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Law Professors in the News

Peter Henning  was quoted in an article on law.com titled "Latest News Corp e-mails cast doubt on James Murdoch's denials."


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December 22, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in an El Paso Times story titled "Experts not sure if corruption has peaked."


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December 21, 2011
John Mogk  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article titled "In Pontiac, just about everything must go as city puts assets up for sale."


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December 21, 2011
Peter Henning  posted "Closer Look at S.E.C.'s Mortgage Fraud Charges" on his dealbook.nytimes.com blog, White Collar Watch.


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December 19, 2011
Jocelyn Benson  was interviewed on WSJM radio for a story about changes to Michigan's recall laws to cut down on the number of elected official recall attempts.


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December 13, 2011
Noah Hall  was quoted in a Bloomberg/Businessweek.com story "BP Has Road Map in Citgo Oil-Spill Case for Macondo Fine."


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December 6, 2011
John Mogk  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Bing reboots Detroit Works."


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December 5, 2011
Robert Sedler  was quoted by Michigan Radio in a story they did on the panel discussion held at Wayne Law on the New International Trade Crossing. Prof. Sedler was one of the panelists.


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December 1, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a story on WWJ-AM about former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's efforts to prevent a jury from finding out about the extra-marital affair and text messages that ended his political career - or the federal indictments that followed.


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December 1, 2011
Robert Sedler  was a guest on the WDET-FM's "Craig Fahle Show" discussing the Supreme Court's decision to view the constitutionality of the President's Affordable Care Act.


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November 30, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was quoted in an article titled "Power plants affect Great Lakes watersheds" posted on greatlakesecho.org.


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November 29, 2011
Christopher Lund  was profiled in the Detroit Legal News.


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November 22, 2011
Robert Sedler  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Gov. Snyder may go it alone on new public bridge to Canada."


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November 21, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was the subject of an article in the South End about Michigan Department of Environmental Quality v. Township of Worth, a case just filed in the Michigan Supreme Court.


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November 18, 2011
Robert Sedler  was interviewed in a Huffington Post article titled "New Bridge Proposed Between Detroit And Canada A Prisoner To History."


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November 18, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Detroit News article titled "Feds press Ferguson to plead guilty, experts say: New charges seen as deal leverage."


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November 18, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Kwame Kilpatrick pocketed $10,000 bribe, feds say."


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November 18, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was interviewed on WDET-FM's "Craig Fahle Show" about the DEQ v. Worth Township case before the Michigan Supreme Court. The work of The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center on this case was also mentioned in an Associated Press article, "Dispute over failed septic systems hits high court." http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/dispute-over-failed-septic-systems-hits-high-court/d9b976aa596b41c6bb3f56450811c472


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November 11, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Bloomberg.com/Businessweek.com article on U.S. lawmakers call for an investigation into NetApp Inc.'s role in an Internet- surveillance system that has been under construction in Syria throughout this year's political crackdown.


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November 10, 2011
Justin Long  was profiled in the Detroit Legal News.


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November 8, 2011
Robert Sedler  had a Guest Opinion titled "Only Congress can OK new bridge over Detroit River" published in the Oct. 15 issue of the Oakland Press.


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November 8, 2011
Robert Sedler  was quoted in an Oct. 30 article in the Michigan Citizen titled "Charter changes shift power: Lawyers weigh in on proposed charter revisions."


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November 8, 2011
John Mogk  was quoted in an Associated Press article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on the redevelopment of Detroit's Broderick Tower, a 34-story structure on Woodward Ave. built in 1928.


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November 7, 2011
Jocelyn Benson  presented "Behind Closed Doors: Secret Money and Secret Influence," a lecture on campaign finance, at Northern Michigan University, which was covered on WLUC TV6/FOX UP,


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November 4, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Detroit News story on a man posing as a medical doctor and providing expert testimony in probate cases.


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November 4, 2011
John Dolan   was profiled in the Detroit Legal News.


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November 2, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was interviewed on "Great Lakes Now" on Detroit Public Television in October.


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November 1, 2011
Peter Hammer  was interviewed on WDET-FM's Craig Fahle Show about the possible transition of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan from a nonprofit organization to a private insurer.


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November 1, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a businessweek.com/bloomberg.com article on an investigation by U.S. regulators to see if hundreds of millions of dollars are missing from client accounts at MF Global Holdings Ltd.


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November 1, 2011
Linda Beale  blogged about estate taxes on Oct. 23 ("American Family Business Foundation Pushes Tax Relief For Wealthy Heirs") on ataxingmatter.blogs.com. A link to this blog ("cut in estate taxes") appeared in thefiscaltimes.com article "Income Inequality Is Hobbling the Middle Class."


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November 1, 2011
Linda Beale  was one of two speakers on "The Exchange," the New Hampshire NPR show, on Oct. 26, talking about the "flat tax" and other proposals of Presidential candidates Rick Perry and Herman Cain.  Her co-panelist was Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute and editor of the website downsizinggovernment.org.  


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October 31, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Bloomberg/Businessweek.com article on the insider-trading prosecution of former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. director Rajat Gupta.


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October 28, 2011
Peter Henning  was profiled in the Legal News.


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October 21, 2011
Jonathan Weinberg  was quoted in a Detroit News article on the constitutionality of a state law used to prevent former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from receiving profits from the sale of his book. He was interviewed by Bill Bonds on WCAR on the same topic.


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October 21, 2011
Linda Beale  wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times about Herman Cain's flat tax plan.


