Thinkers & Doers: May 2018

Professor Karen Musalo & actress Jane Fonda co-author New York Times piece – Can Trump block people on Twitter? – Alum builds 25-foot art installation on the Embarcadero – The health care merger arms race – Highlights from the 137th Commencement – Pride Law Fund honoring Professor Matthew Coles – Orrick Attorneys & UC Law SF Students Step Up to Help Homeless – and much more
Professor Karen Musalo and the Center for Refugee and Gender Studies made multiple media appearances this month, including in a report for NBC Investigations on asylum courts.

THE FACULTY BUZZ:

The New York Times published an op-ed co-authored by Professor Karen Musalo and actress Jane Fonda, drawing attention to Attorney General Sessions’ intervention in domestic violence asylum case Matter of A-B-. https://nyti.ms/2slIYkK
— “There’s something going on that is very, very troubling,” said Professor Musalo in an appearance for NBC Investigations that discusses the wide gap in asylum approval rates throughout the nation’s immigration courts. http://bit.ly/2sz4i5J
— “It’s a blind spot about women, and women’s human rights,” said Professor Musalo in an article for NPR on the Salvadoran woman at the center of the Attorney General’s asylum crackdown. https://n.pr/2J6Ah4g

Professor Dave Owen is presenting at Vermont Law School’s ‘Hot Topics’ summer lecture series on environmental issues with a talk on “Consultants, the Environment, and the Law.” http://bit.ly/2J9Jadk
— Professor Owen contributed an opinion to the East Bay Times on California’s first time process and forum for sorting out groundwater-surface water conflicts. https://bayareane.ws/2Ledmos

“The amnesty law was pernicious. Now we’re at a point where the courts are starting these cases in very difficult conditions regarding evidence,” said Professor Naomi Roht-Arriaza in a New York Times article on the attempt to prosecute those involved in the 1981 massacre in the Salvadoran village of El Mozote and nearby hamlets. https://nyti.ms/2kDdgLI

Professor Heather Field contributed an article entitled “Tax Implications of the Recent Dynamex Worker Classification Ruling” to The Surly Subgroup. http://bit.ly/2J0JSxH
— Professor Field’s scholarly article “A Taxonomy for Tax Loopholes” was profiled by the TaxProf Blog. http://bit.ly/2J8mg6n

Professor Shanin Specter was a guest on KPFA’s “The Ralph Nader Radio Hour” to discuss the myth of the litigious society. http://bit.ly/2L90Aaw
— “The family of Tommy Jeglum and we are gratified that we are able to adequately compensate him and provide for first-class care for the rest of his life,” said Professor Specter about the $30 million settlement his firm secured against AT&T and others, in an article for Legal Intelligencer that was later picked up by Fox Business. https://fxn.ws/2HazMV9

Professor Robin Feldman (@RobinCFeldman) addresses the topic of a citizen pathway for raising drug approval concerns gone astray, in an article for the Daily Journal. https://t.co/fEpX7uzRnF

Professor Marsha Cohen (@msprof) was profiled by WalletHub in the “Ask the Experts: Dealing With Our Drug Problems” segment. http://bit.ly/2stE708

Professor Reuel Schiller is part of the 2018 Johnson Program for First Book Authors Committee. http://bit.ly/2Lcy3Rv

Professor Joan C. Williams (@joancwilliams) was referenced in a Lifehacker article entitled “Get Your Mom a Flexible Workplace and Paid Leave for Mother’s Day.” http://bit.ly/2KVDCET
— “Among working-class families, the clique network is intensely geographical. And it’s typically composed of family, friends, and neighbors,” said Professor Williams in a Harvard Business Review article that was referenced by the National Review. http://bit.ly/2stEkjW

Professor Tim Greaney will be co-presenting the “Year in Review” at the annual ABA/AHLA Antitrust in Health Care program in Washington, D.C. http://bit.ly/2LNPZDa
— “The lack of transparency and flawed rebate formulas are in part attributable to the lack of competition in the PBM sector with the largest three firms controlling almost 80% of the market,” said Professor Greaney in an article for Event Driven on the unlikelihood of Trump’s drug pricing speech to impact PBM-insurer deals. http://bit.ly/2IZgvvw
— Professor Greaney is scheduled to testify at a hearing before Insurance Commissioner David Jones on the CVS/Aetna merger.
— “If it goes too far, the whole concept of competition gets eroded,” said Professor Greaney in an article for Axios on the health care merger arms race. http://bit.ly/2HahHqk

