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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 03, 2020 122 Comments
I haven't had much time to reflect on the looting and riots that swept mostly (but not exclusively) large Democrat cities. It was a wilding on a scale we've never seen. It was a bloodletting and release of criminal fury. We should be clear what is happening. It is not protest over the death of George Floyd. That is the spark, but not the fire.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 03, 2020 108 Comments
When it was announced that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was taking over the case against Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd, we immediately flagged the risk to a successful prosecution given Ellison's political activist background.
Ellison promised that the state is “pursuing justice” and “pursuing truth” and “pursuing accountability” while asking for the community’s “trust.”

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 31, 2020 5 Comments
Our "Virtual Reader Reception" is 7 p.m. Eastern tonight. See this post for more details. Registration ends at 3 p.m. Eastern today. This is a closed event. Pre-registration via Eventbrite is required. It will not be livestreamed.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 28, 2020 24 Comments
Last we reported, while you were focused on the pandemic, Mitch McConnell kept moving judicial nominees through the Senate confirmation process, with an eye on filling every vacancy by November. If Republicans lose the presidency or the Senate, the ability to transform the judiciary for a generation will be lost notwithstanding substantial success in the first term confirming judges. Appeals courts arguably are the most important because the Supreme Court takes so few cases, and Trump is about to run out of appeals court vacancies. CBS News reports:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 27, 2020 34 Comments
There are at least two cases in which we may get rulings soon from the U.S. Supreme Court on issues of religious liberty in the age of lockdown. Both cases allege that religious groups are being treated more harshly than secular businesses and groups. This type of disparate treatment has been at issue in many lower court cases, but now cases from California and Illinois have emergency motions for injunctive relief submitted to the Supreme Court, with responses due May 28.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 27, 2020 30 Comments
Ilana Feldman, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University (GWU), recently was appointed Interim Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at GWU. There was an immediate firestorm of controversy, since Feldman is a supporter of and longtime activist leader of the academic boycott of Israel, which is part of the larger Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 25, 2020 8 Comments
Each Memorial Day we try to focus on the lives of a small number of individuals who gave their lives for our country, and whose stories we have followed for several years. In this way we put human faces and life stories honoring all those who paid the ultimate price. Click on each hyperlinked heading for prior posts about the person.
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