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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 June 19, 2012 30 Comments

I mentioned the other day the growing demographic divide in the New York City area Jewish community, which has a rapidly growing Orthodox community and stagnant if not shrinking "secular" community. That demographic shift has political implications as Orthodox Jews are not a core Democratic constituency. It...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 19, 2012 53 Comments

Via SooperMexican( emphasis in original): Today it’s being widely reported that Romney had a moment were he was amazed at the existence of WAWAs, a convenience/gas store, and the electronic touchtone ordering of sandwiches. They have spun this to make it seem like he’s out of touch...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 19, 2012 7 Comments

We could get the Supreme Court Obamacare decision as early as Thursday, or almost definitely by next Monday. So it's fitting that Cathy sent this photo, taken in Sanford, Florida: There were also signs on the car identifying the owner as a pastor. The main sticker says "Lord, deliver...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 18, 2012 72 Comments

I wanted to fill you in on the next phase of Legal Insurrection. The next four and one-half months will be devoted to defeating Obama, taking back the Senate, holding the House, and hopefully doing all of that in a way which puts in place a Tea Party/conservative...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 18, 2012 30 Comments

Via Reuters: A jury in downtown Washington on Monday acquitted Major League Baseball pitching great Roger Clemens of all six criminal charges against him in a trial to decide whether he lied to Congressabout using performance-enhancing drugs. Jurors deliberated for a total of about 10 hours before...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 18, 2012 23 Comments

By this imitation without so much as a h/t? Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren joins list of politicians with a 'Google problem': Although it is not the most serious "Google problem" a political hopeful has seen this election season, Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren does have...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 18, 2012 31 Comments

Class warfare worked didn't work so well for Democrats in Wisconsin in the Scott Walker recall.  But they're stiking to what they know. The Democrats are engaging in another campaign, this time dubbing Romney's bus tour the "Middle Class Under The Bus Tour." (h/t JeffEmanuel) ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 18, 2012 40 Comments

Spotted by reader P.J., who'll be moving to Albuquerque for love: I'll be moving there in a couple of years to be with my fiancé. Sadly, leaving a very conservative part of Colorado, but my sweetie is very much worth it! The license plate prefix probably only...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 18, 2012 39 Comments

As reported in The Boston Herald, four Cherokee women, including genealogist Twila Barnes, are traveling to Massachusetts this week requesting a meeting with Elizabeth Warren personally to express their concerns about Warren's false claim to be Cherokee: Four outraged Cherokee activists who say Elizabeth Warren’s campaign...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 17, 2012 34 Comments

Rodney King died today. He was a tragic figure. I don't blame him for any of the violence which took place after the policemen charged with assaulting him were found not guilty.  An interesting resource on the court case is here.  I discussed how the video evidence...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 17, 2012 17 Comments

I previously have posted about the excellent job Michael Patrick Leahy at Breitbart.com has done bringing to light details of a scathing critique of Elizabeth Warren's scholarship by a now-deceased Rutgers Law School professor: The vetting of Elizabeth Warren’s academic background begins. Were charges of “scientific misconduct” against...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 17, 2012 51 Comments

The most shocking thing to me about this video is not that Harvard Law Professor Robert Mangabeira Unger looks so old. When I was in law school he was a baby-faced rising star on the faculty (his photo from that time period still is on his...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 17, 2012 12 Comments

There were may good speeches at the Right Online conference, including Sarah Palin and Michelle Malkin. I particularly liked Hugh Hewitt's speech, and his emphasis on how we each play an important role in the movement: "Every day is a new day online and every barrier to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 17, 2012 34 Comments

There is very little chance I'll end up reading David Maraniss' biography of Obama, although by all accounts it is a very detailed work which punctures much of Obama's self-portryal (you remember the "composite" girlfriend revealed in a pre-release excerpt). Ben Smith has read the book,...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 17, 2012 19 Comments

Or a Lance Armstrong Livestrong Team Radio Shack jersey. I guess you didn't get that directive from the Central Committee, Comrade. From reader 9th District Neighbor: Mild weather always brings out the men in tights who bicycle in large groups, usually in the middle of the road. This...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 16, 2012 86 Comments

When Neil Munro shouted out a question to Obama yesterday as Obama was reading a statement in the Rose Garden about his unilateral thumbing of Congress and the American people in the eye, a firestorm of condemnation erupted among media-types on both the left and right. Forget...

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