“Nationally, it’s super, super rare for a judge to allow a prosecutor to be called as a witness,” said Professor Hadar Aviram (@aviramh) in an Associated Press article discussing the sex-related charge dropped against the Missouri governor. http://bit.ly/2HaiJCI
— Professor Aviram recorded a podcast on animal rights for Life of the Law. http://bit.ly/2JqcAYc
— “If a test like this (pot breathalyzer) is in existence, it would change the lives of police officers and the people being tested in the street,” said Professor Aviram in an interview with NBC Bay Area on a marijuana breathalyzer being tested in Oakland. http://bit.ly/2J5Njmw

“It is a move in the right direction but the problem is the arbitration agreement prevents class action lawsuit which is essential for a policy change,” said Professor Veena Dubal (@veenadubal) in an article for Reuters on Uber and Lyft scrapping mandatory arbitration for sexual assault claims. https://reut.rs/2J7d8yR
— Professor Dubal’s work plays a role in a California Supreme Court ruling. http://bit.ly/veena-dubal-dynamex

Professor Rory Little (@rorylittle) weighed in for an article in Bloomberg Law suggesting the Ninth Circuit’s heavy caseload as the blame for its bad rap. http://bit.ly/2J7gtxJ
— Professor Little appeared on a news segment on KPIX with Phil Matier to discuss the Russia investigation one year after Robert Mueller was appointed as Special Counsel.
— “It’s an interesting First Amendment question because Twitter is too new and we’ve never had a president that’s tweeted like this before,” said Professor Little on a phone interview with MarketWatch on a New York federal judge saying Trump can’t block people on Twitter.https://on.mktw.net/2HbSD23
— Professor Little analyzes the case of City of Hays, Kansas v. Vogt for SCOTUSblog, which was recently dismissed as improvidently granted (a “DIG,” in Supreme Court-speak) by the Supreme Court. http://bit.ly/2Hajhsg
— “By the time of argument, factual flaws and mysteries, as well as deep constitutional questions not immediately apparent, were seen lurking in any decision that might be written,” said Professor Little in a quote in the National Law Journal about the mysteriously dismissed case of City of Hays, Kansas v. Vogt. http://bit.ly/2sqH3eQ

“We need to, as a commission, consider proposals and initiatives that might make the bar exam more responsive to the demands of the legal profession,” said Chancellor & Dean David Faigman in an article for the Los Angeles Daily Journal on an ABA panel scrutinizing bar exam alternatives. http://bit.ly/2LOfiVT

“This is written so broadly, any piece of federal law would be protected from a challenge from a state or local official,” noted Professor David Levine in a news report from KTVU on an Iowa Congressman introducing a bill called the “Mayor Libby Schaaf Act” (named after the mayor of Oakland) to address what the Congressman calls ICE “obstructions.” http://bit.ly/2J30q8n

Professor Joel Paul was a guest on 94.1 KPFA’s “Letters and Politics” program to discuss Chief Justice John Marshall. http://bit.ly/2xAB7oI
— Professor Paul appeared on the SiriusXM POTUS program “American Voices” for an interview with Senator Bill Bradley. http://bit.ly/2HasRvf
— Stay tuned for Professor Paul’s spot on the podcast “The Age of Jackson.” http://bit.ly/2JicRfP
— Professor Paul was interviewed by the National Law Journal about the gift of a portrait of John Marshall from the Corcoran Gallery to the Supreme Court.

Professor George Bisharat appeared on KQED News “Forum” to discuss the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem and the violence erupting in Gaza. http://bit.ly/2xyZmna
— Professor Bisharat contributed an article to the San Francisco Chronicle entitled, “Why 4 public defenders deserve a seat on the SF bench.” http://bit.ly/2xzsGKb
— Professor Bisharat was interviewed on tbs eFM’s “This Morning” to further weigh in on the Jerusalem and Gaza situations. http://bit.ly/2Jb9vrL

