Professor Robertson Presents at the Sustainability Conference for American Legal Educators at Arizona State University

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Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson presented “What’s Real and Remaining: Can Clarity in Agency Decisionmaking Overcome Ohio’s Legislative Bias Against Renewable Energy Projects?” at the 10th Annual SRP Sustainability Conference for American Legal Educators (SCALE) at Arizona State University, May 14-15, 2026.

This project examines whether disciplined administrative reasoning—focusing on what is factually real and legally remaining after stipulations and project approval conditions—can mitigate structural legislative bias against renewable energy development in Ohio. The paper presents Robertson’s analysis of public comments at the Ohio Power Siting Board hearings regarding permit approval for Frasier Solar. Professor Robertson posits that similar results—where agencies rely on ‘what’s real and remaining’ of public opposition to renewable energy development projects—could reduce the outsized advantage the state has handed to oil and gas development projects over their renewable energy‑based counterparts.

Robertson is the Steven W. Percy Professor of Law at CSU College of Law and Professor of Environmental Studies at the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education, Cleveland State University.

Professor Luisetto Presents at the American Law & Economics Annual Meeting (ALEA)

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On May 15, Professor Luisetto presented his paper, “Collective Bargaining and Monopsony: The Regulation of Noncompete Agreements in France,” at the American Law & Economics Annual Meeting (ALEA) hosted by the University of Chicago Law School. 

In his paper, Professor Luisetto examines how the regulation of noncompete agreements for employees through collective bargaining agreements affects firm-level markdowns in the French manufacturing sector. A key takeaway is that, by enhancing compliance or imposing additional requirements for noncompete enforceability, collective bargaining serves as an effective tool to regulate the use of noncompete agreements in France.

Appellate Practice Clinic Wins Case in the Eighth District Court of Appeals

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The first cohort of online JD students to take the Appellate Practice Clinic prevailed on their first case before the Eighth District Court of Appeals. JDO students Taylor Bush, Madeline Clark, and Meghan Norcross all worked on the case, under the supervision of Professor Doron Kalir.

The facts of the case were as follows: In a Small Claims Court , Mr. H sued Mr. D for a faulty repair job on his car. Both parties received 40-day notice prior to the hearing. On the eve of the hearing, just hours before it was set to begin, Mr. D sent a short, hand-written request to the Court asking to delay the hearing by more than 100 days. The Magistrate denied the motion, and proceeded with the hearing the next day. Mr. D did not appear, so, Mr. H. – who appeared pro-se – prevailed on the merits and won some $5,000 judgment in his favor.

Mr. D then “lawyered up,” and timely filed objections to the magistrate’s decision with the common pleas court judge. The judge rejected those objections and affirmed the magistrate’s decision. Mr. H — through his lawyer — timely appealed to the Eighth District Court of Appeals. 

That’s where the Appellate Clinic sprung into action. The Clinic contacted Mr. D, who until then appeared pro-se, and offered to help him on his appeal. He happily agreed. 

The three students began by carefully reviewing the record below. They then focused on the issues at hand – which included the law of motions for continuance, the relevant standard of review, and the special nature of a small-claims proceedings – and conducted thorough legal research on each. Then each student was tasked with writing a separate section of the Brief. 

Later in the Semester, each student practiced conducting Oral Argument on that case. (The actual case was decided without oral argument.) 

On April 23, 2026, the Eighth District Court of Appeals released its Opinion, affirming the decision below. In essence, the Court accepted nearly all of the Clinic’s arguments in favor of its client and denied all claims to the contrary.

The client was truly satisfied. In his brief “Thank You” note, he thanked the students “so much for all the hard work” they completed. He further noted that “what you guys do is amazing and I’m sure there are many others who really appreciate your hard work.”

Professor Doron Kalir, the Appellate Practice Clinic Director, supervised the work and served as Counsel of Record.

