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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 March 18, 2010 5 Comments

Tom Coburn (R-Okla) has signaled that any Congressman who flips from a "No" to a "Yes" vote on Obamacare should not expect a federal appointment after he or she gets voted out of office:Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is putting wavering Democrats on advance notice: If...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 18, 2010 5 Comments

Firedoglake has a great list (see images below) of Democratic Congressmen who pledged -- in writing -- not to vote for any health care bill which did not include a public option but who are voting for Obamacare which does not have a public option.These...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 18, 2010 5 Comments

Now that Nancy Pelosi and company had all morning to spin the CBO report prior to its actual release, here is some language in the report you will not hear reflecting that the end result of the report is not certain at all (emphasis mine):"Although...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 18, 2010 5 Comments

Clever Democratic tactic.Leak the supposedly positive, but contrived, aspects of the latest CBO report to favored bloggers, so that the news cycle is favorable: CBO Score On Health Care Bill Released: Boosts Democrats' Hopes Of Passing Reform, even though the report is not actually available...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 18, 2010 11 Comments

Can't say I didn't warn you. The pressure tactics the Obama administration applied to Honduras -- such as the refusal to meet with high government officials -- now are being applied to Israel:[I]n Jerusalem, prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu called his inner cabinet into its second...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 17, 2010 12 Comments

Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake has been one of the few avowed progressives willing to speak out against Obamacare.As I have explored before, Hamsher's central objection is my central objection, the mandate. We object to the mandate on very different grounds; she because it makes the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 17, 2010 11 Comments

Dennis Kucinich at his press conference today announced he will vote "Yes" on health care legislation he detests and has criticized regularly for months.Kucinich is a pathetic shadow of his former self, a man whose will to fight has been beaten out of him by...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 17, 2010 11 Comments

At 10 a.m. this morning Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has a press conference at which he will announce whether he will vote for or against Obamacare.Until now, Kucinich has been a principled progressive. You may not agree with his principles, but at least like Jane Hamsher...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 16, 2010 9 Comments

Obama's name appears so frequently in my posts that internet marketers are beginning to confuse the two of us. I received the following e-mail solicitation at my blog e-mail address:Hi Obama,I am the Cisco WebEx Solutions Specialist responsible for supporting your area.Are you available this...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 16, 2010 33 Comments

Take your pick of the name to call the apparent Democratic Party plan to pass the Senate health care bill by not voting on it.Democrats plan to use a procedure where a separate reconciliation bill, which would be subject to a vote, would contain language...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 16, 2010 7 Comments

The Obama administration has sent a signal to Palestinians of a new "get tough" U.S. attitude towards Israel. As I wrote yesterday, the Obama administration is using the fact that an Israeli municipality announced building permits for Jews in a Jewish neighborhood of East Jerusalem...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 15, 2010 9 Comments

Israel made a mistake in announcing an East Jerusalem building permit at the same time Joe Biden was visiting.The building permit really is a non-issue since everyone knows the Ramat Shlomo section of Jerusalem never is going to be given to the Palestinians, but the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 15, 2010 9 Comments

The Democrats have decided to include a government takeover of the student loan business as part of the health care package in order to convince some reluctant Democrats to vote Yes for Obamacare. As reported by The Hill: Attaching a student aid bill to the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 15, 2010 1 Comment

Nancy Pelosi, Robert Gibbs and David Axelrod claim it's over, they have the votes. Just about everyone else, including some Democrats in the House, say it ain't so yet.We cannot believe anything that comes from the mouths of Democratic leaders and consultants; it all is...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 14, 2010 12 Comments

It's hard to know if this really is the week when Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid finally get their way.Regardless of outcome, these have been some of our finest hours.From the Tea Parties which sprang to life last April, to the townhalls over...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 14, 2010 10 Comments

Three students have committed suicide on the Cornell campus recently, including two last week, by jumping from bridges over the numerous gorges which run through campus.The mood is somber.We need to do a better job helping students keep life in perspective.We place so much pressure...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 13, 2010 3 Comments

Ronald Reagan's words on the foundation of freedom, so timely now as we are on the verge of the subservience of the individual to the state on the most fundamental aspects of our lives:"Rejection of the arbitrary power of the state. The refusal to subordinate...

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