Professor Dorit Rubinstein Reiss (@doritmi) is this year’s recipient of the Natalie J. Smith Immunization Champion Award, which is awarded annually by the California Immunization Coalition. http://bit.ly/2JlKTQ3
— Professor Reiss discussed the library for legal disputes over child vaccination for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. https://t.co/91AnMDecQt

Professor Shauna Marshall discusses Professor Alina Ball’s article “Primary Care Lawyers: A Holistic Approach to Pro Bono Business Lawyering” for the Scholarship Blog. http://bit.ly/2LdPEIU

“Policies that target a particular nationality risk heightening discrimination,” said Professor Frank H. Wu (@frankhwu) in an article for the Washington Post’s Wonkblog on reports that the White House is considering a ban on Chinese citizens conducting high-tech research at American universities and businesses. https://wapo.st/2Hbf1IS
— Professor Wu has become a regular contributor to the Daily Journal.
— “We don’t want to be obsessively focused on just one institution,” said Professor Wu in an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education on how a federal panel is trying to regulate accreditation. http://bit.ly/2J7qrPM
— Professor Wu wrote an article for Film Inquiry entitled “Blade Runner 2049: More Misanthropic Than Misogynistic?” http://bit.ly/2kEYJiH
— Professor Wu was the keynote speaker at the HUD AAPI Affinity Group’s 2018 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration.
— Professor Wu was profiled in the 2018 edition of Mandarin Leader. http://bit.ly/2kDgT4i
— Professor Wu was a speaker at the 2018 Joint Judicial and Senior Managers Spring Conference.
— Professor Wu contributed an article to Diverse on “Being a Good Ally.” http://bit.ly/2szhMyk

“If that request is approved, as expected, dying patients will continue to have access to prescriptions for a fatal dose of medication,” said Kathryn Tucker, director of UC Law SF College of the Law’s End of Life Liberty Project in an article for Mercury News entitled “State’s Aid-In-Dying Law In Judicial Limbo, Leaving Patients Uncertain.” https://bayareane.ws/2J322ir
— “Becerra’s action Monday moves the case to an appeals court, which will decide the future of the law. He also asked that the law stay in place while the matter is further litigated, a request that will most likely be granted,” said Kathryn Tucker in an article for the Los Angeles Times on the California Attorney General’s appeal of a judge’s decision to overturn physician-assisted suicide law. https://lat.ms/2J3yDEM
— Kathryn Tucker’s commentary on the California Attorney General’s appeal was also quoted for the Spanish-language publication La Opinión. http://bit.ly/2L97vk0
— “I do not believe there will be a period of time in which the implementation of this statute will be interrupted,” said Kathryn Tucker in an article for the San Diego-Union Tribune on the same topic. http://bit.ly/2J1vB3I
— “It is a bit of a mess,” said Kathryn Tucker in the Los Angeles Times on the many decisions and lawsuits on the End of Life Option Act. https://lat.ms/2kF1DE3

“We have a tendency to believe sexual assault charges against gay men because we see them as driven by sex alone, not by anything else,” said Professor Matthew Coles in a Washington Post article about the sexual assault allegations against George Takei. https://wapo.st/2J5s2FB
— Pride Law Fund will be honoring Professor Coles, for his decades of groundbreaking work on behalf of all LGBTQ folks, at its Annual Bay Cruise. http://bit.ly/2J8AB2w

“Bias against mothers is one of the strongest forms of bias against women,” said Liz Morris, the deputy director of the Center for Worklife Law (@WorkLifeLawCtr) in an op-ed for the New York Times on the open secret of anti-mom bias at work. https://nyti.ms/2J5najT

The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) decries the cruel “zero tolerance” policy now being enforced at our southern border, announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. http://bit.ly/2LdTIJ5
— “The attorney general’s intervention represents a combination of anti-immigrant and misogynist (policies) from this administration,” said Professor Karen Musalo in an article for the San Francisco Chronicle that also quoted the CGRS’ Blaine Bookey on the US attorney general’s upcoming decision on whether to end asylum for domestic violence victims. http://bit.ly/2xxc4mu

IT’S JUNE:

— Got a tip? Feedback? News to share? Let us know. By email: ER@UCHastings.edu

LET’S SOCIALIZE:

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:

— Inspiring stories from the TLCBD’s Clean Team, who is cleaning up the Tenderloin with the monthly removal of tens of thousands of pounds of trash, thousands of syringes, graffiti, and other waste. http://bit.ly/2J491rl

