Faculty in the News
USC Law professors are frequently sought by the media to serve as legal experts. This section highlights news citations in which USC Law faculty are quoted and USC Law is featured in stories.
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Yahoo! News
November 19, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed on former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who is featured on a controversial Newsweek cover. "The problem is that the media can't seem to figure out that she deserves to be treated like Dick Armey or Newt Gingrich or Dick Cheney," Estrich wrote. "Disagree with her. Point out that she's wrong more often than she's right, and that she doesn't know what she's talking about on key issues. Call her a quitter, by all means, and a sore sport and a bad loser. Ask her hard questions, or even medium-hard questions, and see if she can answer. ... Just don't put her on the cover in running shorts."
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The Christian Science Monitor
November 18, 2009
re: Kareem Crayton
Prof. Kareem Crayton was quoted about California Attorney General Jerry Brown. The gubernatorial candidate has ordered an independent investigation into his former spokesman, who secretly recorded several conversations with journalists, the story reported. "The investigation leaves open the potential that he's going to be charged with something," Crayton said. "It might affect how he is perceived among liberal voters in the primaries."
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Daily Journal
November 18, 2009
re: Ehud Kamar
Prof. Ehud Kamar was quoted in an article on heirs of late Marvel comics artist Jack Kirby taking steps to recapture copyrights to the comic book characters their father created. This could take away a portion of the profit The Walt Disney Company is looking to acquire by purchasing Marvel, the story stated. Kamar said he doesn't expect this will stop the deal, but that lawyers for Disney might try to use the development to their advantage. "Will they try to renegotiate? Of course," said Kamar. "I just don't know how much they will get away with."
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Portsmouth Herald
November 17, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about the dilemma President Obama faces in Afghanistan. "Pulling out means a civil war and a safe haven for al-Qaida," Estrich wrote. "Leaving the same number of troops in place means they don't have the resources to protect themselves, let alone the people. ... On the other hand, a major buildup is ridiculously expensive at a time when even calculating the deficit is beyond most of our arithmetic skills." Estrich recalled her USC students' surprise when she showed them a documentary depicting a youthful Bill Clinton during the 1992 campaign. "I wonder how soon it will be before the Barack Obama who ran for president is unrecognizable," she wrote.
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Daily Journal
November 13, 2009
re: Matthew DeGrushe
Assistant Dean Matthew DeGrushe was quoted about law firms recruiting on law school campuses. The story reported that the process that has become more conservative as a result of the troubled economy. DeGrushe said that firms have been tentative after callbacks, only extending offers to the exact number of people they hoped to hire and leaving other students waiting to find out if they would be hired. "If they want four summer associates, they have four offers outstanding at a time," DeGrushe said. "In the beginning of recruiting, it was fine. If someone said 'no' they went to a pool of candidates. But that pool has narrowed, and no one is left."
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Daily Journal
November 13, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
USC Law was mentioned in an article about law school tuitions.
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The Wrap
November 13, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted about filmmaker Roman Polanski, who has been held for 90 days in Swiss custody in connection with a 1977 statutory rape conviction. A 90-day sentence was part of the plea deal reached 32 years ago, before he fled the United States, the story noted. "I would absolutely think that his attorney would ask for sentence credit -- and it's not unlikely that a judge would grant Polanski the time he's already served in Switzerland," Rosenbluth said. However, she added that since Polanski fled before the deal was formalized as a sentence, there could be additional penalties. "There probably would be some kind of global disposition, an agreement that would take into consideration all the time he's been confined," Rosenbluth said.
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Daily Journal
November 12, 2009
re: John Matsusaka
Prof. John Matsusaka was quoted about lawsuits that would block an effort to place Native American gaming compacts before voters. Matsusaka said the interpretation put forward by the tribes -- that a reading of the constitution requires proponents of a referendum not only to collect the requisite number of signatures but also to have them verified within 90 days -- doesn't make sense given the reasons behind Californians adopting the referendum process back in 1911. "The spirit of the referendum is to allow voters to challenge the government, and if you allow the government to nullify a referendum simply by slow verification, which you could do, you essentially rob it of its purpose," Matsusaka said.
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Yahoo! News
November 12, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "You've got to hand it to Nancy Pelosi. Love her or hate her -- and there are probably more people in the second category than the first -- you can't deny the enormity of her accomplishment," Estrich wrote, referring to the health care bill. "She did something very, very big. She cut a tough deal at the last minute to do it, and she absolutely was the right person to be cutting that deal."
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Portsmouth Herald
November 11, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about last week's elections. "Everything and nothing happened on Tuesday. I could have predicted that. Whoever 'wins' says it means everything. Whoever 'loses' says it means nothing. That's how off-off-year elections work," Estrich wrote. "It's a long, long time, politically speaking, between now and the next time Barack Obama has to run. That's good news for the president, but not so good for those who could use some fairy dust. It means members of Congress in marginal districts are essentially on their own."
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Daily Journal
November 11, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
USC Law student Jacqueline Shaprow co-authored an article about the new standard for ‘move-aways’ in child custody battles established in Niko v. Foreman. “The court of appeal in Niko may have reached the correct decision on the facts, but in the process, it may have also created bad law,” Shaprow wrote.
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The San Diego Union-Tribune
November 10, 2009
re: Niels Frenzen
Prof. Niels Frenzen was quoted in an article about Abdalla Warsame Abdille, a Somali man who sought asylum in the United States in 2008 but was denied entry. U.S. government lawyers argued that one day in 2006, Abdille stood in a road in Somalia holding a gun under orders from militiamen who claimed allegiance to the group Al-Shabab, and that this amounted to material support for a terrorist organization. Abdille is now appealing the decision, the story reported. Frenzen said the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that due process claims are not as strong for "arriving aliens" -- people who are apprehended at the border. That could be a hurdle in this case, Frenzen noted.
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Pocono Record
November 5, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about gender equality. “Last week, the president’s all-male basketball game became a front-page story questioning the absence of women from the game,” Estrich wrote. “The reason the basketball game got attention is because the media are finally asking, as they should, whether the Obama White House is really all that different from those that preceded it, at least in terms of gender. Yes, there are more people of color at the table. But are there more women?”
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The New York Times
November 4, 2009
re: Rob Saltzman
A photo including Dean Robert Saltzman accompanied a story about the Los Angeles Chief of Police selection.
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Los Angeles Times
November 4, 2009
re: Rob Saltzman
A photo including Dean Robert Saltzman accompanied a story about the Los Angeles Chief of Police selection.
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Yahoo! News
November 4, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about USC President Steven B. Sample and his tenure as leader of the university. "If you ever wonder whether sustained strong leadership can change institutions, look at USC. He did," Estrich wrote. "Steve Sample did a number of things extraordinarily well. Spectacular doesn't begin to describe his fundraising skills. There was, for all intents and purposes, no endowment before him. He was also the most enthusiastic salesman and promoter of a university that I've ever seen. He cut the size of the freshman class, raised the standards, started giving out merit scholarships to the top students, vastly expanded the faculty, rewarded entrepreneurship of the academic variety, and unleashed an explosion of energy and innovation on campus," she wrote. "He believed that a private university has an obligation to the surrounding community. Almost 19 years later, the neighborhood is up-and-coming, and the Trojan family is more diverse and more international than it ever was -- all while retaining the sense of close-knit connections that makes it unique."
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Forbes
November 4, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
The recent Ballotwatch report from USC's Initiative and Referendum Institute was cited. "Rejection of spending limits in Maine and Washington hint that voters may not be overly concerned with growth in government spending, despite a huge expansion in federal spending over the last year," the report stated.
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TP Week
November 4, 2009
Prof. Edward Kleinbard was quoted in a story about the effect of federal tax legislation on transfer pricing. “Transfer pricing is the inevitable place for governments to look for revenue,” Kleinbard said.
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The Wrap
November 3, 2009
re: Edwin Smith
Prof. Edwin Smith was quoted in an article about filmmaker Roman Polanski's French lawyers, who have presented another new bail offer for the director's release from a Swiss jail, where he is being held in connection with a 1977 statutory rape conviction. "There's no reason why there should be any similarity to our system," Smith said. He added that while this kind of bidding is definitely not the American style of setting bonds, U.S. judges are amenable to hearing defense lawyers' suggestions on methods to guarantee that their clients won't bolt, such as monitoring bracelets or the surrendering of passports.