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October 17, 2011
Robert Sedler  testified before a Michigan State Senate panel looking into the proposed new public bridge to Canada. His testimony was quoted in a Detroit News article about the hearings. He was also quoted on the same subject on WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.


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October 13, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article on the guilty plea of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, accused of attempting to blow up an overseas flight to Detroit in 2009.


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October 13, 2011
Linda Beale  was quoted in a Huffington Post article on a possible repatriation tax rate reduction.


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October 13, 2011
John Mogk  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article about a program to resurvey the state, including the effort to find and restore or replace the monuments that marked property lines, called re-monumentation.


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October 11, 2011
Justin Long  was interviewed on Michigan Radio for a story about the legal issues surrounding a controversial severance package paid to a former Wayne County employee.


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October 10, 2011
Christopher Lund  was quoted in a Metro Times article about how far constitutional protection for religious freedoms extends into employer-employee matters at religious institutions.


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October 10, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Detroit News article on jury selection for the trial of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, accused oftrying to blow up an airliner descending for landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.


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October 7, 2011
Robert Ackerman  was quoted in an article in Michigan Lawyers Weekly on how law schools have changed in the past 25 years.


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October 5, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in an article in the New York Times about the trial of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, accused of trying to blow up an airplane as it prepared to land in Detroit in 2009.


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October 4, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in an article in the Washington Post about a scheme by Japanese auto parts company Furukawa Electric Co. to fix prices. Henning noted that more companies will probably be charged as the Justice Department gets information from the Furukawa executives.


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September 30, 2011
John Mogk  comments in a Detroit News story about how municipalities are dealing with residents desiring to raise chickens. As the interest in urban farming grows, municipalities are seeing more instances of people who want to tend chickens at home, said Mogk.


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September 30, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a National Law Journal article examining the Federal Housing Finance Agency's recent lawsuits against 18 of the world's largest financial institutions on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The suits were filed under the Securities Act of 1933, a little-used statute that's limited to buyers - like Fannie and Freddie - that purchased an initial securities offering, as opposed to in a secondary market such as a stock exchange. According to Henning, the 1933 act does not require a showing of intent to defraud or recklessness. What matters is simply whether the securities' registration statement or prospectus was inaccurate.


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September 27, 2011
Michael Steinberg  was quoted in a number of recent news articles including "ACLU taking on State of Michigan for poor people" in the Detroit Free Press, "Livonia, cops sued over Breathalyzer tests for teens" in the Detroit Free Press and in "Mom of 13-year-old appalled that police administered breathalyzer to him without a call or warrant" on WXYZ.


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September 26, 2011
Michael McIntyre  commented in Financial Times in an article titled "US tax authorities target bank deals." U.S. tax authorities are targeting cross-border finance deals worth billions of dollars between leading U.S. and U.K. banks as they step up efforts to clamp down on abusive tax avoidance, a joint investigation by the Financial Times and ProPublica has found. Legal experts say global coordination and simplification of tax laws are needed to ensure that US and European countries are collecting all the revenue they are legally due. "You need a broad systemic solution,'' said McIntyre, who has testified before Congress on international tax avoidance.


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September 26, 2011
John Mogk  commented in a Daily Record story about the increasing numbers of urban farms popping up in areas like Baltimore and Detroit. "It seems like every major city and many smaller cities are beginning to take steps to encourage residents to engage in urban agriculture," said Mogk. "I think it is widespread and growing all the time."


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September 26, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a San Jose Mercury News article titled "Federal probe of eBay may turn on its quest for rival's 'secret sauce.'" With eBay and Craigslist entrenched in a legal feud last year, a Delaware judge observed that eBay's "curious" decision to partner with the San Francisco online classified ad power back in 2004 was "an opportunity to learn the 'secret sauce' of Craigslist's success." Now the question of whether eBay illegally used Craigslist's corporate recipe to establish an online competitor is at the center of a federal grand jury investigation into the San Jose-based auction giant, puzzling some experts who wonder why the government is intervening in a civil case between quarreling Internet companies. "Usually, the Justice Department is going to steer clear of these kinds of disputes. But if one side can get in there and make a case, they'll take a look at it," said Henning.


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September 26, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Bloomberg Business Week story titled "BofA case may be followed by more mortgage suits by counties." Bank of America Corp. is among a group of lenders that may face a wave of new lawsuits claiming cash-strapped counties were cheated out of millions of dollars by a system used for more than a decade to register mortgages. Henning says the prospects for the lawsuits are difficult to determine because every state has its own property laws and requirements. "It will depend on what they say constitutes a transfer of a mortgage," he said. "Counties sure could use these revenues, so if they can find an opening there they will pursue it."


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September 23, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Judge's ruling on Miranda rights in underwear bomber terrorism case touches off legal debate." A judge's decision Thursday to let prosecutors use a terrorism suspect's incriminating statements -- even though he wasn't read his rights -- has triggered a legal debate. Some say it was the right call, because agents needed to find out quickly whether other suicide bombers were in the air. Others say the ruling sets a dangerous precedent that could open the door to coerced confessions. The case involves Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 24, who goes on trial Oct. 11 on charges that he tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009 with a bomb hidden in his underwear.