Professor Sterio Comments on ICC Prosecutor Alleged Misconduct

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Professor Milena Sterio was quoted in a JusticeInfo article entitled “How Khan’s Investigation Mess Creates Factions.” She commented on the ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct of ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan.

Professor Sterio was one of four main drafters of the recently issued statement by the American Branch of the International Law Association ICC Committee, which had criticized procedural irregularities regarding the ongoing investigation into Khan’s alleged misconduct.

Professor Sterio Presents in the Hague on International Criminal Justice

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Professor Milena Sterio presented at the International Bar Association War Crimes Committee conference in The Hague, Netherlands, on April 20. Professor Sterio’s panel focused on the theme of “Justice Running on Empty,” and Professor Sterio spoke about funding and other challenges regarding international criminal justice today.

Cory Scott Appointed to Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy

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Cory Scott, Executive Director of the CSU Law Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection, has been appointed to Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) as part of the inaugural 2026 cohort of Non‑Resident Technology Fellows. This new initiative is designed to connect experienced technologists with state and local governments grappling with complex technology regulation.

Cory Scott Presents on Data Privacy Risks from AI Infrastructure

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At a conference hosted by the Case Western Reserve Journal of Law, Technology, and the Internet, Cory Scott—Executive Director of the Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection at CSU Law and a former CISO at companies including LinkedIn, Google, and Confluent—delivered a focused presentation on data privacy risks emerging in the AI “infrastructure” layer.

Scott distinguished between frontier model developers and the “pipes” that route, host, or broker AI traffic, arguing that infrastructure providers are increasingly attempting to access and analyze user content in ways that erode trust and depart from established enterprise expectations. Using OpenRouter as a case study, Scott walked the audience through how changing terms and “anonymized” categorization claims can mask meaningful data use—highlighting the practical risk of re-identification through metadata and the lack of technical disclosure about how anonymization is performed—and he pointed to similar trends among other providers such as RunPod.

In the discussion, Scott emphasized that organizations need clearer policies and stronger oversight of third‑party AI services (including prosumer tools purchased on corporate cards), and he outlined risk-management approaches ranging from negotiating commercial agreements to building internal AI routing infrastructure to preserve control over sensitive data.

Professor Debbie Hoffman Participates in CEO Roundtable on Blockchain in Mortgage Finance

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Visiting Assistant Professor Deborah Hoffman co-led a CEO roundtable hosted by Essent Mortgage Insurance alongside industry executive Eric Lapin on March 27. The session convened senior leaders across the mortgage industry to discuss the role of blockchain and digital assets in housing finance.

The discussion examined how existing digital infrastructure, including e-docs, eNotes, remote online notarization, and licensing frameworks, has evolved in recent years while underlying systems remain fragmented. Professor Hoffman highlighted legal and compliance considerations related to verification, auditability, and the integration of digital assets into lending practices.

The roundtable also explored blockchain’s potential as an infrastructure layer to support more consistent, transparent, and defensible data across the mortgage lifecycle.

Professor Sterio Quoted by PolitiFact

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Professor Milena Sterio was quoted in an article by PolitFact on April 2, on the topic of “It is a war crime to bomb civilian infrastructure, as Donald Trump has threatened?” 

Professor Sterio explained that bombing a civilian target intentionally is “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” which “would give rise to a war crime.”  Professor Sterio also opined on the status of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.  She stated that the Protocol has “the status of customary law, which is binding on all states,” and that “[i]t doesn’t not matter that the U.S. is not a member of the protocol.”

Professor Luisetto Presents at Vanderbilt Law & Economics Conference

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On March 27, Professor Lorenzo Luisetto presented a new working paper, “Beyond the Global Rise of Noncompetes,” at the Law & Economics Conference hosted by Vanderbilt Law School. The conference featured eight speakers presenting research on a wide range of topics, including labor‑market regulation and the economics of crime.

In his talk, Professor Luisetto presented a new work in progress based on the first multi‑country survey on the use of noncompete agreements across 15 OECD countries, complementing evidence from employee surveys with information from firms.