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Politico
November 3, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
It was stated that Prof. Susan Estrich is perhaps the most identifiable Democratic commentator on Fox News. She has been working at the network for more than a decade, having first gotten to know Fox News President Roger Ailes when they were working on opposite sides of the 1988 presidential campaign, the story stated. Estrich said that management has been receptive when she has had issues with the network's coverage. "If there is something I think is not right, I pick up the phone and I call," she said. "What I have been hopefully able to do is offer my thoughts both inside and outside."
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The New York Times
October 31, 2009
re: John Matsusaka
Prof. John Matsusaka was quoted on debate as to whether the names of petition signers for a Washington State anti-gay-marriage initiative should be made public on the Web. This debate is so new that its broad implications remain unclear, Matsusaka said. The fact that the Internet is involved makes the disclosure potentially much more potent, he added.
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Houston Chronicle
October 31, 2009
re: John Matsusaka
Prof. John Matsusaka was quoted in a story about a movement to allow ballot measures in Texas. Initiatives and referendums can only influence state and local governments, Matsusaka noted. "Because the tea party movement is largely focused on federal taxes and spending, I don't see it having a big [effect] on efforts to bring the initiative and referendum to states like Texas," Matsusaka said. "If the Texas government becomes the target of tea party protests, however, I could imagine that providing fuel to those pushing initiative and referendum."
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Bloomberg News
October 30, 2009
re: Scott Altman
Vice Dean Scott Altman was quoted about the divorce proceedings between Los Angeles Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt. Altman said that if Jamie McCourt convinces the judge that a 2004 marital property agreement which gave ownership of the team to her husband isn't valid -- either because she was misled or didn't understand the agreement -- the court could order a sale of the Dodgers. "It will depend overwhelmingly on the process through which the agreement was made," Altman said. "Did she have her own counsel? Did she know the value of the assets? Did she understand what she was doing?"
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Ashland Daily Tidings
October 29, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed on the difficulty she had in trying to get a flu shot this season and how that could be an indicator of how a public health care program would be run. "The polls are all over the map about where the public stands on the so-called 'public option,' as well they should be. In my classes, I call it the 'free hot-dog stand,'" Estrich wrote. "Yet, everyone you talk to has an opinion about the distribution of vaccine this flu season. And I've yet to hear too many good ones. I'm sure there are plenty of people and entities to blame for what's gone wrong. But since the government is very obviously running the show when it comes to the distribution of vaccine, it's not exactly a reassuring introduction to some kind of 'public option.'"
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Los Angeles Times
October 29, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
It was noted that Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger gave the keynote address at USC Law’s Institute on Entertainment Law and Business conference this year.
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The Wrap
October 28, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted about filmmaker Roman Polanski, who is being held in Swiss custody in connection with a 1977 statutory rape conviction. Rosenbluth said that American authorities tend to reflexively trust the legal systems of treaty signatories, and that most other countries ignore local trial controversies when considering extradition requests. "The whole point of the treaty is that the countries who belong to it trust that the other countries will do the right thing and that whatever legal disputes are involved in a case will get straightened out in the country where the crime was committed," she said. A second story in The Wrap also quoted Rosenbluth.
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Los Angeles Downtown News
October 27, 2009
Dean Robert Rasmussen was quoted in an article on developers of downtown Los Angeles buildings either losing control of their properties or going into bankruptcy. Rasmussen said that in the current economic climate, lenders may be more likely to cooperate with borrowers on a reorganization or alternate payment plan than they had been in the past. "If the bank does foreclose, it has to find a new buyer, and the bank isn't structured to finish the development itself, so it would much prefer a consensual agreement if it can reach one," he noted.
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Fox News
October 23, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was interviewed about some of President Obama's advisers saying that Fox News is biased and should be treated as a political opponent rather than a news organization. "I've been a little stunned, frankly, by the silence from the press. What I would have expected is for the press to say, 'Hey, wait a minute. In a free society, the government doesn't tell us what stories we can cover and what news we can broadcast,'" Estrich said. "The press is independent. It's critical. Everybody who's in office always hates it, and they hate it most sometimes when you're doing your job well."
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CNET News
October 20, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
USC Law’s annual Institute on Entertainment Law and Business conference was featured. This year’s event was attended by some 600 industry leaders. The story highlighted Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger's keynote address.
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Democrat and Chronicle
October 20, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about Carol Greider, who was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. "Greider was a 23-year-old graduate student at Berkeley when, on Christmas Day in 1984, she made the discovery that led to this prize. She was working for a woman who had been trained by a man who believed in supporting women. This is not really complicated," Estrich wrote. "Women succeed the same way men do. Someone gives them a chance. One of the most depressing trends I have encountered of late is women my age, women in their 40s, 50s and 60s, who are unwilling to help the younger women coming into our professions, resentful that it is easier for them than it was for us, dismissive of their desires to balance work and life with greater freedom than we had."
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The Dallas Morning News
October 17, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was cited in a column on whether President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. "For a change, the world is on our side, rooting for our president's success, eager to bolster his standing in the world in the hopes of furthering his and our mission," Estrich had written. "For a change, the American president is popular abroad; foreign leaders are eager to be associated with him. This is bad? This is something to be suppressed? Not in my book."
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Los Angeles Times
October 17, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
USC Law’s annual Institute on Entertainment Law and Business conference was highlighted. This year’s event was attended by some 600 industry leaders. The story highlighted Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger's keynote address. The event was also covered by a second Los Angeles Times story and Variety.
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Los Angeles Times
October 17, 2009
re: Gregory Keating
Prof. Gregory Keating was quoted in a story about L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich allegedly threatening to prosecute city building officials if they issued permits for six wall signs at the L.A. Live entertainment complex, an apparent violation of the city's outdoor advertising ban. Keating said that threatening criminal prosecution in a case like this is overkill if the options of filing civil or administration action are available, especially when it comes to city officials acting in good faith. "This appears inappropriate because it's heavy-handed and appears to intimidate people exercising legitimate rights to petition the government," he said.
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The Boston Globe
October 17, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
A 2006 study from USC's Initiative and Referendum Institute which found that California's constitution contained 513 amendments, of which 43 originated with voters, was cited.
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Ashland Daily Tidings
October 15, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about the war in Afghanistan. "The lesson of Iraq is that you fight violence and terrorism by working with the people to bring security and stability. The lesson of Iraq is that doing so is an enormous commitment, of men and women and resources," Estrich wrote. "The question for the president is whether to make that commitment to Afghanistan. When a president has no good choices, the one he makes is that much more revealing, as this one will be."
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L.A. Observed
October 15, 2009
re: Rob Saltzman
Dean Robert Saltzman wrote an op-ed about the Los Angeles Police Department's Explorer program, which mentors teenagers and provides alternatives to gang involvement. The program is administered by a city contractor that in turn subcontracts with the Boy Scouts, which doesn't adhere to city non-discrimination laws, the article reported. "We often hear about the 'new LAPD.' I welcome the LAPD's many significant and substantive changes and improvements in recent years," Saltzman wrote. "It is time to bring these valuable youth programs into full compliance with the City's non-discrimination laws, so that these youth programs can take their rightful place in the 'new LAPD.'"
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Los Angeles Daily Journal
October 14, 2009
re: Clare Pastore
Prof. Clare Pastore was quoted in a story about the signing of AB 590, which creates a pilot project making legal counsel more widely available to low-income litigants in civil cases.
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The New York Times
October 10, 2009
re: Kim Buchanan
Prof. Kim Buchanan was quoted in an article on prison consultants, who have been hired by high-profile inmates such as Bernard Madoff, Martha Stewart and Michael Vick. Buchanan said that there is nothing wrong with former prisoners making a living off of their experiences. The potential problem, Buchanan said, is the perception some people have that they will be physically harmed if they are not properly schooled before entering custody. "The prison consultants aren't causing a problem; they are just exploiting a problem that exists," Buchanan said.