— Tenderloin leaders urge City funding for municipal marketplace at 101 Hyde. http://bit.ly/2FSCJZT

— Groups seek more funding for a Tenderloin public market at 101 Hyde. http://bit.ly/2JkCKM2

— When discussing the present San Francisco mayoral race, the story of Abe Ruef, a UC Law SF graduate from the 1800s, was mentioned as the “last boss of the Barbary Coast” in an article for SF Weekly entitled “The Boss, the Bandleader, and San Francisco’s Biggest Mayoral Scandal.” http://bit.ly/2Jq8u2p

IG POST OF THE MONTH:

ON CAMPUS:

— UC Law SF held its 137th Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2018. http://bit.ly/2HbLsa4

— Ben Nerone, Chief Engineer at McAllister Tower, is retiring after 36 years. http://bit.ly/2JoCEmk

— Blek le Rat, “The Godfather” of Stencil Graffiti, Contributes Installation at UC Law SF. http://bit.ly/bleklerat-uchastings

— UC Law SF will host the 2018 Corporate Debt & Restructuring Works in Progress Conference featuring prominent legal scholars including professors Jared Ellias, Abe Cable, and Alina Ball.

— Love was in the air during Commencement as Kaleigh Aucoin ’18 accepted a proposal from her fiancé on the Beach and Jeremy Schwartz ‘18 proposed to his fiancée at the Civic Center. http://bit.ly/2JgqXyj

— End of Life Liberty Project was profiled by Northern California Grantmakers. http://bit.ly/2HapNzj

— The 2018 Commencement address delivered by Joseph W. Cotchett ’64 was broadcasted on CSPAN. https://cs.pn/2J5ubVg

— Menlo College has named Grande Lum, former Director of UC Law SF Center for Negotiation & Dispute Resolution, as its Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost.

QUIPS & CLIPS:

STUDENT MIXTAPE:

— Kelsey Campbell ’18 spoke in Washington D.C. with Vets for American Ideals to call for Congress to continue the special immigrant visa program for Iraqis and Afghans who worked with U.S. forces as interpreters. http://bit.ly/2xBMUmM

— Incoming 1L Joseph Sweiss moderated a San Francisco mayoral forum for the Arab-American Democratic Club (AADC) and the Arab Cultural Community Center (ACCC). http://bit.ly/2sv11FB

— Rising 3L Karen Martinez discusses her new internship as a youth advocate law clerk at the Children’s Law Center, for Latinas Uprising’s 2018 Summer Series. http://bit.ly/2Lfn8qp

— Congratulations to the recent UC Law SF graduates who were granted government fellowships and positions: Samuel Gutin ’18 (U.S. Department of Labor); Daniel Nettles ’18 (Honors Attorney, IRS Office of Chief Counsel); Samantha Ricci ’18 (Honors Attorney, U.S. DOJ Environment and Nat. Resources); Cierra Rogstad ’18 (U.S. DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review); Andrew Crowell Johnson ’18 (US Navy JAG); Mitchell Song ’18 (U.S. Navy JAG); Jessica Ma ’18 (U.S. Army JAG); Bradley Baker ’18 (U.S. Coast Guard JAG); and Kevin Courtney ‘18 (U.S. Marine Corps JAG).

— Orrick attorneys and UC Law SF students step up to help homeless San Franciscans. http://bit.ly/2LGcMRn

— UC Law SF students speak at UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. http://bit.ly/hastings-un-geneva

TWEET OF THE MONTH:

ALUMNI-LAND:

— Lynne Hermle ’81 named to the Daily Journal 2018 Top Women Lawyers List. http://bit.ly/2HbBDJp

— Mary Noel Pepys ’78 was part of the USAID evaluation mission at the Supreme Court of Georgia and met with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.