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September 16, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press story titled "Kilpatrick's ex-aide tied to costly pension deal." Former top city official Derrick Miller was paid more than half a million dollars to consult on a controversial pension deal that could cost Detroit's retirement funds more than $22 million, the Free Press has learned. The link between Miller and Atrium Financial -- the company that acted as a consultant on a $44-million real estate investment -- was revealed in a plea agreement Monday. Miller, one of then-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's top aides, pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion charges and agreed to testify against the former mayor in the long-running federal investigation of city hall corruption. Henning said it's unclear whether Miller's plea agreement suggests the pension and city hall corruption cases are intertwined. "He did get money from someone connected to the pensions, but (federal investigators) were looking at his taxes," Henning said.


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September 16, 2011
Brad Roth  , along with Wayne Law Professor Gregory Fox, was a guest on "The Craig Fahle Show" discussing the recent United Nations meeting where Palestine advocated for full membership in the international group.


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September 15, 2011
Gregory Fox   , along with Wayne Law Professor Brad Roth, was a guest on "The Craig Fahle Show" discussing the recent United Nations meeting where Palestine advocated for full membership in the international group.


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September 15, 2011
Peter Henning  was featured on WWJ-AM in a segment about the trend of courts prohibiting media and sketch artists from identifying jurors. Henning says this practice is becoming more common in the court system in an effort to protect jurors, especially with the prevalence of social media.


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September 14, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted on Capital FM News (Africa) in a story titled "Underwear bomber preps for U.S. trial." The young Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a packed transatlantic airliner over Detroit on Christmas 2009 in one of the most significant terror plots of the past decade heads to court Wednesday. The trial of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab - popularly known as the underwear bomber - will look into charges that he allegedly aimed to kill nearly 300 people aboard the Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. "This is the American legal system on display for the world. That's important," said Henning. "The judge has to ensure this trial is conducted fairly without letting it dissolve into a circus. That's difficult to do because Mr. Abdulmutallab has his own agenda."


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September 13, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a New York Post article titled "$1T in sour notes." Pension funds, insurance companies, university endowments, charities, community banks and other investors are believed to be out hundreds of billions of dollars because of the mess big banks made of the housing market. Although lawsuits against banks are mounting, the disputes over the almost $1 trillion in mortgage securities may take years to resolve - and most investors are likely to wind up with only cents on the dollar. "It comes out of our pockets," says Henning. "No one reached into your wallet and took out cash, but it impacts all of us. If you're a mutual-fund holder with a bond fund, you've probably taken a hit. Insurance companies have losses, and that cost has to get passed on."


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September 13, 2011
Peter Henning  was featured in a WXYZ segment on the Kwame Kilpatrick bribery case. Kilpatrick will have to square off against one of his most trusted allies in his fight against public-corruption charges. Legal experts said Derrick Miller's plea deal Monday to testify against the former mayor in return for a shorter prison sentence could hurt Kilpatrick's case. Professor Henning, who has followed Kilpatrick's legal travails since the text message scandal broke in 2008, said prosecutors used Miller's plea agreement to send a message to the other defendants that it's time to cut plea deals with the government. Henning is quoted in all of the captured media outlets. Henning was also quoted in similar articles in the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News.


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September 13, 2011
Robert Sedler  was featured in a Fox 2 segment titled "After 9/11: Our Civil Liberties." The interview addressed the protection of civil liberties in the war on terrorism.


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September 12, 2011
Robert Ackerman  was a featured guest on The Craig Fahle Show in a segment on law school transparency with regard to employment statistics. Ackerman also provided tips on things prospective students should consider.


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September 1, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in the Chicago Tribune in an article titled "Memo by Groupon CEO Andrew Mason may send SEC searching for explanation." Groupon Chief Executive Andrew Mason conceded in a lengthy memo to employees Thursday that his spirited defense of the daily deals website's strategy and performance was at "a level of financial detail that will give Jason Child a stomach ulcer." The Internet site is supposed to be operating under a Securities and Exchange Commission-mandated cone of silence in the run-up to its IPO. But Mason's counterattack on criticisms he branded "insane" and "hilarious" made more than enough noise for people outside the company to sit up and notice. Henning said he understood that Mason would feel "muzzled by the SEC rules, but these are the rules everyone lives with."


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August 29, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Detroit News article titled "Underwear bomb suspect challenges his detention." Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the "underwear bomber" accused of trying to blow up an airliner over Metro Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, asked a judge Thursday to free him from prison, arguing he should be judged by the Quran, not U.S. laws. The handwritten request, in which Abdulmutallab claims he is being "unjustly detained," injected religion into arguably the most high-profile criminal terror case in the United States since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Abdulmutallab's request for freedom has "zero" chance of being granted, said Henning. "That argument has never worked in a U.S. court," Henning said. "You are judged, and international law recognizes, by the law of the nation where your crime took place."


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August 26, 2011
Robert Sedler  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Could court ruling be the end of medicinal pot shops in Michigan?" Medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan may have to close their doors after a potentially far-reaching court decision Wednesday declared Compassionate Apothecary in Mt. Pleasant a public nuisance. The unanimous ruling by the three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeals was declared a statewide precedent by Attorney General Bill Schuette, an opponent of the 2008 voter-passed law legalizing marijuana for medical use. The law voters approved allows certified patients to use the drug without facing prosecution, but it doesn't spell out a system for delivery, said Sedler. "The law doesn't contemplate dispensaries, rather, it contemplates that the person who uses it, grows it, or their caregiver grows it," Sedler said. "It was really directed at letting people grow their own marijuana. Clearly, the law didn't allow for dispensaries."