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Time
October 10, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted in an article positing that filmmaker Roman Polanski's recent attempts to have a decades-old statutory rape charge dropped could have accelerated the extradition efforts that led to his arrest. "I would not be surprised to learn that they stepped up their efforts to catch him once he filed that motion alleging all sorts of misconduct by the judge and by the prosecutor's office as a whole," Rosenbluth said. "He put them in this position where he made all these allegations and yet they could not be adjudicated because he's a fugitive. He can't file this motion and make all these allegations and expect the DA's office to do nothing about it."
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Bay Area Reporter
October 9, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
It was reported that President Obama plans to appoint Prof. David Huebner as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. If confirmed by the Senate, Huebner will be the third openly gay ambassador in U.S. history and the first pick by this administration.
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The New York Times
October 8, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
In an Associated Press story, it was reported that President Obama plans to appoint Prof. David Huebner as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. If confirmed by the Senate, Huebner will be the third openly gay ambassador in U.S. history and the first pick by this administration.
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The Orange County Register
October 7, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was cited regarding filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was recently arrested in Switzerland in connection with a 1977 statutory rape conviction. "As Susan Estrich wrote, 'Yes, he's made some big films in those years. So what?'" the story stated.
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NBC News
October 6, 2009
Prof. Jody Armour was interviewed on "Today" in a story about interoffice relationships, in conjunction with talk show host David Letterman's recently admitted affairs. "You would think that these lessons would be learned from prior example, but it seems that we keep repeating the same mistakes," Armour said. "Even if the relationship is perfectly consensual between the superior and the subordinate, there's still third parties out there, other employees who are concerned that 'I'm being disadvantaged because I'm not willing to do what the employee who's going to bed with you is willing to do.'"
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Mail & Guardian (South Africa)
October 6, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted about filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was recently arrested in Switzerland in connection with a 1977 statutory rape conviction. Recent allegations by Polanski that his original trial involved misconduct may have brought him back onto the prosecutor's radar screen, Rosenbluth said. "Prosecutors are people too," she added. "If you thumb your nose at them, they might thumb their nose back."
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The Wall Street Journal
October 3, 2009
re: John Matsusaka
Research by Prof. John Matsusaka was cited in a story refuting California lawmakers' claims that voters have caused the state's budget problems through voter-approved propositions. In 2003, Matsusaka found that no more than a third of California's appropriations that year were locked in by voter initiatives so stringent that legislators couldn't override them. Matsusaka found that only about 2 percent or 3 percent of California's budget is frozen as a result of ballot initiatives. The story stated that Matsusaka's analysis was affirmed last month by the Legislative Analyst's Office, a nonpartisan group that advises the Legislature, which found that despite the proposition restrictions, the legislature maintains considerable control over the state budget.
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Chicago Tribune
October 3, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
It was reported that Prof. Colette Sartor is a finalist for the Nelson Agran Award for short stories. Sartor wrote "Beach Haven," in which a budding real estate mogul who doesn't know how to lose is faced with a newborn son and a dying mother who is determined to change her. Sartor's work has appeared or is upcoming in the Prairie Schooner, the Colorado Review, the Harvard Review and the anthology "Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer."
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KPCC-FM
October 3, 2009
re: Tom Lyon
Prof. Thomas Lyon and Prof. Karen Sternheimer of the USC College were interviewed about Roman Polanski's recent arrest in conjunction with a 1977 statutory rape conviction. The victim expressed a desire to let the case drop, the story reported. "As a practical matter, if the victim won't cooperate ... it's unlikely for the D.A. to proceed," Lyon said. "The difficulty of course is that there are all sorts of reasons why victims won't cooperate that aren't really in the interests of the state to acknowledge." Sternheimer addressed the subject of Polanski's celebrity: "The first thing we say when we describe Roman Polanski still is 'Oscar-winning filmmaker," and for most people who abuse children, the first thing we say is 'child molester' or 'accused child molester.'"
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National Public Radio
October 2, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was interviewed on “All Things Considered” about filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was recently arrested in Switzerland, 30 years after he fled the United States to avoid sentencing for a 1977 statutory rape conviction. Estrich spoke about her own experience as a rape victim. "My heart goes out to this woman and her desire to make this all go away," Estrich said. "As a matter of fact, most of us who've been raped in one way or another want to close our eyes and make it go away. But rape isn't a crime against the victim. It's a crime against the state. To be a fugitive from justice is as serious a crime as the underlying rape offense."
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Ashland Daily Tidings
October 2, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed on the recent arrest of filmmaker Roman Polanski in Switzerland, 30 years after he fled the United States to avoid sentencing for a 1977 statutory rape conviction. Some fellow filmmakers have protested his arrest. "I've got news for the big shots: International cultural events are not safe havens for criminals, nor is there any reason they should be. A criminal is a criminal, even if he is 'one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers.'" Estrich wrote. "He is a guilty man who fled from justice. It is time, past time, that he was returned." Charleston Daily Mail cited Estrich's column.
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Times Record News
October 2, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
It was mentioned that Prof. Susan Estrich has spoken at Midwestern State University in Texas as part of the school's Artist Lecture Series.
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The Wall Street Journal
October 2, 2009
re: Michael Brennan
Prof. Michael Brennan was quoted in a widely carried Associated Press story about Michael Jackson's autopsy report, which shows that Jackson had inflamed lungs that may have had reduced capacity. Brennan said that even if Jackson did hide a condition such as weakened lungs, a prosecutor in the case against Jackson's doctor could argue that the doctor should have detected the condition before administering drugs.
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Associated Press
October 1, 2009
re: Michael Brennan
Prof. Michael Brennan was quoted about Michael Jackson's autopsy report, which shows that Jackson had inflamed lungs that may have had reduced capacity. Brennan said that even if Jackson did hide a condition such as weakened lungs, a prosecutor in the case against Jackson's doctor could argue that the doctor should have detected the condition before administering drugs. "A doctor has some obligation to know what his patient's physical condition is," Brennan said. "The doctor is going to try to substantiate whatever the patient told him ... and not simply rely on a patient's descriptions of his physical condition."
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Agence France-Presse (France)
September 30, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted about filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was recently arrested in Switzerland in connection with a 1977 statutory rape conviction. Rosenbluth said that allegations of judicial misconduct are related to the sentencing proceedings rather than the charges and evidence in the case. "I don't think there's any dispute that he committed this crime, he admitted it," Rosenbluth said. "The complication is that it is a separate offense to flee the jurisdiction. So any kind of deal that got worked out would have to include a resolution of that."
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Redlands Daily Facts
September 30, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
Prof. Jack Lerner and Prof. Matthew Spitzer were quoted in an article on bloggers who used a hidden camera to tape conversations with Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) employees. In California and Maryland, where the group made the videos, it is illegal to record a conversation unless everyone involved is aware of the recording, Lerner said. "If I'm sitting at a table talking to two people about their tax information and no one else can hear that, the person who recorded that could have a problem," Lerner said. ACORN likely has a criminal case and a civil case against the bloggers, according to Lerner and Spitzer. "There's a section of civil code that basically requires people to be informed and consent to being recorded," Spitzer said.
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The Washington Post
September 29, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted about filmmaker Roman Polanski, who was recently arrested in Switzerland in connection with a 1977 statutory rape conviction. The only way to resolve the situation is for Polanski to return to the United States, Rosenbluth said. Polanski's lawyers have filed a motion asking that he be released from Swiss custody in order to avoid extradition to the U.S., a USA Today story noted. Rosenbluth said it is unlikely that political appeals will lead to Polanski's release. "It's hard for me to imagine it's appropriate for the secretary of State or president of the United States to get involved with someone who had sex with a 13-year-old," she added.
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Yahoo! News
September 29, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about the Food and Drug Administration's ban of flavored cigarettes. "The justification for the ban is that the cigarette companies have been using kiddie flavors, like they've used cartoon characters, to appeal to teenagers," Estrich wrote. "It sounds like a major step until you read the fine print: The biggest tobacco companies don't even make these cigarettes; the folks who did, seeing the handwriting on the wall, had pretty much stopped after Congress acted; and the ban doesn't touch menthol, the most popular flavor. So will banning flavored cigarettes that made up some 1 percent of the market stop teenagers from opening the door to addiction? I wouldn't bet on it."
