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Author: William A. Jacobson

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William A. Jacobson

William A. Jacobson is a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Securities Law Clinic at Cornell Law School.

He is a 1981 graduate of Hamilton College and a 1984 graduate of Harvard Law School. At Harvard he was Senior Editor of the Harvard International Law Journal and Director of Litigation for the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project.

Prior to joining the Cornell law faculty in 2007, Professor Jacobson had a highly successful civil litigation and arbitration practice in Providence, Rhode Island, concentrating in investment, employment, and business disputes in the securities industry, including many high profile cases reported in leading newspapers and magazines.

Professor Jacobson has argued cases in numerous federal and state courts, including the Courts of Appeal for the First, Fifth and Sixth Circuits, and the Rhode Island Supreme Court.

Professor Jacobson has a national reputation as a leading practitioner in securities arbitration. He was Treasurer, and is a former member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, a professional organization of attorneys dedicated to protecting public investors. He frequently is quoted in national media on issues related to investment fraud and investor protection, and in the past has served as one of a small number of private practice attorneys who trained new arbitrators for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Professor Jacobson is co-author of the Securities Arbitration Desk Reference (Thomson-Reuters), updated annually.

Professor Jacobson is frequently quoted in the media on political and legal topics, has authored many Op-Eds in major publications, and appears on television and radio to discuss politics and the law.

A more complete listing of Professor Jacobson's professional background is available at the Cornell Law School website. The views expressed here are his own and not those of any employer or organization,

The best way to reach Prof. Jacobson is by e-mail here.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 14, 2020 51 Comments
The Morning Joe Show is panicking. I doubt they believe the polls that Biden is close to double-digits ahead. The usual crazed conspiracy theories and foaming at the mouth have reached a new level.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 14, 2020 10 Comments
We constantly hear that there is systemic racism in higher education. That's true, except not in the way propagandized. The last existing systemic racism in higher ed takes place in the admissions process at elite institutions, in order to achieve a racial mix preferred by administrators and activists. The primary victims of such practices are people of Asian descent.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 13, 2020 29 Comments
This is breaking news, and will be updated. Donald Trump has announced a peace agreement has been reached through U.S. efforts between Israel and the United Arab Emirites. The UAE would be only the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, to make peace and establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel has agreed to "suspend" plans to "annex" sections of Judea and Samaria.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 12, 2020 114 Comments
There are rumblings that Kamala Harris may not be eligible to be Vice President under the 12th Amendment, by virtue of her not being eligible to be President since she is not a 'natural born Citizen' ("no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States").

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 11, 2020 38 Comments
The 'Trump War Room' operation of the Trump campaign was ready with an attack ad on the pick of Kamala Harris, branding her as "phony." This branding, as I pointed out with regard to Trump branding people, only works if there is some truth to it and it resonates with the public perception.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 09, 2020 13 Comments
John Doe No. 2 is an Oberlin College male student who seeks an injunction halting what he asserts is a biased sexual assault hearing system. John Doe No. 2 faces the same system of college adjudication which led a different student, John Doe No. 1, to sue after expulsion, asserting that the college had a 100% conviction rate for accused students (all or almost all male) who went to hearing.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 08, 2020 52 Comments
In a nation filled with petty government tyrants and bullies empowered by coronavirus panic, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer stands out as possibly the most petty and most tyranical of the bunch. Whitmer has shown such a unique combination of fanatical self-righteousness and psychopathic vindictiveness that most people wrote off her vice-presidential prospects.
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