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August 25, 2011
John Mogk  was featured in a Detroit News editorial. The editorial called on the state Legislature to amend the Right to Farm Act to allow the city to reasonably regulate farm operations. The law, designed to protect farmers from suburban sprawl, bars local governments from telling farmers what they can and can't plant. Further, according to the editorial, Detroit needs to restructure its rules to allow for large-scale urban farming. It must also determine which city-owned land is available for lease to farmers. A recent article in the Wayne Law Review is cited that concluded that "urban agriculture is the only private use with the potential for significantly reducing the city's maintenance expense" for vacant land. The article by law professor John Mogk and two former students estimated farms in Detroit could generate $200 million in sales and create 5,000 jobs. As Mogk and his students say, "Urban agriculture is not a panacea for all of Detroit's problems, but it does address many of the city's problems through a single comprehensive program ..." So why wait?


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August 22, 2011
John Mogk  commented in a Detroit Free Press story about the growing practice of out-of-town real estate brokers handling the sale of local properties. He said the use of out-of-town brokers raises the likelihood that they will be less invested in maintaining property values in a community. Fannie and Freddie, he said, are better off "using local brokers ... who know the neighborhood, who can promote the features of the neighborhood than someone from a distant neighborhood who doesn't have the same understanding."


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August 15, 2011
John Mogk  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's fire sales are crippling metro Detroit communities, leaders say." Mogk, an expert in real estate and urban development, commented in the story about the practice of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac selling hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of foreclosed properties in metro Detroit for far less than they appear to be worth, a practice that local leaders say is driving down property values and weakening neighborhoods. In some instances, homes listed by the government-financed mortgage giants are being snapped up by private investors, then re-sold within days or weeks for far more money.


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August 15, 2011
Anthony Dillof  was featured in the Flint-Genesee Legal News in an article titled "Criminal law experts believes in the value of ‘live and learn.'" Dillof shares his expertise on Torts, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Civil Rights and Jurisprudence, topics that complement his scholarly interest in exploring forms of justice that underlie our civil, criminal, and constitutional law regimes.


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August 15, 2011
Peter Henning  appeared on WDET's "The Craig Fahle Show" talking about a recent appeal on a death penalty case in Michigan. Marvin Gabrion was convicted and sentenced to death for drowning a woman in a lake that is federal property. The death penalty is not usually an option in Michigan, but the murder took place on federal property, which is why Gabrion was eligible for the death sentence.


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August 8, 2011
Robert Sedler  commented in a Detroit News article titled "Unions sue to block 'unprecedented' DPS pay cut, challenge new EM law." Three unions have filed a lawsuit to stop what members call "an unprecedented power grab" by Detroit Public Schools' emergency manager, who used the state's tough new law to impose wage cuts and higher health care costs on employees. The suit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Detroit against emergency manager Roy Roberts and state Treasurer Andy Dillon, was brought by leaders of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, the Detroit Association of Educational Office Employees and the Detroit Federation of Paraprofessionals. DFT President Keith Johnson said the suit is challenging the constitutionality of the state's emergency manager law to break collective bargaining agreements. Sedler said he does not think the unions will prevail. "The two grounds they have asserted don't easily lend themselves to this type of case," Sedler said. "This doesn't seem to be the kind of thing the contracts clause was written for. It's more private contracts, not collective bargaining agreements involving public employees."


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August 5, 2011
John Mogk  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press story titled "Safeco insurance company balks at finishing Gateway project at Ambassador Bridge." An insurance company, Safeco, has told a Wayne County judge that it wants no part of trying to finish the long-delayed Gateway project at the Ambassador Bridge, further complicating efforts to finish the work. Last month, Wayne County Circuit Judge Prentis Edwards ordered Safeco, which had issued a performance bond for the project, to report how it would take over the work to finish it. Mogk said in a case like this, the insurance company's obligation would depend on what was written in its original contract. "If all they've contracted to do is provide funding, then it seems to me that they've got a decent argument that they themselves are not responsible for managing the work," Mogk said.


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August 5, 2011
Gregory Fox   was featured in a Detroit Legal News article titled "Professor spearheads Program for International Legal Studies, invites speakers on international issues to Wayne campus."


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August 4, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick ready to start anew, but freedom may not last long." Commenting on former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's release from prison and upcoming federal corruption legal challenges, Henning said that Kilpatrick faces hurdles, but the case is winnable -- especially if Kilpatrick can get some of the wiretap and text message evidence suppressed over the next several months.


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August 3, 2011
Peter Henning  commented on Swiss NPR Program "Echo der Zeit" in a segment on the U.S. investigation of Credit Suisse for tax evasion. The Justice Department notified Credit Suisse that it was the target of a criminal tax evasion investigation, and a number of former bank officials have been charged with conspiracy to commit tax evasion.


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August 1, 2011
John Mogk  provided expertise in an ABA Journal article titled "Plowing Over: Can Urban Farming Save Detroit and Other Declining Cities? Will the Law Allow It?"


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August 1, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Skelton's plea deal leaves door open for murder charge in Morenci boys' disappearance." John Skelton pleaded no contest to charges of unlawful imprisonment, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Under a plea deal, charges of kidnapping -- punishable by up to life in prison -- were dismissed. Some legal experts say prosecutors' decision to strike a deal is a prudent one, especially if murder charges could be on the horizon. Henning said it's difficult to say how an acquittal or conviction, particularly on the kidnapping charges, would have impacted any future charges against Skelton. Now, he said, the prosecutor won't have to worry about that as the homicide investigation continues. "You live to fight another day," Henning said. "That's not a bad approach here."