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Opelika-Auburn News
September 29, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was cited in a column on how people react to the person speaking rather than what is being said. The columnist recalled reading an op-ed by Susan Estrich about John Edwards and cited Estrich as an example of someone with a forceful personality.
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Fox News
September 25, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was quoted in a story on former eBay CEO Meg Whitman's candidacy for governor of California. "There is so much money on the table in a California election," Estrich said. "So you will see ... so much money to be spent. These candidates will spend like presidential candidates."
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The Baltimore Sun
September 25, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was cited in a story about former President Bill Clinton advising former Vice President Al Gore, who ran for president in 2000, to choose Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski as his running mate. Estrich, who was Michael Dukakis' campaign manager, wrote in 2000 that Mikulski was too liberal and outspoken to be chosen.
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Ashland Daily Tidings
September 25, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about former presidential candidate John Edwards considering publicly acknowledging paternity of his mistress' baby. "Message to John Edwards: We know it's your baby. Everyone knows that. You want to do the right thing? Do it privately. Do penance for the next 20 years. Wash your wife's feet and help the poor. But don't make public pronouncements or expect public forgiveness," Estrich wrote. "I used to think John Edwards was special. ... He seemed to believe in something, a cause, larger than himself. But like so many who find fame and fortune, he was arrogant and careless. He stomped through the china shop, leaving the shards in his wake."
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Philadelphia Daily News
September 24, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
The Redistricting Game, developed by researchers at the USC Annenberg Center, the USC School of Cinematic Arts and USC Law, was highlighted. The online game allows users to redraw congressional districts. The story stated that though it is entertainment, the game has the serious purpose of educating citizens about how redistricting affects the democratic process and how adjusting district lines impacts who gets elected.
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MSNBC
September 23, 2009
re: Michael Chasalow
Prof. Michael Chasalow was interviewed on how small businesses can avoid making common legal mistakes. Chasalow said there are three basic steps that need to be taken when setting up a business. The first is to incorporate the business, because otherwise the owner will have personal liability. The second is to have a shareholder's agreement. "People say, 'We always get along; we don't need an agreement.' I can't tell you how many times I've seen people who get along and then five minutes later they're not speaking to each other," Chasalow said. The third is to divide ownership fairly. "It's important to do this when you're on good terms and being fair and reasonable to each other," Chasalow advised.
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CNN
September 23, 2009
Prof. Edward Kleinbard was interviewed on “Money” for a story about Montana Sen. Max Baucus' health insurer tax proposal. "This is what's known as a fiscal illusion. Congress is deliberately applying a fiscal illusion to get to the right place in a way that's politically palatable," Kleinbard said, referring to the idea of capping the amount of tax-free money an employer may contribute to a worker's health care costs. The idea is that this measure would encourage workers to buy less comprehensive plans to avoid paying tax on some of their employer's contribution, the story stated. "Over time, the tax bite will be deeper," Kleinbard said, referring to health care costs rising faster than inflation.
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Daily Herald
September 23, 2009
re: Elyn Saks
It was reported that Prof. Elyn Saks has received the $500,000 "genius grant" given by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Saks is one of 24 people who received the prestigious MacArthur fellowship. Saks was recognized for her scholarly work in mental health law and her memoir, "The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness," which documents her struggles with schizophrenia. Saks said that the money will allow her to continue educating people about the lives of those with severe mental illness.
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Congressional Quarterly
September 23, 2009
Prof. Edward Kleinbard was quoted about the constitutionality of Sen. Max Baucus' health care bill, which would give the 17 states with the least-affordable health insurance a three-year cushion by starting the excise tax at a higher cost threshold. Kleinbard, who was chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation in May when committee members discussed incorporating regional variations into a cap on the income tax exclusion for employer-provided insurance, said he thought tax writers could craft a constitutional bill, but he added that a state-based strategy would miss important variations within states.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education
September 22, 2009
re: Elyn Saks
It was reported that Prof. Elyn Saks has received the $500,000 "genius grant" given by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Saks is one of 24 people who received the prestigious MacArthur fellowship. The foundation's selections are based on past and potential future work, noted a story in The New York Times. Saks was recognized for her scholarly work in mental health law and her memoir, "The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness," which documents her struggles with schizophrenia. In an Associated Press story in The New York Times, Saks said that the money will allow her to continue educating people about the lives of those with severe mental illness. "I want to make a difference in how people see schizophrenia," she explained. "I hope my book and other books like it give people more understanding and more sympathy and more empathy." Saks is currently working on a book about high-functioning people with schizophrenia, the story noted. The news was also covered by The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Inside Higher Ed, The Boston Globe, KPCC-FM, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Jewish Journal and Fox News Nashville, Tenn., affiliate WZTV-TV.
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The Advocate
September 22, 2009
re: David Cruz
Prof. David Cruz was quoted in an article on proposed ballot initiatives to amend California's constitution to allow same-sex marriage. "There's no limit to the number of times the California constitution can be amended, or amended on a particular topic," Cruz said. He added that marriage equality proponents could speed up the process in what could potentially be a decades-long battle over same-sex marriage, by pushing a ballot initiative that would limit ballot initiatives. However, this would require spending the money and time to pass two initiatives instead of one.
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Democrat and Chronicle
September 19, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about civility in politics. "Health care reform is important. But civility and decency are even more important," Estrich wrote. "Our democracy cannot survive without them. Sticks and stones are not the only things that hurt. Names hurt, too. We will end up not just hating our presidents, but hating each other."
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The Press-Enterprise
September 18, 2009
re: Tom Lyon
Prof. Thomas Lyon was quoted about a woman convicted of abusing her five adopted daughters over a prolonged period. Children can rebound from traumatic abuse and tragedy, Lyon said. How well they recover often depends on their age, with younger children tending to do better, he explained. This was a bizarre case, and it's difficult to explain what was going on in the mother's mind, he added.
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Daily Journal
September 18, 2009
re: Gregory Keating
Prof. Gregory Keating was quoted about a case in which a former in-house lawyer for Toyota is suing the automaker, alleging that Toyota illegally concealed discovery from plaintiffs in scores of lawsuits involving fatal rollover accidents. The lawyer has an uphill battle ahead of him, Keating said. "It looks like it would be hard to make this claim because ... the limitations on retaliatory discharge claims are pretty strict on lawyers in California," Keating explained. "Generally, you have to make the claim without using confidential client information and if you can't do that, your claim gets dismissed."
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Dow Jones Newswires
September 17, 2009
It was mentioned that Prof. Elizabeth Garrett withdrew her nomination for the top tax policy position in the Obama administration.
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Ashland Daily Tidings
September 17, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed in which she argued that conservatives who oppose President Obama's policies aren't doing themselves any favors by trying to lower the president's approval ratings. "Destroying what is best about our country is not something to brag to your children about," Estrich wrote. "The right may be mad as hell, but I've got news for Congressman Joe Wilson and his know-nothing cronies: You have turned your natural allies, people who might have agreed with you on properly raised criticisms, who might have agreed with you on substance, into your enemies."
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The National Law Journal
September 16, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
USC Law’s new graduate degree program in taxation was featured. The master of laws degree will be the first LL.M. offered to USC Law’s U.S. students and will begin in fall 2010. The program is designed to attract working professionals who plan to specialize, particularly in light of the tight job market, Dean Robert Rasmussen said. "We sat down with partners at law firms and asked: What do they value? What do they see that is more likely for them to hire someone? The one thing they talked about is the tax LL.M," Rasmussen said. "I think tax is a very complex and specialized field. Tax lawyers are always in demand. You would think our tax code would be changed, both in California and the federal government, which both have budget crises. And it's reasonable to conjecture one response to the crises is [that] they'll amend the respective tax codes one way or the other. That will continue to increase the demand for tax lawyers."
