Media Highlights

Let’s hear it for the judges for dismissing Trump’s lawsuits
Boston Globe—November 23, 2020
Joseph Grodin: If our democracy survives the current president’s onslaughts, it will be due in large part to the existence of a judiciary committed to the rule of law.

Pfizer’s Coronavirus Vaccine Supply Contract Excludes Many Taxpayer Protections
NPR—November 24, 2020
Robin Feldman: “The potential for a vaccine like this is nothing short of miraculous.”

Sanction Trump’s Election Lawyers—Now!
The Nation—November 24, 2020
James Wagstaffe: Rule 11 creates a duty for lawyers to certify that their lawsuits are factually and legally meritorious. “Wishful thinking doesn’t count.”

How Biden administration could upend Prop. 22 and make Uber, Lyft drivers employees
San Francisco Chronicle—November 25, 2020
Veena Dubal: Biden will have to weigh powerful financial interests against his own longtime support of labor unions.

MDLs Go Mainstream: Mass Torts Today
American Law Institute—November 28, 2020
Shanin Specter appears on the podcast Reasonably Speaking: “I think that many plaintiffs’ lawyers in the MDL context are interested primarily in themselves and not in their clients.”

How the Supreme Court’s ruling on houses of worship could affect California
Fox KTVU 2—November 28, 2020
David Levine: The ruling opens the door for religious groups to challenge pandemic restrictions in other states.

Federal tax hit could take many unemployed people by surprise
San Francisco Chronicle—November 28, 2020
Amy Spivey: I have reviewed many clients’ unemployment disbursements, I think it’s going to be a big problem next year.

Can Your Employer Force You to Get the COVID Vaccine? It’s Complicated
Yahoo Life—November 29, 2020
Dorit Reiss: “Certainly, employers can set health and safety work conditions, with a few limits.”

College and Community Stories

Jared Ellias Named to Elite “40 Under 40” Bankruptcy List
Jared Ellias has been named to the American Bankruptcy Institute’s “40 Under 40” list for his study of the epic PG&E bankruptcy in California and leadership in how Congress should respond to the pandemic-induced economic crisis.

Scholarly Leadership

Scott Dodson presented his paper “Article III, State Courts, and the Political-Question Doctrine” at the Loyola Constitutional Law Conference on Nov. 7.

Robin Feldman’s article, “Naked Price and Pharmaceutical Trade Secret Overreach,” was cited by the US GAO Report to Congress titled, “NIH Should Publicly Report More Information About the Licensing of Its Intellectual Property.”

Amy Spivey organized and spoke on the Ethics Panel: Pro Bono, Pro Se, and Professional Responsibility at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the California Tax Bar and California Tax Policy Conference on Nov. 5.