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July 29, 2011
John Mogk  commented in a Detroit News article titled "Detroit services to depend on neighborhood condition." Mayor Dave Bing unveiled a broad overhaul Wednesday of how the cash-strapped city will serve residents, saying City Hall cannot treat all neighborhoods equally and will now target areas for certain city services. Bing called the first measure to come from his signature Detroit Works Project a "short-term intervention strategy" to save neighborhoods. It will affect everything from where the most houses are demolished, trees are trimmed and streetlights are repaired. Although Bing said this initial plan won't include an effort to relocate people in viable neighborhoods, Mogk said it may nudge residents out anyway. "Providing reduced services to distressed areas sends a message that these areas will eventually be cleared and reused for other purposes," Mogk said. "This kind of says to people you have some options and may want to move."


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July 28, 2011
Robert Sedler  was interviewed on the Mildred in the Morning Show on AM 1200 WCHB regarding the Michigan Attorney General's request for a reexmination of the affirmative action suit. He was quoted in Crain's on the same subject earlier in the week.


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July 26, 2011
Robert Sedler  commented in an Associated Press article titled "Michigan ban on affirmative action may get 2nd look." Facing a deadline this week, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has pledged to ask an entire federal appeals court to suspend and re-examine a landmark decision that overturned the state's ban on affirmative action in college admissions. But here's the key issue: Will a majority of the court's 15 active judges agree to take the case? It would be rare for the full court to sweep aside the work of one of its panels and start from scratch, but this is not a typical case. It involves a 2006 law approved by 58 percent of Michigan voters and a very contentious issue - the role of race and gender in decisions by public officials. Sedler, an expert in constitutional law, said affirmative action may be "politically hot," but that's not a reason for the full court to intervene. "The reason may be it raises an important constitutional issue," Sedler said.


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July 24, 2011
Jonathan Weinberg  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Cooley Law School sues for bloggers names." The Thomas M. Cooley Law School, based in Lansing, is suing four anonymous bloggers and a New York law firm in two separate, but related, suits that claim the school's reputation was defamed by a series of Web postings. The suit alleges that law firm Kurzon Strauss singled it out in a Web posting that claimed the school "grossly inflates" job-placement data and is under federal investigation. "Getting an Ingham County judge to order Web site hosting companies to reveal the identities of anonymous bloggers/posters will be a tough hurdle to clear," Weinberg said. "You need to make a pretty substantial showing that you would win a defamation lawsuit for a judge to order the release of names."


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July 21, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was a featured guest on the Frank Beckmann Show today. Schroeck provided expertise on the Great Lakes Compact implementation issue in Ohio.


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July 21, 2011
Nick Schroeck  commented as the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center director in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Asian carp: U.S. as much to blame as fish farms for escape."


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July 20, 2011
Peter Henning  provided legal analysis to Business News Network (Canada) on the case involving media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who is facing tough questioning along with his son James over the phone hacking scandal that resulted in the shutdown of the 168-year-old News of the World.


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July 20, 2011
Eric Zacks  was highlighted in a Legal News feature article titled "Finding his niche: Wayne Law professor specializes in nuances of corporate law."


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July 20, 2011
Laura Bartell  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Borders to shut down for good after deal collapses." Borders Group, the 40-year-old retailer that started as a used bookstore in Ann Arbor, decided Monday to liquidate its remaining 399 stores, conceding a battle with competitors, technology and itself. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Feb. 16. "The news seemed like a formality after the bid for Borders fell apart last week," Bartell said. "The physical bookstore has become a thing of the past," she said.


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July 19, 2011
John Mogk  commented in an ABA Journal article titled "New Zoning Laws Allow for New Neighbors-Meet the Goats Next Door." Mogk, an urban farming expert, says that "as more people are becoming comfortable with tending their own farm animals, more cities across the country are starting to welcome urban agriculture in some form."


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July 18, 2011
Christopher Lund  commented in a Metro Times article titled "Court and Church: Michigan case puts church v. state before the U.S. Supreme Court." The U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing a case arising from a local matter involving a teacher at a small Lutheran elementary school in suburban Detroit over federal civil rights protections. Cheryl Perich wanted her job back after a six-month disability leave and school officials refused, a dispute that could be used to clarify whether hundreds of thousands of employees at parochial schools and other church-affiliated institutions deserve federal civil rights protections. While the federal law in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and ethnicity, it does contain a provision in which a religious employer may only hire individuals who practice that religion if their job duties include instruction in church doctrine or other "propagation of a particular religion," a practice referred to as ministerial exception. "There's a lot of significance to this. ... The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether this ministerial exception exists and, if so, whether this parochial school teacher qualifies as a minister," Lund said. "One of the issues on which the lower courts are divided is whether these types of parochial school teachers qualify as ministers under the ministerial exception. Some lower courts have said they do, some have said they don't. One of the jobs of the Supreme Court is to resolve differences from lower courts."


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July 13, 2011
Katherine White  an expert on intellectual property litigation, commented in a New York Times article examining Eagle Harbor Holdings' federal lawsuit against Ford Motor Company, accusing the carmaker of infringing on seven patents including its Sync technology. White said infringement cases like this one hinged on whether the technology performed "the same function, in substantially the same way, to get the same result" as the patented concept. She said Ford was in little danger of having to stop offering Sync or the other disputed technology, so its risk was limited to paying royalties, not halting production and losing sales.