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Daily Journal
September 15, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
USC Law’s new graduate program in tax law, which makes USC Law the only top 20 law school on the West Coast to offer an LL.M. degree in taxation, was featured. "We have a great tax community in Los Angeles ... . We're going to draw on that community," Dean Robert Rasmussen said. "Any time you can get a program like this in a major legal market, that program is going to have a great quality." Rasmussen added that taxation is a strong suit for USC Law, which has leading tax faculty and a long-running annual tax institute. Deborah Call, associate dean of graduate and international programs, pointed out that because only six of the top 20 law schools offer tax LL.M. programs, many of California's tax attorneys have sought degrees outside the state; by establishing its own tax law program, USC Law will serve as a geographically accessible, top-tier choice for lawyers looking for tax expertise. The school's tax scholars include Elizabeth Garrett, Edward McCaffery, Edward Kleinbard and Thomas Griffith, the story noted. Students may begin applying next month for full- or part-time enrollment in fall 2010, the article reported.
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North Country Gazette
September 12, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
A book by Prof. Susan Estrich was highlighted in a story about the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission court case, which asks whether films funded by corporations that advocate for or against a specific political candidate should be considered campaign advertisements. Supreme Court justices wanted to re-examine the case after an attorney for the Federal Election Commission suggested that the federal government would have the power to ban books that also expressed advocacy. Estrich's book "The Case for Hillary" was on a list of featured titles that could potentially be banned under this reasoning, the story stated.
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Daily Journal
September 12, 2009
Dean Robert Rasmussen was quoted in an article about UCLA School of Law Dean Michael Schill's decision to leave UCLA to head the University of Chicago Law School. "The value of my Chicago degree increased when he decided to be dean there," said Rasmussen, who is a 1985 graduate of the University of Chicago's law school.
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The Arizona Republic
September 12, 2009
re: Kareem Crayton
Prof. Kareem Crayton was quoted about acrimony and divisiveness in politics. "There was a time when, for the most part, not everybody, but a strong majority of people in this country would accept the legitimacy of the person elected, even if they didn't like his policies or didn't like him," Crayton said. "It's become the case that the end of Election Day does not mean the end of the campaign. Everything is about challenging the legitimacy of the person who holds the office and feeding into the next election." Crayton added that governance has taken a backseat to politics. "There used to be time set aside for people to actually engage in policy, and they would try to find places where they could cooperate and get a few things done. ... That's less and less possible now."
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Yahoo! News
September 11, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed on President Obama's speech to schoolchildren, which attracted criticism from some conservatives before the fact. "Learning to work hard, get along with others, accept failure, redouble your effort -- that's what school is about, as much as sine and cosine; learning to accept responsibility and show respect is critical to every other lesson," Estrich wrote. "It should come as no surprise to anyone that these are the things the president talked about in his address to the nation's school children Tuesday. There was no partisanship in the speech, nor was there any reason to expect there would be."
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The Wall Street Journal
September 11, 2009
It was reported that Prof. Elizabeth Garrett withdrew her nomination for the top tax policy position in the Obama administration.
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PBS News
September 10, 2009
re: Alexander Capron
Prof. Alexander Capron was interviewed on “Religon & Ethics” about personalized genetic testing, which looks for genetic markers that could indicate future threats to a person's health. "I think we are still in early days on the regulation side, and the FDA has more work to do here," Capron said. "The field has grown, I think, faster than anyone expected."
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The Journal Gazette
September 10, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
The Redistricting Game, developed by researchers at the USC Annenberg Center, the USC School of Cinematic Arts and USC Law, was highlighted. The online game allows users to redraw congressional districts.
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Financial Times (U.K.)
September 9, 2009
re: Gillian Hadfield
Prof. Gillian Hadfield was quoted in a story on the high cost of electronic document discovery to businesses involved in litigation. "E-discovery has become an arms race," Hadfield said. "There is no mechanism in the legal system to stand back and ask when the marginal value of providing additional documents exceeds the cost of doing so."
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Ventura County Star
September 9, 2009
re: Kareem Crayton
Prof. Kareem Crayton was quoted in an article on immigration reform. Crayton said the key to winning public support will be convincing the public that immigration reform will help the economy, not take away jobs. "I think it's going to easily be as heated as healthcare," he said.
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Los Angeles Daily Journal
September 5, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
USC Law’s participation in the federal government's Income-Based Repayment Plan, which provides student loan repayment help to encourage law students to take public interest jobs, was featured. By participating in the repayment plan, USC Law is able to spread its funding among more alumni, since payments are generally lower than on a regular loan repayment plan. "We think this will help encourage graduates to have a means of staying in public interest longer," said Mary Bingham, director of Financial Aid at USC Law. "We'll be able to stretch the money, which will benefit the school, benefit the students and benefit the public."
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Yahoo! News
September 5, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed on the much-debated health care public option. "I never bought the idea that the 'public option' was going to be so good that it would keep HMOs honest," Estrich wrote. "It's a great theory. In practice, you just have to compare the waiting rooms at Kaiser to those at a public hospital like [Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center] or Harbor-UCLA to know that there is no one sitting at County with a Kaiser card in their pocket."
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Yahoo! News
September 3, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed on the need for health care reform, which was the mission of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. "If we owe him anything, and I think we do, it is to try to figure out how to use this moment to do more than scream at one another across the partisan divide about socialized medicine," Estrich wrote.
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Miami Herald
September 1, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, who she once worked for. "He was flawed. He knew that. The world knew that," Estrich wrote. "Whether you forgive him or not doesn’t matter anymore. The point is, he persevered in the face of it."
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Los Angeles Business Journal
September 1, 2009
It was reported that Prof. Elizabeth Garrett has been appointed to the Fair Political Practices Commission, California’s independent ethics watchdog. The state panel interprets and enforces laws concerning political campaigns, lobbying, and conflict of interest.
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The Dallas Morning News
August 28, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was cited about the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. Estrich, a former member of Kennedy's staff, wrote in a column: "He was flawed. He knew that. The world knew that. Whether you forgive him or not doesn't matter anymore. The point is, he persevered in the face of it."
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The Mercury News
August 27, 2009
re: Michael Brennan
Prof. Michael Brennan was quoted about a new California Supreme Court ruling that makes it harder for the governor to deny parole to well behaved, parole-eligible prisoners serving life sentences. “One thing we do have to give Schwarzenegger credit for is he is miles ahead of his predecessor. My jaundiced view is, it’s because he can’t run for president,” Brennan said. Brennan is part of USC Law’s Post-Conviction Justice Project, which represented the prisoner in whose case the ruling was made, the widely carried story noted.
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The Signal
August 27, 2009
re: Niels Frenzen
Prof. Niels Frenzen was quoted about E-Verify, an Internet-based system that allows employers to check an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States. Frenzen said that the system isn’t designed for pre-employment checks; rather, employers are supposed to use it after hiring and give the worker time to correct any errors that show up during the check.
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Ventura County Star
August 27, 2009
re: Niels Frenzen
Prof. Niels Frenzen was quoted about an illegal immigrant who has found sanctuary from deportation by living in a Simi Valley church for two years. Legal efforts to persuade the authorities to let her live in the United States have stalled, the story reported. “They could ignore her for the rest of her life,” Frenzen said, adding that he thinks the government will eventually act.
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Yahoo! News
August 27, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote a widely carried op-ed about a recent rape case in which the judge asked the victim why she had been on top during the sexual assault. Estrich lamented that rape victims are still asked to defend their behavior, noting that she had written about the issue in her 1986 book “Real Rape.” “Some things have changed. This time, anyway, the rapist got punished by the system. Sadly, so did the victim. Again. Still,” Estrich concluded.
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Courier-Post
August 26, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about her centenarian uncle, who passed away recently. “Uncle Al was a Harvard professor,” she wrote. “He gave me hope. He was, from the time I can remember having uncles, my very favorite. We were related. I might be like him.”
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Daily Journal
August 26, 2009
Prof. Edward Kleinbard was highlighted in a story on how tough economic times have prompted more lawyers to seek teaching jobs in academia. Kleinbard, who spent 30 years practicing with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and then two years as chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation in Washington, D.C., is starting his tenure-track position at USC Law, the story noted. “My first priority is to take care of the students,” he said. “But, as a faculty member, I have obligations to contribute to the academic enterprise. I’m looking forward to both.”
