Law and Government News & Events
Recent News & Events
2012 Spring Law & Government Workshops include:
- Anthony Colangelo, Assistant Professor of Law, SMU Dedman School of Law
- Garrick Pursley, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Toledo School of Law
- Steven Smith, Class of 1975 Endowed Professor of Law, University of San Diego School of Law
- Wayne Logan, Gary & Sallyn Pajcic Professor, Florida State University College of Law
- Andrew Karch, Arleen C. Carlson Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Minnesota
- Franita Tolson, Assistant Professor of Law, Florida State University College of Law
Government Expertise: Information and Political Institutions - Conference - September 30 & October 1, 2011; Co-sponsored by the Program in Law and Government, the Vanderbilt Political Science Department and the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt University.
Denver Post: Medical marijuana in Colo. gets scant attention from federal prosecutors - May 18, 2011 - A close examination of court cases in Colorado over the past three years reveals that federal prosecutors spend few resources pursuing marijuana crimes of any kind. Robert Mikos, professor of law, is quoted.
The Tennessean: Federal judge steps down from Nashville schools redistricting lawsuit - May 11, 2011 - In an unusual step, Federal Judge John T. Nixon has recused himself from a redistricting lawsuit against Metro Nashville Public Schools, after handling the case for almost two years. Brian Fitzpatrick, associate professor of law, is quoted.
USA Today: Confederate group fights for state specialty plates - May 10, 2011 - As the nation observes the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, a Confederate heritage group is fighting for the right to place the Confederate flag on license plates in three new states — Florida, Kentucky and Texas. David Hudson, adjunct professor of law and scholar at the First Amendment Center, is quoted.
Seattle Times: Gregoire expected to veto medical pot bill on Friday - April 28, 2011 - Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire on Friday is expected to veto all or part of a landmark medical-marijuana bill because of federal prosecutors’ threat to prosecute state employees who carry it out. Robert Mikos, professor of law, is quoted.
New York Times: Supreme Court allows contracts that prohibit class-action arbitration - April 27, 2011 - Businesses may use standard-form contracts to forbid consumers claiming fraud from banding together in a single arbitration, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in a 5-to-4 decision that split along ideological lines. Brian Fitzpatrick, associate professor of law, is quoted in this article and in the Los Angeles Times: Companies can block customers’ class-action lawsuits, Supreme Court rules, Wall Street Journal: After AT&T ruling, should we say goodbye to consumer class actions? and Reuters: U.S. top court rules for AT&T in arbitration case.
Denver Post: IRS opens audit of Denver medical-marijuana dispensary - April 26, 2011 - The Internal Revenue Service has opened an audit of a Denver medical-marijuana dispensary, the latest action in what one observer calls a “guerrilla campaign” by the federal government to push back against the cannabis industry. Robert Mikos, professor of law, is quoted.
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: Legal community remains divided over calls to split the 9th Circuit - April 23, 2011 - Proponents of a split of the 9th Circuit cite the difficulties of administering a court that covers such a large geographic area and shoulders about 20 percent of the appellate courts' total caseload. But many opponents of breaking the 9th Circuit apart argue that political rather than practical considerations are behind most calls for a split. Brian Fitzpatrick, associate professor of law, is quoted.
New York Times: Police lesson—social network tools have two sides - April 6, 2011 - Officer Trey Economidy of the Albuquerque police now realizes that he should have thought harder before listing his occupation on his Facebook profile as “human waste disposal” after he was involved in an off-duty shooting in February. David Hudson, adjunct professor of law and research attorney at the First Amendment Center, is quoted.
The Tennessean: Ron Ramsey backs bill requiring judicial elections to force system’s hand - April 1, 2011 - Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey says he will push through a bill that would require elections for the Supreme Court unless justices agree to help put the current appointment-based system into the state constitution. Brian Fitzpatrick, associate professor of law, is quoted.
The Tennessean: TN legislators strip ‘Shariah’ from anti-terror bill - March 23, 2011 - The sponsors of a bill in the Tennessee legislature aimed at organizations that practice Shariah law are rewriting the measure to remove all references to religion. Critics say the bill raises constitutional questions, as it appears to target beliefs rather than overtly criminal activities. James Blumstein, University Professor of Constitutional Law, is quoted.
WSMV, Channel 4, interviewed Brian Fitzpatrick, associate professor of law , about criticism leveled against Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, who is pushing tort reform to put caps on the amount of money for which businesses can be sued. View video.
A matter of black or white? - February 17, 2011 - Nashville Scene - For years racial identity in America was defined by strict laws and social mores. But no matter how rigid things looked on paper, on the ground it was a different story. In The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White, Daniel Sharfstein, associate professor of law at Vanderbilt University, follows three families from the Civil War to the Civil Rights era, showing how each managed to manipulate racial restrictions and live and thrive in the very communities that might have shut them out.