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July 8, 2011
Peter Henning  commented on WWJ-AM in a segment on Casey Anthony's sentencing. Henning said he didn't think the judge would give Anthony the four-year maximum, but expects she'll spend some extra time behind bars. "The fact that her lawyer essentially admitted that she was a liar and that hampered the investigation, I would expect that will cause the judge to react quite negatively but I would be surprised if we saw the full four-year sentence imposed. To send the message that her obstruction in the investigation made it much more difficult to figure out what actually happened here. I would expect that's a message that he wants to send out. The lying to the officers had a significant impact on this case."


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July 7, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Detroit News article on the Casey Anthony verdict. Henning said, "The government's case sounded bad, but that doesn't mean guilty. And the jury's verdict doesn't mean she is innocent either. We tell jurors to not make up their minds until they have heard all the facts by the conclusion of a trial, and this jury obviously looked hard because they found her guilty of lying, but they obviously couldn't get over the hump to say she killed the girl."


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July 6, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in the Daily Tribune in an article on the Casey Anthony verdict. "When you put on a tough circumstantial case, this is what you get sometimes," he said. "They didn't have much forensic evidence that linked her to the death, and they didn't have an eyewitness. They weren't even sure about the cause of death."


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July 6, 2011
Noah Hall  commented in a Detroit News article titled "Councils ban text, email by lawmakers at meetings." A handful of communities in southeastern Michigan are asking local lawmakers to keep their hands off their smartphones or iPads at council meetings, banning them from communicating electronically with each other or the public while government business is being conducted. The issue has prompted spirited debate in some communities. Hall, founder of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center that sued the city of Ann Arbor for violating the Open Meetings and Freedom of Information acts, said his intent was never to ban electronic communication altogether. "We don't want to push people back into the Stone Age or to limit the use of efficient communication," he said. "I think that misses the mark. Electronic communications should create a whole new level of openness and accountability."


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July 6, 2011
Linda Beale's blog, A Taxing Matter, was picked up again by the Wall Street Journal. The specific post featured is titled "They're Bamboozling Us: Chang's '23' Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism."


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July 5, 2011
Anne Marie Burr  was featured in "WSU Law Professor Co-authors Legal Book for Foreign Students", Sheila Pursglove, Legal News, July 12, 2011.



July 1, 2011
Anne Marie Burr  commented in "WSU Law's Motion Day Provides Insight Into Courtroom Etiquette", Mike Scott, Legal News, January 20, 2011.



July 1, 2011
Peter Henning  a former Securities and Exchange Commission attorney, was quoted in an Associated Press article about the subpoena of mortgage records from Ally Financial Inc., the former finance arm of General Motors that was bailed out by the U.S. government. The subpoena signals that a probe into troubled mortgages is turning toward original underwriters of home loans that went bad. Henning said investigators are looking at originators because of lax lending standards. "When you look at the origination standards, there were no standards,'' He said. "It was ‘pump out product.' ''


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June 30, 2011
Kingsley Browne   commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Demoted GM executive sues, alleging age bias."


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June 28, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Minnesota Public Radio segment titled "Expect further investigation, crackdown on fraud violations."


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June 21, 2011
Noah Hall  who used to manage the Great Lakes Water Resources Program for the National Wildlife Federation, commented in a story about the fear that the Great Lakes could have its water diverted to other parts of the country to address shortage issues in the west. Hall said such a move is unlikely. For one thing, there's an agreement between eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces that prohibits diversions outside the Great Lakes basin. Congress passed it and so did the president. As long as that compact stays in place, the Southwest and the rest of the world should be out of luck. Hall said the cost of moving water that far west, and moving it uphill to boot, is too expensive to be possible anyway.


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June 21, 2011
Peter Hammer  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Emancipation Proclamation to make rare stop in Michigan." The document is to make a rare, round-the-clock appearance next week at the Henry Ford in Dearborn and is part of a National Archives exhibition about the Civil War that is on a multicity tour. Hammer applauded the Henry Ford for making the Emancipation Proclamation available for people to see for free. "I would say this is one of the most important documents in American history," Hammer said. "It's incredibly exciting. We have to make history come alive for people today, especially as we continue to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War."


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June 16, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a WJBK Fox 2 story titled "Detroit sues former police monitor in text scandal for $10M." Detroit has sued former police monitor Sheryl Robinson Wood, whose text messages show she had an affair with former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, for more than $10 million in fees she received. Henning says because of the conflict of interest, the monitorship went off the rails. He added, however, that the city of Detroit will have difficulty proving that the monitorship was conducted improperly as a result of the conflict of interest.


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June 16, 2011
Peter Henning  was featured on WXYZ-TV in a segment titled "Judge orders Kwame Kilpatrick's book profits to go toward restitution." Henning commented about Judge David Groner's judgment to set up an escrow account where Kilpatrick's share of any profits from his forthcoming ‘tell-all' book could be used to help pay the $860,000 in restitution he still owes the city. Henning said that the escrow account process is much more complicated than just pulling money out of the fund at will pointing out that several parties are lining up to claim their share which will require a close legal examination.


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June 16, 2011
David Moss  commented in an NPR story titled "Blind Law Student Claims Discrimination In Testing."


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June 15, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a WXYZ-TV story about the upcoming Kwame Kilpatrick book hearing. Henning said that during the hearing, the prosecution will want to question the book's publisher and the co-author of the book as well as the former mayor about how much money they have made on advanced sales.