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The National Law Journal
August 26, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
It was reported that Prof. Vered Yakovee has left the law firm Gilbert Oshinsky and will continue to maintain her own law practice.
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The Dallas Morning News
August 25, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
An op-ed by Prof. Susan Estrich was cited about the recent contentious health care town halls. There are town meetings where no one screams, but these tend not to get covered on television, Estrich has written.
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USA Today
August 25, 2009
Prof. Jody Armour was quoted about possible consequences for Michael Jackson’s doctor now that the singer’s death has been ruled a homicide. The doctor could face charges of second-degree murder, reckless homicide or criminal negligence, Armour said. “For criminal negligence, you need basically what you need for ordinary malpractice negligence, plus an extra indefinable gross negligence,” he explained.
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Yahoo! News
August 25, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote a widely carried op-ed about political commentator and columnist Robert Novak. She wrote: “Novak covered politics not just because he was good at it and celebrated for it, but because he cared about it. Because it mattered. Because it was important. Because he loved his country.”
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Metropolitan News-Enterprise
August 21, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
A column questioned whether USC Law was the first law school in Southern California.
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The Desert Sun
August 19, 2009
It was reported that Prof. Elizabeth Garrett has been appointed to the Fair Political Practices Commission, California’s independent ethics watchdog. Garrett is director of the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics, the story noted.
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Miami Herald
August 19, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about the contentious health care debate that has erupted in town hall meetings and elsewhere. “America has two problems to deal with in the healthcare debate, and only one of them relates to healthcare,” Estrich wrote. “The other is our increasing inability to have a conversation with each other without screaming, vilifying, threatening and boycotting.”
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The Orange County Register
August 19, 2009
re: Jack Lerner
Prof. Jack Lerner was quoted about a lawsuit against Facebook by several people accusing it of privacy violations. “This could be an attempt to make hay of the recent controversy over Facebook’s terms and conditions,” Lerner said. “But Facebook’s terms and conditions are still very liberal, some would say invasive, and allow Facebook to use people’s information and pictures in lots of ways without their consent. This suit could end up shedding some light on what Facebook does with people’s information, or even changing the way it does things.”
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The National Law Journal
August 18, 2009
re: Gillian Hadfield
Prof. Gillian Hadfield was cited regarding the business model of law firms. Hadfield has argued that regulatory barriers keep lawyers from reducing the high cost of corporate legal services, the story reported. She has also suggested that if it weren’t for proscriptions against the unauthorized practice of law and lawyers’ monopoly over certain legal matters, other professionals trained in a variety of disciplines could offer innovative, efficient methods of managing business relationships that currently can only be handled by lawyers.
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ProPublica
August 18, 2009
re: Alexander Capron
Prof. Alexander Capron was quoted about organ trafficking in the United States. Reports of potentially illegal organ transactions are rare within the medical community, because doctors feel bound by a confidential relationship with their patients, Capron said. “My guess is the doctor would simply drag his feet, and the patient would disappear rather than having the police swoop in,” he added.
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The Wenatchee World
August 18, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about the sensitivities surrounding faith. “Religion is one of God’s and man’s great gifts, a source of faith when life is hard, a source of meaning when life is cruel, the tie that binds us together as families and people,” she wrote. “It is also the greatest source of hatred in the world today. Handle with care.”
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Sacramento Bee
August 14, 2009
It was reported that Prof. Elizabeth Garrett has been named to the California Fair Political Practices Commission. She was the pick of Secretary of State Debra Bowen, the state's chief elections officer. "I wanted to appoint someone who reflects my values of transparency, integrity, independence and pragmatism," Bowen said making the announcement. The Bee also covered the news in a related article, saying the commission has a significant backlog of state and local government cases.
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The Columbus Dispatch
August 11, 2009
re: John Matsusaka
Prof. John Matsusaka was quoted about a change to Ohio law which means that initiatives will remain on the ballot even if the petitions used to place them there turn out to be fraudulent. The initiative and referendum processes in other states don’t have this problem, according to Matsusaka. If signatures for an Ohio ballot initiative turn out to have been collected fraudulently, voters will be able to reject the initiative, he noted.
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Daily Breeze
August 11, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
It was reported that a memorial service for USC Law alumnus Robert Takasugi, the country’s first Japanese American federal judge, will be held at USC’s Town and Gown.
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Metropolitan News-Enterprise
August 11, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
A column was run questioning whether USC Law was the first law school in Southern California.
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Los Angeles Times
August 10, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
It was reported that a memorial service for USC Law alumnus Robert Takasugi, the country’s first Japanese American federal judge, will be held at USC’s Town and Gown. Nichi Bei Times ran an obituary for Takasugi.
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Yahoo! News
August 8, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote a widely carried op-ed about departing Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton. She recalled meeting him early in his career, when she was leading a series of meetings with top police. Bratton, though initially skeptical of new research on ways to identify violent predators, later warmed to modern techniques and brought them to L.A., Estrich stated. “He brought new technology that puts resources where crime is greatest, where they are needed and not necessarily where the politically powerful people live,” she wrote.
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The National Law Journal
August 7, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
It was reported that longtime Warner Bros. lawyer John Schulman will be joining USC Law to spearhead a new entertainment law program. Dean Robert Rasmussen said: “I just finished my second year as dean of USC and, in doing that, I thought: What can we at USC do better than anyone else in the world? One thing we can do better, given who we are and where we are, is entertainment law.” Schulman said he envisions a program with practical experience, with mock trials or clinics. The program will include entertainment law and classes from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Marshall School, the story noted.
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The New York Times
August 7, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
USC Law alumnus Robert Takasugi, who was the country’s first Japanese American federal judge, was remembered in a widely carried Associated Press obituary. Takasugi, who served in the Korea War and then attended USC with help from the G.I. Bill, went on to become a much-honored jurist. Takasugi was also remembered by a widely carried Los Angeles Times obituary, AsianWeek and the Metropolitan News Enterprise.
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Yahoo! News
August 5, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote a widely carried op-ed about former President Bill Clinton's visit to North Korea to retrieve two imprisoned American journalists. "The North Koreans are using President Bill Clinton's visit for all their own reasons," Estrich wrote. "North Korea's welcome mat was a well-staged performance by an outlaw nation, but it's also something of a relief. At least they want to look better in the eyes of the world."
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Associated Press
August 4, 2009
re: Rebecca Lonergan
Prof. Rebecca Lonergan was quoted in a story on Michael Jackson. Lonergan said that the financial difficulties of Jackson’s doctor could become an important factor, should charges be filed against him. Lonergan was also quoted in a second, widely carried Associated Press story.
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Los Angeles Business Journal
August 3, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
It was reported that longtime Warner Bros. lawyer John Schulman will join USC Law to spearhead a new entertainment law program. The program, scheduled to launch in 2010, will include classes at USC Law, the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Marshall School. “I like the notion of law students coming out and having a little more context and perspective. Not just theoretical law,” Schulman said. Until now, USC had offered single courses in entertainment law, taught by Michael Grizzi and Jeff Schneider of USC Law, the article noted. But with the addition of Schulman and the creation of an entertainment law specialty, the school is likely to raise its profile in the industry, the story stated.
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Yahoo! News
July 31, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote a widely carried op-ed about the arrest of Harvard University scholar Henry Louis Gates in his own home. “Would it have been different if it were my home? Sure,” Estrich wrote. “Not long ago, the police came to my house because a neighbor behind me saw someone (my handyman) going in my backdoor. Everyone couldn’t have been nicer.” She added: “I don’t blame Professor Gates for reacting to the confrontation with all the anger and hostility you build up after years of putting up with slights, confronting stereotypes, trying to tear down brick walls gracefully while all the time being viewed as someone who might have been wearing a prison jumpsuit in the not-so-distant past.”
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Yahoo! News
July 30, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote a widely carried op-ed about murdered teenager Lily Burk. "Her parents, in a very graceful statement, asked people to enjoy every day," Estrich wrote. "That must, of course, be the lesson. But the other one, the one that no parent can miss, is that we can't protect our children."
