Image 01 Image 03
Sign In or RegisterLogout

Author: William A. Jacobson

Profile photo

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 April 05, 2020 49 Comments
Queen Elizabeth II just gave a pre-recorded address to Britain, which of course was broadcast around the world. As you would expect, the Queen displayed that famous English stiff upper lip and sense of understatement, much as she did during World War II. It was only her fourth such speech since assuming the throne on February 6, 1952.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 04, 2020 95 Comments
If you don't live in upstate NY, you may not realize how horrible a Governor Andrew Cuomo is. Upstate, a huge region north and west of New York City, is Republican territory, and has been in revolt against Cuomo's outrageous gun control SAFE Act for years. Almost every upstate county has, in an ultimately futile but symbolic act, rejected the SAFE Act.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 01, 2020 43 Comments
I was interviewed by a major media outlet today about my take on media coverage of Trump's handling of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Let's see if any of it runs. One point I made is that it is clear that the major media (NYT, WaP0 and the networks other than Fox) frame their coverage and questions so at to seek soundbites that can be used against Trump. It's always a set up, and Trump doesn't fall for it and pushes back, and then we have a dust up.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 31, 2020 64 Comments
Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowowitz released a report today on FBI practices in making Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications to the FISA court. If the entire country were not focused (understandably) on the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, this would dominating the news.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 30, 2020 64 Comments
The Chinese government caused this worldwide pandemic. It started in Wuhan. It should have stopped in Wuhan, but the Chinese government covered up, lied, and destroyed evidence. How various countries responded is not the problem. The Chinese government threw the world overboard, and now is claiming the world should have known how to swim better.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 30, 2020 38 Comments
As chatter rises about Joe Biden's fitness, and Trump's poll number's keep rising as Biden has all but disappeared, Biden's campaign is trying to book Biden in comfort-zone interviews, where he has at least of chance of staying on script. And by staying on script, I mean literally staying on script, as in reading from notes during the interview.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 29, 2020 58 Comments
Rhode Island's Governor Gina Raimondo announced last Thursday that the State Police would be stopping cars with New York plates entering the state, and requiring drivers from New York who planned on staying in Rhode Island to self-quarantine.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 29, 2020 34 Comments
The public perception problems for Joe Biden are growing. He's not all there, as is obvious from his disastrous livestreams and TV interviews, and has all but disappeared during the Wuhan coronavirus crisis. A just-released ABC News / Washington Post poll (pdf.) reveals another problem, one that comes as no surprise: Democrats are not enthsiastic about Biden, even as he racks up delegates and appears headed to the nomination.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 28, 2020 17 Comments
There had been a suggestion by Trump that he might order some sort of quarantine for the greater New York City area because it has become a hotspot of Wuhan coronavirus infections and deaths. Trump just announced that he has decided against it:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 26, 2020 93 Comments
Joe Biden is an irreparably damaged candidate. He's just not all there. Anyone who doesn't see that is blind or wilfully blind. Or a Biden campaign consultant feeding at the trough.
Accessibility by WAH