Opinion: Tennessee’s judge selection system favors Democrats - February 12, 2011 - The Tennessean - Research into judicial selection by Brian Fitzpatrick, associate professor of law, is cited in this opinion piece about Tennessee’s system of selecting appellate judges.
Scalia and the commerce clause - February 9, 2011 - National Review Online - Although Antonin Scalia is the Supreme Court’s most conservative judge, his record suggests that he could rule in favor of President Obama’s health care reform act if and when a challenge reaches the Supreme Court. Brian Fitzpatrick, associate professor of law, is quoted.
Judge orders Metro Nashville government to change job screenings - December 17, 2010 - The Tennessean - Metro Government probably will have to change the way it backgrounds job applicants after a judge ruled the city had been violating a court order for the last 37 years. U.S. District Court Judge Aleta Trauger, Class of 1976, on Tuesday ordered Metro and James Blumstein, University Professor of Constitutional Law, to find a compromise on modifying a 1973 court order that bans the government from using raw arrest records to disqualify candidates from jobs.
James Blumstein addresses constitutional challenges to health reform
Release Date: Dec 07, 2010
Presentation at American Enterprise Institute addresses the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's expanded Medicaid mandate
Faculty Workshop with Trevor Morrison, Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
February 3, 2011
Alexander Room, 12:00-1:00 pm
Faculty Workshop with , William W. Buzbee, Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law
March 31, 2011
Alexander Room, 12:00-1:00 pm
Faculty Workshop with Geoffrey Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago Law School
April 20, 2011
Alexander Room, 12:00-1:00 pm
Lecture in Public Law with Geoffrey Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago Law School
April 20, 2011
Flynn Auditorium, 4:00 pm
Recent Events
"Legislative Effectiveness in the U.S. Congress" Faculty Workshop with Alan Wiseman, Professor of Political Science and Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University
January 2011
"Empirical Rulemaking Study" Faculty Workshop with Jason Yackee, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin Law School and Susan Yackee, Associate Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison
January 2011
"Law is Different: The Power of Precedent" Faculty Workshop with Gordon Silverstein, Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley
November 2010
A Conversation about Civil Rights with Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez
September 2010
Federalism Roundtable
February 2010
Conference on Neglected Justices
April 2008
In the News
Knoxville News Sentinel: Court neuters dog owners' First Amendment challenges - May 9, 2011 - . David Hudson, adjunct professor of law and scholar at the First Amendment Center, authored this piece about a court challenge by the Concerned Dog Owners of California to a 2008 Los Angeles ordinance that requires dog and cat owners to spay or neuter their pets in an effort to control the pet population.
Courts say Nashville man can’t sue over art seized by Nazis - February 7, 2011 - The Tennessean - Two federal courts have prevented retired Nashville professor Fred Westfield, 84, from pursuing damages against the German government decades after the Nazis seized and auctioned his uncle’s art collection during World War II. Opinions are mixed on whether he still has a case. James Blumstein, University Professor of Constitutional Law, is quoted.
Judge orders Metro Nashville government to change job screenings - December 17, 2010 - The Tennessean - Metro Government probably will have to change the way it backgrounds job applicants after a judge ruled the city had been violating a court order for the last 37 years. U.S. District Court Judge Aleta Trauger on Tuesday ordered Metro and James Blumstein, University Professor of Constitutional Law, to find a compromise on modifying a 1973 court order that bans the government from using raw arrest records to disqualify candidates from jobs.
Wal-Mart lawsuit could make waves for businesses - December 6, 2010 - National Journal - The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will decide whether as many as 1.5 million former and current Wal-Mart employees can sue the company for gender discrimination, the largest employment class-action suit in the nation’s history and a case with major repercussions for businesses across the country. Brian Fitzpatrick, associate professor of law, is quoted.
Up in smoke: Voter reactions have some saying it’s time to rethink cannabis regulation - November 30, 2010 - ABA Law Journal - Kind for Cures sports a green cross in the window and offers medical marijuana to Californians with valid physician recommendations. But whether Kind for Cures is legal depends on whom you ask. Robert Mikos, professor of law, is quoted.
Opinion: Supreme Court case could end class-action suits - November 7, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle - Brian Fitzpatrick, associate professor of law, wrote this opinion piece explaining how a low-profile case before the Supreme Court could end class-action litigation in the U.S. as it is currently practiced. Fitzpatrick's opinion piece is quoted in the Wall Street Journal.
Opinion: Tax dreams of drug decriminalization - October 21, 2010 - Politico - Robert Mikos, professor of law, writes about the tax implications of legalizing marijuana in California if voters approve Proposition 19 in November.