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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.

Prof. Orin Kerr, writing at Volokh Conspiracy, believes there is a glaring error in the decision by Judge Henry Hudson of the U.S. District Court in Virginia holding the health care mandate unconstitutional (italics in original, bold text mine):I’ve had a chance to read Judge Hudson’s...

I have some labels for them:Loser RINOs: Mike Castle, Charlie Christ, Bob InglisEgomaniacs: Michael BloombergAstroturfers:  Nancy Jacobson, Mark McKinnonTalking heads: David Brooks, Joe Scarborough, Mika BrzezinskiDemocrats: Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)Coffee Party The Group Which Cannot Be Mentioned By...

I've written before about Barack Obama's penchant for creating strawman arguments, in which Obama presents an exaggerated and misleading characterization of Republican proposals in order to make Obama's own policy seem like the only reasonable choice.Most typically, Obama will frame the sentence beginning with words similar...

As I write, the "tax deal" worked out between Obama and Republicans in Congress has passed its first procedural hurdle, with more than 60 Senators voting to open debate on the legislation.As I have pointed out before, a marginally acceptable bill as originally announced has become an...

A Judge in Virginia has held the health care mandate to be unconstitutional.  The decision is here and embedded below.The Judge rejected the position of the government that the mandate was an exercise of taxing power:It is clear from the text of Section 1501 that...

Michael Shaw, who blogs at HuffPo, has a serious case of PDS.  Upon seeing an AP photo with a caption asserting that Sarah Palin had "her hair done during a visit to a cholera treatment center," Shaw went wild:If I find the fantastically clever Sarah Palin to...

I have posted previously about the plight of the Jews of Malmö, Sweden, who have been under siege by the Islamist-Leftist Anti-Israel Coalition, what I called Malmö Syndrome.Islamists across Europe have used anti-Israel agitation to justify acts of anti-Semitic violence, and anti-Israel leftists have either encouraged or excused...

From the "How do they think this stuff up?" files comes the absolutely worst argument ever against TSA screening procedures at airports:All things considered, though, I’d still rather just put less emphasis on airport security. Actually preventing terrorist attacks is a valuable thing to do,...

I posted on Friday about how the internet filters at the Department of Defense blocked access for internal users to Legal Insurrection.  As a reader pointed out, technically it wasn't DoD, but the Navy and Marine Corps. filters.Regardless, I should have been more concerned about...

How many of you would have left an important work meeting with the excuse that you didn't want to keep your wife (husband) waiting?Only the boss would do that, right?Isn't that attitude part of the problem here?--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal...

One of the truly amazing aspects of the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme is that throughout it all, Bernie maintained a smirk on his face.  The almost perfect psychopath, Bernie felt no sympathy for his victims, even those who committed suicide upon discovering that a life's...

The original compromise tax bill was a mixed bag, at best.  I understood the benefits, as well as the conservative arguments against.  At least we were arguing over the merits of the bill.Now the tax deal is becoming an insult to the Republican and independent voters who...

A reader in the military just forwarded me this screenshot showing that the Department of Defense computer system has been upgraded to block internal users from accessing Legal Insurrection:This apparently just happened, as the reader had accessed the site earlier today.Hey, whoever makes these decision...

When the "framework" of the tax deal was announced, I wrote that Obama "had a pretty good day."As the details of the actual bill are coming out, it looks like Obama had a great day, Senate tax bill lures Democrats with sweeteners:But in the face...

to solidify his new Republican base:Obama lights the National Christmas Tree, says 'Merry Christmas' three times--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

News crossing the wires is that the Democrats in the House have rejected Obama's tax deal with Republicans in a non-binding vote:The House Democratic Caucus on Thursday rejected the tax deal negotiated between the White House and Senate Republicans. The non-binding vote of the caucus...

Another rush of legislation, taxes, budget, and a host of social agenda items.We've seen this bad movie before.  It resulted in Stimulus, and the Christmas Eve Obamacare vote last year.And it appears to be happening again.This lame duck Congress has no political legitimacy to pass...