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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 December 28, 2008 0 Comments

What a difference a decade makes. In the fall of 1998, President Bill Clinton faced impeachment for obstruction of justice and perjury in giving false and misleading testimony under oath regarding his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Congressional impeachment proceedings, while focused on the issue of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 28, 2008 1 Comment

On Christmas Day, British television Channel 4 provided Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a platform to broadcast "an alternative Christmas message on British television to rival Queen Elizabeth II's annual address." In the message, Ahmadinejad said that "if Christ were on Earth today, undoubtedly he would...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 26, 2008 7 Comments

Welcome to Legal Insurrection's Official Guide to Blagojevich Blogs. What makes this "official"? The same thing that makes people think the Franklin Mint is related to the U.S. Mint, even though the commercial says it's not. These blogs have frequent posts or links specifically about...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 24, 2008 0 Comments

I recently placed "tags" on my prior posts, to make it easier for readers to find posts by topic. Among the tags were "NY Times" and "media bias." As I began tagging the stories, however, I realized that every story I tagged "NY Times" also...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 23, 2008 1 Comment

Thanks to Illinois Review for cross-posting this piece.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------One of the highlights of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's criminal complaint against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, played out dramatically at Fitzgerald's news conference, was that Blagojevich used extreme profanity to describe Barack Obama's refusal to make a deal...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 22, 2008 1 Comment

Thanks to Open Line Blog and Capitol Fax for cross-posting this piece.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On Friday, December 12, 2008, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a motion in the Illinois Supreme Court seeking emergency injunctive relief removing Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office, or alternatively, stripping Blagojevich of his...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 21, 2008 0 Comments

Thanks to Illinois Review for cross-posting this piece.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On December 19, 2008, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich went in front of the television cameras and boldly proclaimed that he had done nothing wrong, much less criminal. Blagojevich pledged to "fight" to his "last breadth," invoking words similar...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 20, 2008 0 Comments

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich went on television yesterday and gave a speech to remember. What people will remember about the speech are the catchy phrases: "I will fight, I will fight, I will fight until I take my last breath" has received perhaps the most...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 19, 2008 0 Comments

Thanks to Illinois Review for cross-posting this piece.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------During impeachment hearings before the Illinois legislature on Thursday, December 18, 2008, Gov. Rod Blagojevich's attorney, Ed Genson, repeatedly objected to legislators using "illegal" wiretap information as part of the impeachment proceeding. Illinois legislators seemed dismissive, at times...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 18, 2008 2 Comments

As previously reported, the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) came under intense pressure to move its annual convention, scheduled to start January 6, 2009, away from the San Diego Grand Hyatt because the hotel is owned by a contributor to the pro-Proposition 8 campaign...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 18, 2008 0 Comments

I am listening to the Illinois legislature debate health care reimbursement rates and coverage, rule changes with regard to health coverage, and other very important issues affecting the people of Illinois. I'm also learning about JCAR (the Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules), and how...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 18, 2008 0 Comments

Thanks for Illinois Review for cross-posting this piece.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office had almost no legal or factual basis. Legally, the lawsuit failed to set forth any authority which would warrant the Illinois Supreme...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 17, 2008 0 Comments

As we predicted repeatedly (here, and here, and here, and here), the Illinois Supreme Court has rejected the unprecedented request of Attorney General Lisa Madigan to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office, or alternatively, strip Blagojevich of his executive powers. The motion was ill-advised, legally...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 17, 2008 0 Comments

The Illinois legislature has a problem. It has little guidance as to the standard or procedures for impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and must be mindful of not ruining the criminal prosecution commenced by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Blagojevich will use the legislature's dilemma to...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 17, 2008 1 Comment

Various states, including Rhode Island and North Carolina, are considering taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive. These proposals, understandably, have generated outrage among motorists.News Alert: There already is a mileage tax. It's called the gasoline tax. Motorists pay state and federal taxes...

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