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch
July 30, 2009
re: Daria Roithmayr
A commentary by Prof. Daria Roithmayr and a colleague at Duke University about race issues raised by the recent Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings was cited. The commentary, which discusses how life experience influences decision-making, is a worthwhile read and a reminder that we shouldn't be blind to race, the story stated.
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The Orange County Register
July 30, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
USC Law alumnus Kevin Hermansen, who while at USC contributed more than 1,000 pro bono hours at BASTA, a nonprofit organization devoted to tenants' rights, was featured. In recognition, USC Law gave Hermansen its Mason C. Brown Award, which recognizes top students involved in public service and trial work. "I never perceived pro bono work as a separate activity from school, but rather an additional avenue to learn and practice the law. I was also fortunate in that USC strongly supports those pursuing public-interest work," said Hermansen, who also volunteered with USC Law’s Public Interest Legal Foundation.
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CNN
July 29, 2009
re: Daria Roithmayr
Prof. Daria Roithmayr and a colleague at Duke University wrote a commentary about race issues raised by the recent Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings. “Republicans tried to argue that race should be completely separated from judicial decision-making,” the two said. “Democrats tried to minimize the importance of [Sotomayor’s] race to her decision-making by focusing on her record, to show that her race had played no role in her decisions.” However, Roithmayr and her colleague continued, “In this, the not quite post-racial era of Obama, scholars are developing new understandings of the connection between race, life experience and decisions.”
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Tallahassee Democrat
July 29, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about the current unemployment situation. “There are other problems. But if you don’t have a job, it’s hard to worry about them — or to do anything other than just worry,” Estrich wrote. “Good jobs at good wages are the building blocks for everything else, and right now, we don’t have enough of them. I’m not sure folks in Washington quite grasp that.”
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Daily Journal
July 29, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
Prof. John Schulman, a longtime Warner Bros. lawyer, will be joining USC Law to spearhead a new entertainment law program. Schulman will start on August 1 and the program will launch in fall 2010, the story noted.
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The Wall Street Journal
July 28, 2009
Prof. Edward Kleinbard was quoted about employers opposing legislation that would increase their share of the payroll tax. “Their big concern is matching half the tax, and the fact that executives would have to pay more,” Kleinbard said.
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The Hollywood Reporter
July 28, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
Prof. John Schulman will be joining USC Law to spearhead a new entertainment law program. “I am confident that with John’s vision, we will have a program that is second to none,” said Gould School Dean Robert Rasmussen. Under Rasmussen, USC Law is working to raise its entertainment industry profile, the story stated. The new program, scheduled to launch in 2010, will include more entertainment-focused law classes and the opportunity for students to take classes at the vaunted USC School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Marshall School, the article reported.
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BusinessWeek
July 23, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
Prof. Lance Grode was quoted about the fact that Sony granted Michael Jackson 25 percent of royalties from his music, a rate twice the going norm. “Superstars get contracts that no one else can get,” Grode said.
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Los Angeles Times
July 23, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted about law enforcement searching the cardiology clinic of Michael Jackson’s doctor. The reference to manslaughter in the search warrant provides some insight into detectives’ interpretation of the evidence, but may ultimately be irrelevant, Rosenbluth said.
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The Boston Globe
July 21, 2009
re: Chris Stone
Prof. Christopher Stone was cited in a story on whether nature has legal rights. Stone is generally credited with making the first legal argument that it does, the story stated. In 1972, he wrote a commonly cited article titled “Should Trees Have Standing?”, which laid out the case for expanding rights. In one 1977 case, activists attempted to stop the killing of baby seals by arguing that the loss of seals caused aesthetic and educational damage to people. “The seals are being bludgeoned to death and somebody’s saying, ‘I want to be seeing seals.’ That’s not what it’s about,” Stone observed.
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Daily Breeze
July 21, 2009
re: Michael Brennan
Prof. Michael Brennan was quoted about a convicted murderer who is claiming he should be spared execution because he is mentally disabled. Brennan said he wasn’t aware of any California case in the last seven years in which the death penalty was overturned because of a mental retardation finding.
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Hartford Courant
July 19, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about watching Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings. “Sotomayor makes me smile because she is so smart, way too smart to be caught up in trying to teach these guys the limits of original intent, or how experience shapes judgment, or why ‘big’ cases can’t be decided just by consulting the words of the Constitution,” Estrich wrote.
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L.A. Weekly
July 18, 2009
re: Jack Lerner
Prof. Jack Lerner was quoted about the defamation suit in which Dole Foods is seeking to block future screenings of the documentary “Bananas!*” The film covers a legal case in which banana plantation workers charged the company with using a pesticide that left them sterile; however, after the movie was shot, it was revealed that the plaintiffs weren’t plantation workers and had been hired by lawyers to falsely claim damages. “I think Dole’s going to have a tough time proving defamation,” Lerner said. He said that the explanatory cards added to the end of the film should be enough to deflect the defamation charges.
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Los Angeles Times
July 17, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was cited in a written debate about the Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Estrich had written that the reverse discrimination case by white firefighters had been a close 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court, noted one of the other debaters.
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NBC News
July 17, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was interviewed on “The Today Show” about possible legal action against Michael Jackson’s doctor. “When the whole world is watching, you’ve got a high-profile victim, you get more bang for your buck if you go after the people who are criminally responsible in a situation like that,” Rosenbluth said. Rosenbluth was also interviewed on MSNBC’s “Countdown.”
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Daily Journal
July 16, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted in a story on how judging clerkships are changing in a tough economy. A lot of students are planning to apply for clerkships this year, Rosenbluth said. “Unfortunately, a clerkship is not something you can fall back on; they’re very hard to get.”
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BusinessWeek
July 15, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
Prof. Lance Grode was quoted about Michael Jackson’s music. The article reported that there are roughly 150 unreleased Jackson songs, but that it’s unclear whether the rights belong to Sony, whose Epic Records label produced Jackson’s last original albums. Once Jackson’s estate is out of the contract with Sony, it would have wide latitude to distribute Jackson’s music how it wishes, even doing so without a music label, Grode said.
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Dow Jones Newswires
July 15, 2009
Prof. Edward Kleinbard was quoted about a plan to expand health care coverage which would include raising tax rates for the biggest earners. “The aggregate tax rate would be higher than it’s been in decades. Like an impending execution, that tends to concentrate the mind,” Kleinbard said. If the plan comes to fruition, the higher tax rates might accelerate congressional action toward a broader restructuring of the tax code, he added.
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CBS News
July 14, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
The late Prof. Charles Whitebread was cited about pot legislation. Whitebread had pointed out that during the debate on Texas’ first marijuana law, one legislator claimed that Mexicans were crazy and it was pot that made them that way.
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Los Angeles Business Journal
July 14, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
The journal reported that Prof. Susan Estrich was promoted to partner of the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges. Estrich will remain on the faculty at USC, the story noted. “After 25 plus years of teaching, it gets easier,” Estrich said. “I spend Mondays at USC and the rest of the week in front of my computer.”
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Los Angeles Times
July 14, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. “Heck yes, let’s talk about whether a woman who graduated summa cum laude from Princeton and went on to be a star at Yale Law School and in the District Attorney’s office, who was one of the youngest federal judges on the bench, was a 17-year veteran of both trial and appellate courts and was raised by a single mother in the projects deserves to be on the Supreme Court,” Estrich said. “Sonia Sotomayor is going to be a justice. I’m sure of that.”
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Reuters
July 14, 2009
re: Scott Altman
Vice Dean Scott Altman was quoted about the custody chances of the mother of Michael Jackson’s older children. “California law, like many states’ laws, strongly favors children remaining in a family that was intact when they were born, even if it no longer is at this point,” Altman said. He was also quoted in an Agence-France Press article.
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The Wenatchee World
July 14, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote an op-ed about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin resigning. “Palin didn’t just take a political risk when she quit the governorship of Alaska without completing her first term,” Estrich wrote. “She took herself out of electoral politics for good. Alaskans will never again elect her, at least as long as the people who are around right now are still voting. And half a term as governor of Alaska will never be seen as enough to qualify for the presidency.”
