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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 April 11, 2012 2 Comments

From reader Wayne: I saw this in a parking lot in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Not certain if you've seen it before since it's four years old. I bet it was funny back in 2008 but my thinking is that today, 'our only hope' sounds far better than...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2012 23 Comments

I have posted before how Cumulus Broadcasting, cheered on by Rush boycotters, is setting up Mike Huckabee to challenge Rush. Jeffrey Lord has the story how Huckabee Show Opens With Staged Caller: Wow. As we often say here: you just can't make it up. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2012 214 Comments

Just breaking, via NY Times: Rick Santorum is suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday, according two of his advisers, bowing to the inevitability of Mitt Romney’s nomination and ending his improbable, come-from-behind quest to become the party’s conservative standard-bearer in the fall. Mr....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2012 19 Comments

Michael Miller, The Miami New Times reporter who kicked off an internet firestorm a few days ago with a report of armed groups of neo-Nazis patrolling Sanford, Florida, is at it again,  After Trayvon Martin, Neo-Nazis Say They're Armed and Patrolling Sanford. The account, again, is...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2012 7 Comments

at least if one is dealing with reality rather than hope, is that Obamacare increases the deficit dramatically: President Obama’s landmark health-care initiative, long touted as a means to control costs, will actually add more than $340 billion to the nation’s budget woes over the next...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2012 9 Comments

Richard Lugar's time in the Senate may be up. A variety of groups are working to defeat Lugar.  The NRA (which gives Lugar an "F" rating), the Club for Growth, and Freedom Works are working to help Richard Mourdock overcome Lugar's big money advantage. Notice how Lugar is hitting...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2012 25 Comments

Carbonite has been flying below the radar the past few weeks, as companies like Arby's have incurred the wrath of conservatives for pandering to the Media Matters inspired and coordinated attempt to drive Rush Limbaugh from the airwaves. Carbonite was the most visible and self-righteous of the advertisers...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2012 15 Comments

From reader Ulises, who took this photo in Cockeysville, MD, and writes: Further proof that buyers of "coexist" bumper stickers have no sense of irony...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 09, 2012 39 Comments

What James Taranto has dubbed the Wild Goose-Step Chase appears to be winding down, as outlandish reports by Michael Miller in The Miami New Times of neo-Nazis "conducting heavily armed patrols in and around Sanford, Florida" were debunked by your humble correspondent over the weekend. But not...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 09, 2012 43 Comments

The Special Prosecutor in Florida just announced that she will not take the case to the Grand Jury which was expected to start this week: The Florida special prosecutor investigating the Trayvon Martin shooting has decided not to use a grand jury, but says that should...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 09, 2012 18 Comments

for us. Rasmussen Reports, Supreme Court’s Ratings Jump Following Health Care Hearings: Just before the highly publicized hearing on the constitutionality of President Obama’s health care law, ratings for the U.S. Supreme Court had fallen to the lowest level ever measured by Rasmussen Reports. Now, following the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 09, 2012 21 Comments

There has been a lot of attention paid to Arby's announcement that it no longer would advertise on the Limbaugh show. It was particularly interesting because Arby's did not advertise to begin with, so it purely was a political statement, and was the subject of a...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 09, 2012 23 Comments

Back in '08, you thought he was gonna change it and rearrange it, he was gonna change the world. Now, a little progress is good enough. Spotted in Ithaca: ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 08, 2012 56 Comments

the intertubes in and around Sanford, Florida, heavily armed with knowledge, facts, and skepticism, seeking to protect citizens regardless of race, creed, or color, from race-hustlers, race-haters, 15-minutes of fame seekers, jump-on-the-story journalists, bully bloggers, and web-traffic pumpers. Thanks to the 280+ Facebook sharers and 1800+ Twitters...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 08, 2012 11 Comments

The Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate in Egypt may not be the most anti-Israel of the candidates running: Last weekend’s announcement by Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood that it will field a presidential candidate, Khairat Shater, has drastically impacted the run-up to May’s elections. But his position on Israel...

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