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June 15, 2011
Peter Henning  was a guest on Legal Talk Network in a segment titled "Campaign Finance Law in the John Edwards Indictment." He joined co-host J. Craig Williams and Professor Richard L. Hasen from the University of California, Irvine School of Law, to discuss the charges and how the prosecution and defense will handle this controversial legal case. Click here to listen to the podcast.


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June 13, 2011
Linda Beale's blog, A Taxing Matter, was picked up again by the Wall Street Journal. The specific post featured is titled "Banks who aided taxpayers in hiding accounts under more scrutiny."


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June 13, 2011
Robert Sedler  was featured on Michigan Public Radio in a segment titled "Pontiac police dispatchers union contract can be voided by emergency manager." For the first time, a state appointed emergency manager has permission to void a union contract in a Michigan city. The state Treasurer's office gave its approval to Pontiac's emergency manager Monday to void the city's police dispatchers' contract. Pontiac's policing duties are being taken over by the Oakland County sheriff's department. Professor Sedler believes the courts would find the decision to void the contract a ‘reasonable' one. "What I think makes this reasonable in the Pontiac situation is that it is part of a transfer of law enforcement from the city of Pontiac to the sheriff."


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June 8, 2011
Peter Henning  and his New York Times blog, White Collar Watch, were referred to in a CNBC article titled "Are Prosecutors Aiming a Weapon of Mass Destruction at Goldman?" According to Henning, "proving a federal criminal securities fraud violation would be difficult because the government would have to prove that Goldman acted ‘willfully' to defraud the Hudson-1 purchasers. Under the Martin Act, however, the statement about ‘aligned' interests might be ‘contrary to the plain rules of common decency' to establish a violation, without having to show any fraudulent intent."


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June 7, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a San Francisco Chronicle article titled "New York may use Martin Act against Goldman Sachs." The criminal investigation of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. by the Manhattan district attorney's office has at its disposal a 90-year-old New York law that makes it easier for state prosecutors to bring charges than for their federal counterparts. District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has subpoenaed Goldman Sachs, the fifth-biggest U.S. bank by assets, for records on its activities leading into the credit crisis, two people familiar with the matter said. Vance may bring charges under the state's Martin Act, which lawyers call a potent tool for New York prosecutors probing investment fraud, Ponzi schemes and other white-collar crimes. Henning said he doubts that Vance's investigators will find "a smoking gun" in documents that have already been reviewed by Congress and federal regulators, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. By using the Martin Act, Vance may instead be able to build a criminal case based on circumstantial evidence, he said. "It makes it easier to prove," Henning said of the state statute.


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June 7, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Bloomberg article titled "Goldman Sachs Criminal Probe May Use Powerful New York State Law."


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June 6, 2011
Linda Beale  was quoted in an article titled "Patent Office Reexamining Controversial Tax Strategy Patent" by Jeremiah Coder in the May 23 issue of Tax Notes.


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June 2, 2011
Alan Schenk  was featured in a Legal News article titled "Caped Crusader Wayne State law professor masquerades as VATMAN."


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May 31, 2011
John Mogk  was quoted in an Associated Press article on the transformation of Globe Trading Company, a more than century-old manufacturing site, into an adventure and discovery center with rock climbing, zip lining and other outdoor activities. According to Mogk, the park's plans "sound like a 'wise policy decision' in an area where manufacturing has all but vanished and private plans for waterfront redevelopment, including numerous retail and residential projects, have been shelved."


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May 31, 2011
Robert Sedler  was interviewed by Channel 20 on the Michigan Emergency Financial Law and its possible application to the City of Detroit. Professor Sedler's interview should air tonight at 10 p.m.


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May 25, 2011
Jonathan Weinberg  was featured in a recent Legal News article titled "Frontier lawman: WSU professor helps decode mysteries of cyberspace law."


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May 23, 2011
Jonathan Weinberg  commented in an article in the Washington Internet Daily titled "Legal, Regulatory Implications of P2P Currency System Said Unclear." The article addresses peer-to-peer currency Bitcoin, which is touted as the world's first completely distributed digital currency. According to Weinberg, "Bitcoins have many disadvantages compared with conventional money instruments and only one advantage, anonymity."



May 23, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Law360 article titled "Calif. Judge Dings Defense In CCI Foreign Bribery Case."


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May 20, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Bloomberg article titled "Rajaratnam Guilty in Insider-Trading Case."


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May 12, 2011
Lance Gable  was quoted in a Compliance Week article titled "Regulatory Agencies Conduct Rulemaking Review." According to Gable the change "could be very significant in that it forces the government agencies to have a process in place to force them to periodically review existing, substantial regulations."


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May 11, 2011
Jonathan Weinberg  commented in a Capital News Service article titled "Computer privacy proposal prompts concerns." He also was quoted in a South End article titled "Michigan group goes 'fishing' for emails: Right-leaning Center asks to see labor profs' correspondence related to Wisconsin" and in another South End article titled "No charges sought against undocumented Detroit activist: Detroiter Dayanna Rebolledo, six other students arrested, later released in Atlanta after demonstration."



May 10, 2011
Robert Sedler  was interviewed on the Craig Fahle show in a segment on the Michigan Supreme Court, politics and ideologies.


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May 4, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Jacksonville.com article titled "Bribery trial starts today for former JaxPort chairman Nelson
Start of today's trial is being watched by prosecutors nationwide."


