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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 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...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 13, 2010 1 Comment

This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain:On February 25, 2010, the People for Change group in Prince George's County Maryland held a town hall forum to discuss the impacts of illegal immigration on local communities....

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 13, 2010 2 Comments

Eric Massa has issues. So does The Other Eric:Attorney General Eric Holder didn’t tell the Senate Judiciary Committee about seven Supreme Court amicus briefs he prepared or supported, his office acknowledged in a letter Friday, including two urging the court to reject the Bush administration’s...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 13, 2010 5 Comments

Ok, so Eric Massa has issues. But sometimes people with issues are correct.As we roll towards the latest deadline to pass Obamacare, it is clear that Massa's departure at this moment in time was a result of his vocal willingness to vote against the Democratic...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 12, 2010 6 Comments

There is something about skirting the normal legislative process which seems so appealing to people (in this case, Democrats) who cannot otherwise pass legislation but seek to expand government.We are seeing it most clearly in the health care issue, where the end product of Democratic...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 11, 2010 16 Comments

The ruling by the Senate Parliamentarian requiring that Obama sign a health care bill into law before the reconciliation process could begin is damaging to the Democrats' procedural maneuvers.But is it fatal? Hard to say. Allahpundit has the possible twists and turns, including...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 11, 2010 16 Comments

Don't think government, if given the chance, will try to control the most minute aspects of your life?Don't worry that once the bureaucracy gets ahold of the right to regulate your health care decisions -- starting with what type of insurance you are required to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 11, 2010 3 Comments

I understand that some people were upset when Scott Brown voted for the $15 billion "jobs" bill in February.Brown's voting for cloture on the $140 billion spending bill earlier this week, although he voted against the bill on the merits, also was worrisome (although Brown...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 10, 2010 11 Comments

Chief Justice John Roberts, in responding to a question during a law school forum, took the very reasonable position that what happened at the State of the Union address was troubling:"First of all, anybody can criticize the Supreme Court without any qualm," he said, adding...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 10, 2010 5 Comments

There have been numerous allegations that a "Tea Party" candidate is running a false-flag operation in Nevada to get Harry Reid reelected. Here's a CNN report:Some are accusing Jon Scott Ashjian, a new Tea Party candidate running for U.S. Senate, of being a fake. The...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 10, 2010 5 Comments

The Democrats not only are throwing Eric Massa under the bus, they are stomping on his head, ripping his heart out, disemboweling him, and then making him go to Canada for treatment.But let's rewind a little. Eric Massa was the rock star of the "progressive"...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 10, 2010 3 Comments

New addition to the family, Lola.Reportedly from the hearty Alaskan Sled Chihuahua line, when fully grown able to pull a week's worth of supplies through the toughest conditions.I'm beginning to have my doubts.Lola is worried that Obama will nationalize pet care, and she'll have to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 09, 2010 14 Comments

Glenn Beck's just-concluded interview with Eric Massa.Learned nothing.Only thing concrete was that Massa is standing by his Rahm-in-the-shower incident. Beck was unable to focus Massa on any other facts; Massa obviously is under a great deal of stress, and there likely were facts to be...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 09, 2010 6 Comments

Yesterday almost was the greatest day in the history of Palin Derangement Syndrome.A deep, dark secret was revealed: When Palin was a child in the late 1960s, her family on a few occasions skipped across the border into Canada and ...

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