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Yahoo! News
July 11, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote a widely carried op-ed about controversy surrounding an expensive purse carried by Michelle Obama. “She is not going to solve the recession by wearing Keds. She wears enough clothes from Gap and J.Crew to make the point that looking great doesn’t have to be uber-expensive,” Estrich wrote. “What Michelle Obama projects, with her bright colors, body-conscious clothes and keen sense of style, is a woman at her best, looking great, feeling great, being great, full of life, celebrating her country and her family and, yes, herself.”
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The Arizona Republic
July 10, 2009
re: Daria Roithmayr
Prof. Daria Roithmayr was quoted about Sen. Jon Kyl, who is helping spearhead the Republican Party’s strategy for the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings. “Kyl is in a tricky position,” Roithmayr said. Given the Democratic dominance of the Senate, the best the Republicans can hope for with nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a spirited hearing, which they intend to use to showcase arguments against judicial activism, Roithmayr added.
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The Wall Street Journal
July 10, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was mentioned as a Creators columnist in an op-ed by the Creators Syndicate president.
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La Opinion
July 9, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
Dean Robert Rasmussen and Prof. Jean Rosenbluth were quoted about Michael Jackson’s estate. There are various contradictory estimates of the estate, with debt figures of $400 million or $500 million, Rasmussen said. Settling the legal issues surrounding Jackson’s estate may be a long, torturous process, Rosenbluth added.
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Los Angeles Times
July 8, 2009
re: Chris Stone
n a review of “Golden Dreams: California in an Age of Abundance, 1950-1963” by Kevin Starr of the USC College, the critic notes that Starr evokes “Should Trees Have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects,” the landmark work of environmental law by Prof. Christopher Stone.
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NBC News
July 8, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was interviewed on “Dateline” about the possibility that Michael Jackson overdosed on prescription drugs. “Jackson clearly had a hand in this,” Rosenbluth said. “Whether anyone else enabled him to do this, that’s something that the prosecutors are going to have to look at. And they’re not in the business of filing charges when somebody has acted without some kind of criminal intent.” Rosenbluth was also quoted about Jackson in La Opinion.
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The American Lawyer
July 8, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich was profiled. The story noted that Estrich juggles three jobs: USC professor, equity partner at the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, and political commentator on TV and in syndicated print columns. “I teach at USC from 1 to 6 p.m., both undergraduate and law school classes,” Estrich noted. “I have TAs for the undergrad classes, which helps a lot.”
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The Buffalo News
July 8, 2009
re: Susan Estrich
Prof. Susan Estrich wrote a widely carried op-ed about Michael Jackson’s death. “Michael Jackson was a father, a son, a brother, and a friend. I have no doubt those who loved him are suffering,” Estrich wrote. “What I don’t entirely understand, though, is why the rest of us are so endlessly and completely interested in the sad and sorry details of a talented man’s demise.”
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CNN
July 7, 2009
re: Edward McCaffery
Prof. Edward McCaffery was interviewed on “The Situation Room” about steps the mother of Michael Jackson’s older children should take in seeking custody. “One is getting your lawyers and your legal arguments and your facts down for court,” McCaffery said. “Another thing is acting like a good parent. [P]roviding from day one, a good, stable, safe environment for these children, making things continuous and smooth and easy at a time that must be tremendously stressful for them, with the death of their father and all the hoopla surrounding it.” McCaffery was also interviewed in another CNN “The Situation Room” story.
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BBC News
July 7, 2009
re: Scott Altman
Vice Dean Scott Altman wrote a commentary on the custodial chances of the mother of Michael Jackson’s older children. “Jackson’s will should not affect child custody,” Altman said. “Although parents regularly indicate in a will who should be named guardian in case of their death, these designations typically become effective only upon the death of both parents. One parent’s will cannot unilaterally deprive the other parent of custody.” Altman was also quoted by ABC News (Australia), The Advertiser (Australia), a widely carried Agence France-Presse story and a second Agence France-Press story.
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Forbes
July 7, 2009
Prof. Edward Kleinbard was quoted about recent government economic measures. Both parties have been using special tax breaks and credits to make government look smaller than it really is and to favor one industry over another, Kleinbard said. Kleinbard recently finished a stint as chief of staff at Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation, the story noted.
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Los Angeles Times
July 7, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted about allegations that one juror in a sexual assault case had contacted the defendant’s sister during the trial. “Common sense dictates that if everyone else thinks he’s guilty, then the guy is guilty, so why does it matter what this one juror did?” Rosenbluth said. “But that’s not how our system works.”
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Time
July 7, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
Dean Robert Rasmussen was quoted about Michael Jackson’s estate and his children’s inheritance. “You have to pay your creditors before you can pay your children,” Rasmussen said. “That’s Law 101.” The story also quoted Vice Dean Scott Altman about Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson’s older children. “[I]f Rowe has been visiting pretty regularly — if they think of her as a mother and have an ongoing personal, intimate relationship with her — then she could probably succeed in getting custody,” Altman said.
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Los Angeles Times
July 6, 2009
re: USC Gould School of Law
Prof. Lance Grode, who worked at the law firm that brokered Michael Jackson’s acquisition of the Sony-ATV music catalog, was quoted about its earning potential. “Certain catalogs are considered prizes. There’s nothing like them in the world in terms of generating licenses and income,” Grode said. “The Sony-ATV catalog, it’s going to be exploited forever.” This story was carried widely.
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American Public Media
July 3, 2009
Dean Robert Rasmussen was interviewed on “Marketplace” about Neverland Ranch’s prospects as a tourist attraction. “Graceland I don’t think is a good parallel, in the sense that at least [with] Graceland we always knew that was Elvis’ house, that’s where Elvis would retreat to, that’s where Elvis lived,” Rasmussen said. “Michael Jackson hasn’t lived in Neverland for years. Neverland I think is has a bit more checkered persona than Graceland did.”
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The Washington Post
July 3, 2009
re: Jean Rosenbluth
Prof. Jean Rosenbluth was quoted in a widely carried Associated Press story about the Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into Michael Jackson’s death. The agency’s involvement in the Jackson case suggests that authorities are looking into whether drugs came from out of state, Rosenbluth said.
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The New York Times
July 2, 2009
re: Edward McCaffery
Prof. Edward McCaffery was quoted about the trust named in Michael Jackson’s will. “The trust is going to be more opaque to people like you or me,” McCaffery said. “The trust mechanism is a way to keep random people out of the woodwork from coming in.” Jackson left behind “the kind of will wealthy, well-advised people in California have,” McCaffery added in a USA Today story.
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CNN
July 2, 2009
Dean Robert Rasmussen was interviewed on the “The Situation Room” about Michael Jackson’s will. “If the will is valid, it’s going to be his mother, Mrs. Jackson, who’s going to end up calling the shots,” Rasmussen said. “But I think right now we have a situation where there are a lot of people involved in the Jackson family, and there’s probably some internal confusion over exactly who is calling the shots.”Dean Robert Rasmussen was interviewed on the “The Situation Room” about Michael Jackson’s will. “If the will is valid, it’s going to be his mother, Mrs. Jackson, who’s going to end up calling the shots,” Rasmussen said. “But I think right now we have a situation where there are a lot of people involved in the Jackson family, and there’s probably some internal confusion over exactly who is calling the shots.”
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USA Today
July 1, 2009
re: Scott Altman
Vice Dean Scott Altman was quoted about the parental rights of Debbie Rowe, mother of Michael Jackson’s older children. “If Ms. Rowe steps forward and says she wants custody, there’s a reasonable chance she will be granted custody,” Altman said. This Associated Press story was carried widely.
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CNN
July 1, 2009
re: Edward McCaffery
Prof. Edward McCaffery was interviewed on “The Situation Room” about the possibility that Michael Jackson’s children are not biologically his. This would matter if there is no valid will, McCaffery said. “If there is a valid will, the Is were dotted, the Ts were crossed, no fraud, no suspicious circumstances, Michael Jackson could leave his estate to his neighbor,” McCaffery pointed out. “But if there is not a valid will, or if there’s conflicts, there could be a question,” he added.