Sagers Speaks With ProPublica About Amazon Marketing Practices

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Chris Sagers, the James A. Thomas Professor of Law, spoke with the news organization ProPublica for a story uncovering conduct by the online retailer Amazon, potentially in violation of the antitrust laws. During some years of agitation for antitrust scrutiny of the Big Tech platforms, and several indications of federal action against one or more of them, observes have uncovered a series of specific, suspect strategies by Amazon. Past examples have included its competition for sales in its own “marketplace” products, its contracting practices with its suppliers, and other matters. ProPublica’s own prior reporting has uncovered other suspect conduct by Amazon, and this new story discovered evidence of particular, hidden steps Amazon takes to preference its own private-table brands. Sagers gave his thoughts about whether these new tactics could be anticompetitive or illegal.

ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that has become a leading source for investigative journalism, having won several Pulitzer Prizes and other awards and recognitions.

Professor Witmer-Rich Featured on Fox 8 Regarding Ongoing Protests

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Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich spoke on Fox 8 News yesterday about the recent protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.  Asked about the violence that occurred during some early protests, he stated, “It’s been very encouraging that we’ve seen the violence decrease dramatically.”  In terms of response by law enforcement, Professor Witmer-Rich stated, police “need to think seriously about what’s the course of what’s going on here. . . .  As we see them becoming less violent, I think it makes a lot of sense for the police to say, this is headed in the right direction, let’s make sure we don’t play any role to aggravate the situation.”

The story can be viewed here.

Professor Witmer-Rich is Associate Dean for Academic Enrichment and the Joseph C. Hostetler–Baker Hostetler Professor of Law.

Professor Sterio Presents on “Gender and Judging at the ICC”

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Professor Milena Sterio presented at the Law and Society Annual Meeting on May 29, on a panel entitled “Gender Matters in the Judiciary.”  Professor Sterio presented on the topic of  “Gender and Judging at the International Criminal Court.”  This session was conducted live via Law and Society’s Zoom platform.   In her presentation, Professor Sterio argued that women are under-represented as judges at all international criminal tribunals, including at the International Criminal Court, and that this poses legitimacy problems for the courts.  Professor Sterio’s research on this topic has been supported by a CSU FSI grant during 2019-2020.

Professor Mead Successfully Defends Federal Order in U.S. Supreme Court

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Professor Joe Mead, in conjunction with co-counsel David Carey at ACLU of Ohio and Kirti Dalta of Hogan Lovells, has successfully defended a federal court order before the United States Supreme Court.  Professor Mead and his co-counsel earlier obtained a federal court order on behalf of a class of inmates at the federal prison in Elkton, Ohio, directing federal prison officials to take immediate steps to protect more than 800 individuals held at the Elkton prison who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.

The Department of Justice appealed the order to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which denied a stay, and then further appealed the order to the United States Supreme Court.  On Tuesday, May 26, the Supreme Court denied the DOJ’s request for a stay, by a vote of 6-3.

National media coverage is available here, here, and here.

Professor Sterio Publishes Note on European Court of Human Rights Decision

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Professor Milena Sterio published an Introductory Note to the European Court of Human Rights case involving Georgia v. Russia in International Legal Materials, Volume 59, Issue 2, April 2020.  International Legal Materials are published by Cambridge University Press and edited by the American Society of International Law; online access to ILM is available here: https://www.asil.org/resources/international-legal-materials.
Introductory Notes accompany important cases in international law and are written by leading scholars.  The Georgia v. Russia case involved a lawsuit by Georgia against Russia under the European Convention on Human Rights, where the European Court of Human Rights held that Russia should pay Georgia 10 million Euros as just satisfaction for violations committed by Russia against Georgian nationals.

Professor Sterio Discusses “How Will the Coronavirus Change the World?”

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On May 5, Professor Milena Sterio participated as a panelist in a virtual “Happy Dog Takes on the World” forums, on the topic of “How Will the Coronavirus Change the World?”  The panel also featured Waleed Hazbun, Ph.D., Richard L. Chambers Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Alabama, and Shana Marshall, Ph.D., Associate Director, Institute for Middle East Studies, Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

The program was moderated by Tony Ganzer, afternoon radio host at WCPN/90.3, and it was jointly organized and sponsored by the City Club of Cleveland and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.  The program is available here: https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2020/05/05/happy-dog-takes-on-the-world-how-will-coronavirus-change-the-world-how-should-we-change-it

Professor Mead Presents on Covid-19 in Prisons

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Professor Joe Mead presented on a Prisoners’ Rights Webinar held on Friday, May 1, discussing litigation options to deal with COVID19 in prisons. The Webinar was moderated by Professor Margo Schlanger from the University of Michigan Law School, and it was hosted by the Northwestern Law School Legal Clinic.  The webinar is available here:  http://incarcerationlaw.com/covid/webinars/

Professor Geier Discusses Tax Implications of Covid-19

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On Aprill 29, Professor Deborah A. Geier appeared as a guest on the local NPR affiliate (WCPN) “Sound of Ideas” program to discuss certain tax implications of the pandemic at the Federal, state, and local levels.
You can click on the following link to listen to her remarks, which begin at minute 13. https://www.ideastream.org/programs/sound-of-ideas/primary-election-recap-tax-update-college-seniors-entering-job-market.

Professor Ray Co-Authors Commentary on Personal Data Transfer

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Professor Brian Ray co-authored with a group of international experts The Sedona Conference Commentary and Principles on Jurisdictional Conflicts over Transfers of Personal Data Across Borders (“Commentary”). The Commentary: (1) provides a practical guide to corporations and others who must make day-to-day operational decisions regarding the transfer of data across borders; (2) provides a framework for the analysis of questions regarding the laws applicable to cross-border transfers of personal data; and (3) encourages governments to harmonize their domestic laws to facilitate global commerce.
The Sedona Conference Working Groups include national experts, academics, and corporate and nonprofit leaders who pursue in-depth study of tipping point issues in the areas of antitrust law, complex litigation, and intellectual property rights, with the goal of producing high-quality, non-partisan commentary and guidance of immediate, practical benefit to the bench and bar.

Federal Court Issues Covid-19 Injunction

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Today, a federal court ordered the Bureau of Prisons to remove people incarcerated at the Elkton federal prison due to the high risk of COVID19 infection. The opinion and order grants relief requested by a class action habeas petition filed on behalf of Elkton prisoners by Professor Mead, acting as a pro bono attorney, in collaboration with ACLU of Ohio and Ohio Justice and Policy Center. The Court concludes that prisoners at higher risk of complications from COVID19 have established that the Elkton prison has denied adequate opportunity to prevent the spread of infection, and that immediate action is needed to prevent further spread of COVID19. Already, 6 prisoners have died of COVID19 at Elkton.
Professor Mead comments, “People living in prison have Constitutional rights, too. This order will help ensure the well-being of prisoners, staff, and the surrounding community, while preserving our Constitutional obligations.”