— Kelly Matayoshi ’12 was honored with the Laurie Miller Public Service Award for emerging leaders in the ABA Section of Litigation. http://bit.ly/2J80csl

— “Here is the current view on the other side of the planet,” says Matthew Passmore ’98 in an article for the San Francisco Chronicle on the 25-foot tower he created on the Embarcadero that looks like an oil derrick housing a white drill bit pointed down into Pier 27, but is actually a high-powered periscope with a live feed to Haifa, Israel. http://bit.ly/2kI4lc1

— Steve Phillips ’97 released a paperback edition of “Brown Is the New White” and it debuted on the San Francisco Chronicle bestseller’s list. http://bit.ly/2sC7XzY

— Alex Rich, the son of Deborah Rich ‘79, will portray a young Pablo Picasso in the Nat-Geo series “Genius.” http://bit.ly/2xzuPpr

— John Betz ’96 helped to open Weller House, a fourplex in south Los Angeles that will house 28 formerly homeless men and women, who were on the street or living in their cars. http://bit.ly/2soLVRX

— Lynne Hermle ‘81, Twitter’s lead lawyer in a discrimination case, was referenced in The Recorder after she told a state court judge in San Francisco that the plaintiff couldn’t show that the company’s promotion practices caused a disproportionate number of women software engineers to be passed over for promotions. http://bit.ly/2LelsgQ

— Mica Lee Williams ’17 lobbied in Washington D.C. in support of Women’s Health Protections. http://bit.ly/2J8RbPR

— Thomas A. Haeuser ’73 is celebrating the one year anniversary of expanding Sonoma’s historic 125-year old law firm into the partnership of Haeuser, Valluzzo & Piasta LLP. http://bit.ly/2spfzGE

— Ben Gharagozli ’10 co-authored an article for the New Arab on the U.S. leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. http://bit.ly/2xuuwMq

— Gabrielle Parris ’17 was a panelist on Career Inspiration for Enterprise for Youth. http://bit.ly/2JsGCuc

— Niki Solis ’95 was mentioned in an article for the broke-ass stuart blog. http://bit.ly/2JjUB5E

— Yana S. Johnson ’99 has joined Jackson Lewis P.C. in its San Francisco office as a Principal. http://bit.ly/2Lb3b3Y

— Mica Lee Williams ’17 appeared on BTRtoday to discuss Trump’s Title X Rule. http://bit.ly/2Jnm6v3

— Joseph W. Cotchett ‘64, Champion for Justice and Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar, is UC Law SF’s 2018 Commencement Speaker. http://bit.ly/2xvJmT6

— David M. Robinson ’92 was appointed as UC Berkeley’s chief campus counsel. http://bit.ly/2kEylp7

CONDOLENCES:

The UC Law SF community extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of Spencer Martinez ’99, Jeanne LaBorde Scholz ’79, Nancy Jacot-Bell, W. Bruce Allbin ’70, Perry Lee Landsberg ’82, John Patridge ’60, Mark S. Spangler ’73, and Thomas Stewart ’85.

— Spencer Martinez ’99 was a partner at the law firm of Ropers Majeski Kohn and Bentley and his accomplishments and publications during his short life are too numerous to mention. http://bit.ly/2xxhzl8

— Jeanne LaBorde Scholz ’79 clerked for California Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird, was a founding member of the Women’s Political Caucus of the east bay, and was an active advocate for Women’s Rights, campaigning for the ERA, and LGBTQ rights throughout her life.
http://bit.ly/2HeP1ws

— Nancy Jacot-Bell was long the heart and soul of what was then called the Civil Justice Clinic, where she served as Office Manager from 1994 to 2012. A Rummel Award winner, Nancy brought impeccable competence and effectiveness to her work, along with a passionate devotion to clients, students, and to standing up for justice.

— W. Bruce Allbin ’70 began his career at the Hall of Justice in the Office of the Public Defender (where he fondly recalled meeting Robert Mueller) and eventually pursued private practice. http://bit.ly/2J2lw6B

— Perry Lee Landsberg ’82 was an outdoorsman and traveler, enjoying fishing in Santa Monica Bay and backpacking in the Eastern Sierra. http://bit.ly/2Le3zi8

— John Patridge ’60 served honorably in Korea with the US Army and practiced law for 53 years in Stockton. http://bit.ly/2sy6k63

— Mark S. Spangler ’73 returned to his home state of Rhode Island to practice law where he founded the legal clinic at Sympatico, formerly of Wakefield, and served as Town Solicitor of South Kingstown. http://bit.ly/2szkvI2

— Thomas Stewart ’79 was a dedicated family man, heavily involved in the Lafayette, California community, while practicing law in Oakland and Walnut Creek for over 54 years. http://bit.ly/2LbfPQu