

Law School Spared in Ala. Tornadoes, But Students Cope with Destroyed Homes

The University of Alabama law school was spared from a tornado that devastated parts of Tuscaloosa, but some students studying for exams soon learned they had had to cope with lost or damaged homes. After tornado warnings sounded on Wednesday, administrators moved students studying in the library to the school’s…

Apr 29, 2011 11:07 AM CDT

Proposal to Make It a Crime to Buy a Fake Designer Bag in New York City Sparks Criticism

Chinatown is known for its cheap knockoffs of pricey designer handbags. But a New York City councilwoman whose district includes the neighborhood wants that to change. So Margaret Chin is planning to introduce a bill soon that would make it a crime, punishable by a $1,000 fine, to purchase a…

Apr 27, 2011 6:47 PM CDT

Donald Trump’s Latest Salvo: How Did Obama Get Into Harvard Law?

First it was President Obama’s birth certificate. Now it’s his college transcripts. Possible GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump raised the issue of Obama’s grades in an interview with the Associated Press. Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1991, but Trump suggested the president’s earlier grades weren’t…

Apr 27, 2011 11:23 AM CDT

What Is the Cost of a Law Review Article by a Top Prof? Estimate Is $100K

Top law professors make big bucks—money that supports law review articles that can cost as much as $100,000 each in salaries and other costs, according to an estimate made at a conference on the future of legal education. The cost can range from $100,000 for an article by a well-paid…

Apr 21, 2011 4:57 PM CDT

Florida Law Prof Accused of Shoving Student Who Criticized Him, Gets One-Week Suspension

A University of Florida law professor was suspended for a week based on allegations he shoved a student who criticized his handling of a room mix-up during exams. Criminal law professor Kenneth Nunn got a letter from the dean warning he could be fired if he engages in similar conduct…

Apr 21, 2011 12:36 PM CDT

Are Laptops Too Tempting? Most 2Ls and 3Ls Doodle for More than Half the Class, Study Finds

Law students in upper-year courses are being distracted—a lot—by their laptops in class, a new study has found. St. John’s University law professor Jeff Sovern sent observers into six classrooms and found that 58 percent of the upper-year students using laptops spent at least half the class using the devices…

Apr 20, 2011 1:12 PM CDT

6 Law Schools Form Global Group to Discuss Legal Tech Collaboration, Invite Others to Join

The deans of six law schools have formed a global group to discuss how they might collaborate more effectively and develop new shared technology specifically designed for legal education. The founding members of the group are Australian National University College of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law; New York Law School,…

Apr 18, 2011 5:56 PM CDT

Kmiec Resigns as Ambassador to Malta After Criticism Over His Advocacy Work

Pepperdine University law professor Douglas Kmiec has resigned as the American ambassador to Malta after the State Department’s inspector general criticized his work promoting better relations between religions. In letters to President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Kmiec, a well-known conservative constitutional lawyer, objected to the inspector general’s…

Apr 18, 2011 5:05 PM CDT

‘The Wire’ Cast Members Participate in Panel at Harvard Law About Urban Poverty

The creators and five cast members of The Wire—a TV series about police officers and inner-city drug dealers in Baltimore—participated in a panel discussion at Harvard Law School on Tuesday where they talked about both the celebrated show and America’s inner-city poor. “We’re going to need to pick up a…

Apr 14, 2011 2:09 PM CDT

Regulators Ignoring Internet’s Real Effects, Lessig Says, and Free Exchange Suffers

Although patently obvious to innovators like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Napster’s Sean Parker and IP geolocation pioneer Cyril Houri, most regulators refuse to accept that the Internet has fundamentally changed the exchange of shared content, says ABA Techshow 2011 keynoter Larry Lessig. This mindset to force regulation without regard for the…

Apr 12, 2011 1:54 PM CDT

Widener Law Prof Whose Hypothetical Involved Dean’s Murder Now Sues Her in Real-Life Defamation Case

A tenured associate law professor at Widener University School of Law has sued the dean over statements she made during an earlier battle over a controversial classroom hypothetical. Lawrence Connell contends that dean Linda Ammons falsely characterized him as racist and sexist in administrative proceedings when she sought to oust…

Apr 8, 2011 5:25 PM CDT

Is the Labor Movement an LGBT Issue? Law Profs Disagree in Dueling Essays

Gay-rights groups need to get behind labor unions as they fight a Republican backlash, according to a University of Pennsylvania law professor. Writing for the Huffington Post, law professor Tobias Barrington Wolff asserts that the the labor movement is an LGBT issue. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual Americans have the…

Apr 7, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

Harvard Posts Law School Exams Dating to 1871, When the Questions Were Easier

Harvard Law School was a lot easier in 1871. Or maybe the professors weren’t so cruel. The Wall Street Journal Law Blog is speculating about those possibilities after taking a look at exams posted by Harvard Law School going all the way back to 1871. The blog illustrates with this…

Apr 6, 2011 11:48 AM CDT

Prof Teaching Law and Media Class Accused of Battery for Shutting Laptop of Web-Surfing Student

A college professor at Valdosta State University teaching a class on Law and the Ethics of Media has been charged with battery after a student told police the prof shut her laptop on her hands. The professor, Frank Rybicki, has been suspended with pay, according to Inside Higher Ed, the…

Apr 5, 2011 11:29 AM CDT

Duke Law’s ‘Tricky Dick’ Musical Signals Shift in Administration’s Stance on Nixon

For decades, the Duke University School of Law has downplayed its association with arguably its most notorious graduate: Richard M. Nixon. However, in a sign that the university is slowly embracing its ties with the embattled president, Duke law students on Friday performed Tricky Dick, a musical imagining an ethically…

Apr 4, 2011 7:03 PM CDT