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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 September 10, 2013 22 Comments

He just keeps saying it. “You know, Senator Chuck Hagel, when he was senator, Senator Chuck Hagel, now secretary of defense, and when I was a senator, we opposed the president’s decision to go into Iraq, but we know full well how that evidence was used...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 10, 2013 20 Comments

Everybody wants an Insurrection. But you can't all have it. At least not peaceinsurrection.com, as of earlier this morning.  Need to protect the "brand" from Code Pink.  It's mine now. https://twitter.com/RosieGray/status/377426051875360768  ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 10, 2013 18 Comments

From Rob in Jersey City: I hope that all goes well -- continued thanks for your continued excellent (in my humble opinion :)) work on the insurrection blogs. My wife and I vacationed in the Outer Banks of NC and saw this SUV the owner of which...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 09, 2013 20 Comments

From Syrian television, translated by MEMRI, a bizarre anti-Obama screed. h/t Free Syria Media Hub First a couple of screen captures: And the video: ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 09, 2013 6 Comments

It's a really catchy toon, I hear. The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions crew sure knows how to fire up a crowd. Oh wait, they were the crowd. BDS head draws fire after defending ‘Shoot the Jew’ chant: An anti-Israel rally at a South African University that saw protesters...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 09, 2013 129 Comments
Well, there is joy in Mudville, because George Zimmerman has another legal problem. The details are murky and unclear, but that's not stopping the "I told you so" reaction, as if a new problem proves guilt on a past problem. It really is a horror show to watch (Twitter feed embedded at bottom of post, view at your own caution)(added -- more "reliable" news feed now at bottom as well). Here's the most recent Orlando Sentinel update as of 3:51 p.m., click the story link for further updates, George Zimmerman in custody, police investigate 'possible domestic battery':
George Zimmerman, the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer acquitted of murder in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, is under investigation this afternoon after his wife told police that he'd threatened her family, police confirmed. Police are investigating a "possible domestic battery" involving Zimmerman on Sprucewood Road, Lake Mary police Officer Zach Hudson said this afternoon. About 3:40 p.m., Hudson said that Zimmerman was no longer detained and was not in custody. The police spokesman said Zimmerman has been cooperating with police. According to Lake Mary police Chief Steve Bracknell, Zimmerman's wife Shellie Zimmerman called police and said that her husband had made threats to her family "with his hand on his gun." She also alleged that George Zimmerman had battered her father, David Dean, Bracknell said. The police chief said about 3:30 p.m. Shellie Zimmerman and her father were consulting with their attorney to decide whether to give a sworn statement or press charges. Hudson said the investigation is in its early stages, and it was unclear whether Zimmerman or anyone would be arrested. No significant injuries were suffered in the incident, Hudson said.
https://twitter.com/JeffWeinerOS/status/377189349294485504 https://twitter.com/JeffWeinerOS/status/377166238851411968 https://twitter.com/MyFoxOrlando/status/377155633776054272

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 09, 2013 6 Comments

How convenient. How abusive of the memory of those who fell, a clear ploy to gain political advantage from the significance of that date. The vote will be on Cloture for the resolution, not the resolution itself. It's an even higher hurdle. https://twitter.com/NewsBreaker/status/377131043498639360 https://twitter.com/BrianFaughnan/status/377130883599577088 https://twitter.com/susanferrechio/status/377131547725295616 Update 8 p.m. -- Facing mounting...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 09, 2013 42 Comments

The threat of possible military action, as attenuated as Congressional authorization now seems, has led to what may be the endgame. John Kerry floated the idea of Syria turning over its chemical weapons or else, the Russians seized on the idea, and Syria in principle has...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 08, 2013 39 Comments

You better at least get ready. There's a buzz being fed. Warren gave a speech to the AFL-CIO today, and the "draft Warren" talk is starting. https://twitter.com/greenhousenyt/status/376851270759243776 https://twitter.com/mikeconrad1/status/376851928593870848 https://twitter.com/Organize20/status/376852557068386304 There is no bigger or better demagogue in American politics. No one is as keyed into the politics of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 08, 2013 26 Comments
While in Jerusalem I stayed at the Mamilla Hotel, just above the open-air Mamilla Mall, near the Jaffa Gate to the Old City. What struck me about it was how Arabs and Jews intermingled freely -- it was a very mixed crowd and a seeming respite from my near miss with stone throwing in East Jerusalem. Here's a photo I took my first night in Jerusalem in late July: [caption id="attachment_64278" align="alignnone" width="553"]Mamilla Mall (Mamilla Mall, Jerusalem)[/caption] It's also where I met Carl in Jerusalem for drinks. Back in 2011, when flash mobs were the rage, this dance took place (h/t Quite Normal): But the coexistence was an illusion. On September 1 Israeli authorities revealed the arrest of two East Jerusalem Arabs who were part of a Hamas cell in a plot to explode a bomb at the Mamilla Mall, where they worked, via Times of Israel:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 08, 2013 32 Comments

Note the "?!?" in the title. It's because we're too damn classy to put "WTF?" in the title. Really, Terry McAuliffe, corruptocrat, insider of insiders, money man, fixer, green-bagger? All the recent polling says McAuliffe is going to win: Really, Virginia, Really?!? Someone tell me that yes, Virginia, there...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 08, 2013 11 Comments

Spotted on the mean streets of Manhattan last Thursday. Jersey plates. ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 07, 2013 24 Comments

Really creepy story about how Harvard Business School treated women like children to help them succeed at Harvard Business School. https://twitter.com/CHSommers/status/376495408308318208 The social engineering experiment went so far as to teach the best and the brightest how to raise their hands with confidence: Women at Harvard did fine...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 07, 2013 80 Comments

There are very good arguments against intervention in Syria, even if I disagree with the conclusions reached from those arguments.  I haven't denigrated those who disagree, although I can't say the same is true in reverse. Unfortunately, regardless of how you come out on the issue,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 07, 2013 5 Comments

The internet fights back to overcome liberal funding bias on campus: UNC Gives far left groups larger budget than College Republicans Campus leaders at UNC Chapel Hill find conservative women unworthy to speak UNC Republicans crowd-source fundraising to bring conservative speakers to campus Rioting is a human right --...

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