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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.

Via AP: Ohio corrections officials say Ariel Castro who held three women captive in his home for nearly a decade has committed suicide at a state prison facility. Spokeswoman JoEllen Smith says 53-year-old Castro was found hanging in his cell around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday at the Correctional...

Umm, let me think on that. I have until September 12 at 4 p.m. to decide. This event sponsored by the Cornell Law School 2nd Amendment Club is open to the public, although good luck finding parking! Update: In response to some reader inquiries, I'm not sure if...

There are many developments on the Syria front, some in Congress, some on the ground. We will update this throughout the day, and as usual, have the Legal Insurrection and #Syria hashtag Twitter feeds at the bottom of the post. Update are in reverse chronological order, with most recent on top. https://twitter.com/LarrySabato/status/375098989340680192

I believe Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal and Ted Cruz to be "natural born Citizens" and eligible to be President.  Here's why. 1. Summary There are few eligibility requirements to be President.  You don't have to be smart, wise, experienced, honest, educated, or a particular gender or race. Article II, Section...

that's what they all say. From J, "Subaru Rebel" On a Subaru with Virginia plates. ...

A reader writes: In White-liberal white-baiting link-baiting gone wild you mentioned this: Make an outlandish statement about White people. Watch White people react in denial. Use denial reaction as proof you were right all along. There's a word for this logical Fallacy. It's called Kafkatrapping. In short it takes the form...

Not the indecision and delayed decision about the use of force in Syria. The Golf immediately after the Rose Garden statement. Right after shipping responsibility for authorizing an attack on Syria, President Barack Obama returned to his comfort zone: The golf course. Obama’s motorcade left the White House at...

Now that you have had all of about 6 hours to digest Obama's decision to seek authorization from Congress for use of force in Syria in response to the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons, let's get some quick reader feedback. The poll is open until...

For continuing coverage, Syria Attack Watch. Full text here. UPDATE: Obama says has decided on military action, doesn't need U.N. Security Council or Congress, BUT will seek congressional authorization anyway: https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/373890688737640448 https://twitter.com/DamaineGorman/status/373865608133095425 https://twitter.com/amadeusulrich/status/373865790656626688 https://twitter.com/PhillipSmyth/status/373865925629321216

We will update this post throughout the day, in reverse chronological order, with most recent updates at top. If there actually is an attack, we'll start a new thread with video embeds, etc. For now there are two Twitter feeds at the bottom of this post, one I created using reliable sources, and another raw #Syria hashtag feed. BREAKING - Obama says has decided to take military action, doesn't need U.N. Security Council or Congress, BUT will seek congressional approval: Really Chuck Todd, really? https://twitter.com/LegInsurrection/status/373868206969999360 More reactions at Obama statement on Syria and also below: https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/373890688737640448 https://twitter.com/PhillipSmyth/status/373865925629321216 https://twitter.com/Bridget_PJM/status/373866389045407744 https://twitter.com/jpodhoretz/status/373866895201427456 https://twitter.com/repjustinamash/status/373866418015858688 https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/373871738032910336

Obama wants to fix the Higher Education Bubble. You're not done saving Detroit, please leave us alone: I've got it: If we have too many lawyers already, let's figure out a way to churn them out faster at lower cost so more people apply which increases the oversupply.  It worked so well with the housing market: Actually, I have a better idea.  Let's reduce presidential terms to two years instead of four, retroactively, so Presidents can make it to the lecture circuit without running up as much national debt. Please tell me "Yes he can" ... ah, that feels better: Now we juxtapose: Language Warning

From J: BORG: Resistance Is Futile With the Obama O in the middle. Perfect. Spotted on a car from the People's Collective of Maryland, traveling through People's Democratic Republic of Charlottesville, VA. ...