Professor Milena Sterio presented at the Centre for the Study of United Nations O.P. Jindal Global University’s (India) Second Int’l Roundtable on Advancing Global Justice.  The theme of the Roundtable was Strengthening Legal Frameworks In Response to Conflicts, and Professor Sterio presented on a panel on Global Governance Reform: Proposals for Strengthening International Law.  Professor Sterio discussed the ongoing Rohingya crisis and the relative lack of accountability for Myanmar leaders, as well as the International Criminal Court’s inability to prosecute the crime of aggression in Ukraine, as examples of limits of international institutions.  

Professor Brian Ray discussed how a growing number of state laws require organizations to demonstrate that they have developed a cybersecurity governance framework that adopts “reasonable” security measures but critically leave the specifics of that standard undedefined. A smaller number of states, led by Ohio, have identified industry frameworks like NIST, CIS and others as a relevant source of those specifics. Similarly, federal and state regulators have recommended and, in some instances, required organizations to map to those frameworks. This trend overlaps with the increase in more specific cybersecurity requirements in other contexts including federal contractor requirements and federal regulatory agencies.

Professor Milena Sterio moderated a webinar on the topic of “Gender Parity on the International Court of Justice Bench” on October 14. The webinar was sponsored by the American Branch of the International Law Association and co-sponsored by the Women in International Law Interest Group at the American Society of International Law.  Panelists included Judge Kimberly Prost, International Criminal Court, Professor Jose Alvarez, NYU Law School, Patricia Galvao Teles, International Law Commission, and Priya Pillay, Asia Justice Coalition Director.  The webinar focused on the lack of gender parity among judges at the International Court of Justice, as well as on ideas as to how to achieve more gender parity at the court in the future.  The webinar recording is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khTN94N-ZHk

On October 10, 2024, the CSU College of Law, in partnership with Freedom to Learn Advocates (FTLA), hosted an all-day conference entitled “Banned Books and Libraries Under Attack: The Fight for Intellectual Freedom in Our Communities.”  The event was generously sponsored by CSU Law Alumnus, and CEO of Overdrive, Steve Potash.

The day’s second panel was about “Legal Advocates Resisting Books Bans: The Courts and Legislation.” The panel featured Mr. Skip Dye, a Senior Vice President from Penguin Random House; Professor Katie Schwartzman, who directs the First Amendment Clinic at Tulane Law School; Ms. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director of the American Library Association (ALA)’s Office of Intellectual Freedom; and Rep. Dana Jones of Maryland, who sponsored the first “Freedom to Read Act” in our nation. 

Professor Kalir moderated the panel, which was extremely well attended. 

Professor Laura Hoffman presented as a panelist at the Oklahoma Law Review 2024 Symposium, which focused on innovation and healthcare involving law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law on Friday, October 4th.  The Oklahoma Law Review will publish Professor Hoffman’s upcoming article, “Putting the ‘Social’ Into Social Determinants of Health: Why Policymaking for Improving Health Must Tackle Social Isolation and Loneliness”, in which she challenges policymakers at all levels to make addressing social isolation and loneliness a priority due to the significant impact on health.

While the COVID-19 pandemic exposed our nation to the impact of social isolation and loneliness on health, research has already demonstrated that these issues have impacted the health of all across our nation far before the pandemic.  The pandemic merely alerted us to the pervasiveness of these issues and contributed further to the impact on health.  This led the U.S. Surgeon General in May 2023 to publish a report on the relationship between social isolation and loneliness in their impact on health, calling it a public health crisis.  Dr. Murthy’s call to action included policy.

Professor Hoffman’s article will include highlights of the U.S. Surgeon General’s report and an update with new research.  She examines how federal, state, and local legislation and policy efforts in the U.S. are now trying to respond to the U.S. Surgeon General’s urgency on this matter and recommendations going forward.

Professor Hoffman’s recommendations include the digital environment and making Broadband internet accessible to all.  As those with mental health needs have benefited from telehealth as a delivery model, the greater availability of access to these services could further improve overall health for many.

Prof. Mark J. Sundahl was the guest on the October 4^th episode of John Quinn’s podcast Law Disrupted, where he discussed the many fascinating issues that have emerged in an era of accelerated space activity. From orbital tourism and mega constellations to lunar mining and the militarization of Earth’s orbits, the wide-ranging conversation is the epitome of “law disrupted.”

On October 4th, the Taiwan Taichung District Prosecutors Office invited Professor Steven Chien for a special visit. He first met with Chief Prosecutor Chang Jie-Qin, where they exchanged views on the practical application of the Citizen Judges Act, prosecutorial ethics, and comparative legal systems between the United States and Taiwan.

Following the meeting, Professor Chien participated in a seminar titled “Prosecutorial Work under the Citizen Judges Act.” During this session, he shared his extensive observations of U.S. judicial practices and provided insights on various topics, including prosecutor training in the U.S., prosecutors’ courtroom performance in jury trials, and sentencing investigations.

He also offered comparative perspectives on issues such as victim impact statements, eliminating bias, and enhancing cross-examination techniques within Taiwan’s legal system. Accompanied by prosecutors of the “Citizen Judges Group,” Professor Chien visited the Taichung District Court to observe a Citizen Judge case, where he gained firsthand experience of the intense adversarial exchanges between

Capitol Forum reporter Ethan Ehrenhaft interviewed Professor Brian Ray for his recently published article discussing the risks posed by adtech companies in a recent report by the Federal Trade Commission and how they apply to other data brokers, including Zeta Global.