Heidi Gorovitz Robertson, C|M|LAW’s Steven W. Percy Distinguished Professor of Law, served as a visiting scholar at the Universidad de La Laguna in La Laguna (Tenerife), Spain, from April 23 to April 29. This visit, sponsored by a grant from the Spanish government and the European Union, included her participation in five lectures or seminars. Professor Robertson delivered a presentation on the teaching of law in the United States. She conducted two student/faculty seminars on her research on the regulation of shale oil and gas development in the U.S. — one on preemption of local control and the other concerning the role of landowners. Along with a faculty visitor from Malmö Universitat in Sweden, she participated in a seminar at the Economics Department on environmental (de)regulation under the Trump administration. Finally, she was an invited speaker at a conference on the status of women — where she spoke about the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the defunding of Planned Parenthood.
Prof. Sundahl Publishes Chapter in the Routledge Handbook on Space Law
Prof. Mark Sundahl has published a chapter regarding the Legal Status of Spacecraft in the newly released Handbook on Space Law published by Routledge. The Handbook addresses the legal and regulatory aspects of activities in outer space from a comprehensive manner in a time of increasing commercialization and privatization of space activities. More information about the book is available here.
Prof. Sundahl Helps Draft Guidelines for Asteroid Mining
Professor Mark Sundahl recently participated in the Hague Space Resources Governance Working Group at Leiden University to draft the “building blocks” of a new international regime for regulating natural resource extraction on celestial bodies. The Working Group is funded by the governments of Holland and Luxembourg to address the legal issues that promise to arise as private companies (as well as governments) move forward with plans to harvest precious metals from near-Earth asteroids and extract water and other natural resources needed to support a permanent human presence on the Moon and Mars. The Working Group plans to publish a first draft of the building blocks for public comment by the end of the year.
Civil Litigation Clinic Files Amicus Brief with Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
On April 25, 2017, the Civil Litigation Clinic filed an Amicus brief with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of Equality Ohio. The brief, which supported the right of a transgender employee who was fired because of her gender identity, argued that Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 should apply to transgendes, and therefore terminating their work because of their transgender identity is an unlawful employment practice.
Ms. Lorraine Catalusci and Mr. Russel Gates, students with the Civil Litigation Clinic, assisted in the preparation of the Brief. Professor Matt Green, an expert on employment discrimination, contributed his knowledge, fine writing, and expertise. Clinical Professors Ken Kowalski, Carolyn Broering-Jacobs, and Doron Kalir (who served as the Attorney of Record) supervised the work. Equality Ohio’s Executive Director, Ms. Alana Jochum, is a proud alumna of Cleveland-Marshall.
Professor Witmer-Rich’s Article Published in Symposium Issue of Texas Tech Law Review
An article by Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich has been published in a special symposium issue of the Texas Tech Law Review. The 2016 Criminal Law Symposium on Violence Against Women included contributions from leading scholars around the country on topics such as affirmative consent, anticipatory self-defense, the prosecutor’s duty to rape victims, and campus sexual assault. Professor Witmer-Rich‘s article is titled “Unpacking Affirmative Consent: Not as Great as You Hope, Not as Bad as You Fear.” The article seeks to dispel common misconceptions and unfounded assumptions surrounding the concept of affirmative consent, arguing that affirmative consent standards do not represent a meaningful change from existing law.
A link to the article is available here.
Professor Majette Serves as Advisor to Massachusetts Provider Price Commission and Is Cited in Commission’s Final Report
Professor Gwendolyn Majette has been serving as an advisor to the Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Provider Price Commission this academic year. She testified two times before the Commission – once in the Fall and once this Spring. The Commission released its Final Report to the Massachusetts Legislature on March 15, 2017. The 340 page report cites Professor Majette 15 times and her name is featured prominently on the acknowledgement page. The following news article focuses on Professor Majette’s testimony.
Dean Fisher Participates in “The Sound of Ideas”
Interim Dean Lee Fisher participated in “The Sound of Ideas” radio show on WCPN/90.3 (Cleveland-area NPR affiliate) on April 19. Dean Fisher discussed DeRolph v. Ohio, the landmark Ohio Supreme Court case decided in 1997, which ruled that the way in which Ohio funded education was unconstitutional. The program is available for viewing here.
Professor Geier Participates in “The Sound of Ideas” on 90.3/WCPN
On April 12, Professor Deborah A. Geier appeared in the second of three segments on “The Sound of Ideas,” a program on the Cleveland NPR affiliate WCPN, to discuss the prospects for tax reform. To access the program, click here.
Professor Sagers Writes in Washington Post on Airlines and Oligopoly
Chris Sagers, the James A. Thomas Distinguished Professor of Law, wrote in Saturday’s Washington Post to discuss the recent controversy over forcible removal of a United Airlines passenger, and the relation it might have to concentration and competition in the airline industry. You can read his piece here.
Professor Inniss Publishes Blog Post on Rules, Resistance and Retribution
Professor Lolita Buckner Inniss has published a blog post entitled S/he Had it Coming: Rules, Resistance and Retribution. Her blog post is available here.
CSU Law Faculty 