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May 2, 2011
Nick Schroeck  commented in a Michigan Messenger story titled "High court erases recent environmental victory: State supreme court vacates Anglers of Au Sable decision."


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May 2, 2011
Robert Sedler  was a featured guest on WDET's Morning Edition, discussing the Terry Jones/free speech case. It will air again this evening on All Things Considered. 


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April 29, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a New American article titled "Mexican Drug Trafficker Says He Worked With Feds."


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April 29, 2011
Robert Sedler  was quoted in a Mlive.com article titled "Is the proposed third Detroit-Windsor border crossing legal? Law professor hired by Matty Moroun challenges constitutionality."


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April 29, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was a guest on Michigan Public Radio's Environment Report, discussing a recent MI Supreme Court decision.


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April 28, 2011
Robert Sedler  wrote an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press titled "New public Detroit River bridge would be unconstitutional."


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April 28, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was featured in a Michigan Radio (NPR) segment titled "Can the state be held liable in lawsuits over permits?"


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April 28, 2011
Noah Hall  was quoted in a Forbes article titled "Mich. court overturns major environmental decision."


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April 27, 2011
Peter Hammer  was profiled in a Detroit Lega News article. The article highlights Hammer's hope in Detroit.


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April 27, 2011
Robert Sedler  was featured on WJR in a segment in which he tells Steve Courtney peace bonds are unconstitutional.


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April 26, 2011
Jocelyn Benson  was highlighted in a NPR commentary by Jack Lessenberry titled "Fighting for a Future."


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April 25, 2011
Robert Sedler  commented in a Detroit News article titled "Jones plans suit against Wayne Co. prosecutor with Ann Arbor law firm."


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April 23, 2011
Robert Sedler  commented about Dearborn officials denying Pastor Terry Jones a permit to protest this afternoon in front of the Islamic Center of America in a Dearborn Press & Guide article. The complaint seeks to make Jones post a peace bond, which is cash or surety deposited by a defendant to guarantee that they would not bother or threaten another person. If the terms of the bond are violated it is forfeited and the defendant risks arrest. "What they're trying to do is curtail the protest," Sedler said. "If there's not enough space then they move the counterprotesters. It is the responsibility of the police to protect the speaker."


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April 22, 2011
Robert Sedler  was a guest on the Paul W. Smith Show. The thrust of the interview was about how the First Amendment played out in the Pastor Jones Dearborn protest. According to Sedler, the First Amendment prohibits Dearborn from requiring the Pastor to post a bond for the cost of police protection. "The problem is from threats of violence against the Pastor. Under the First Amendment, the Dearborn police must protect him, since he is engaged in First Amendment activity. The city cannot charge him for the cost of police protection. Also, the permit ordinance must contain narrow, objective and definite standards. There can be no discretion to deny a permit on the ground that the speech is controversial."



April 22, 2011
Michael Steinberg  was quoted in the Detroit Free Press in an article titled "Pastor Terry Jones' rally becomes battle over free speech."


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April 21, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Business Week article about two of Bernard L. Madoff's investors and how they lost their bid to bring a $2.5 million suit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly gross negligent oversight in failing to uncover his fraudulent scheme. U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in New York threw out the 2009 lawsuit by investors Phyllis Molchatsky and Steven Schneider that blamed the SEC for failing to detect and end the scheme. Swain has 27 similar cases, according to the court docket. "These lawsuits are not going to survive," Henning said. "The SEC did not cover itself in glory in the Madoff investigation, but it has discretion conducting its investigations."


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April 20, 2011
Steven Winter  was profiled by the Legal News in an article titled "A touch of winter."


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April 20, 2011
Jocelyn Benson  was mentioned in a Daily Telegram brief brief as the keynote speaker at the Lenawee County Democratic Party's annual John F. Kennedy Dinner on May 14, in Adrian.


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April 19, 2011
Robert Sedler  was quoted in the Michigan Lawyers Weekly about a case in which the Michigan Court of Appeals denied a videographer permission to videotape oral arguments before the Court.



April 18, 2011
John Mogk  wrote an op-ed in the Detroit News titled "Emergency manager law no mistake."


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April 15, 2011
Barry Goldman  wrote an article for the LA Times titled "Playing chicken with the budget."


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April 14, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in an article on the September 2012 scheduled trial for former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his father and three other members of the so-called "Kilpatrick Enterprise" in the City Hall corruption case. "I could see this in early 2012," Henning said. "That would give the defendants a year to prepare, which I think most judges would accept."


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April 14, 2011
Peter Henning  quoted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in an article titled "Former governor demands name be removed from promotional material for Texas biomedical company."
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April 13, 2011
Katherine White  was highlighted in a South End article for being selected to teach law to senior cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., for the summer starting in May.


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April 13, 2011
Michael Steinberg  commented on AnnArbor.com in an article titled "Skyline High School officials discuss adding security cameras, but critics say equipment is unnecessary."


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April 13, 2011
Stephen Calkins  commented in a Crain's article titled "Corporate law budgets to remain lean despite uptick in the economy." "The question is going to be, will corporate counsel grow by more hiring inside, or will the new billing and fee arrangements they've created make their outside counsel more appealing to hire? That's still difficult to answer," said Calkins, professor and past interim dean at Wayne Law as well as past general counsel for the Federal Trade Commission. "My little sense is, in-house departments have done a little more hiring in specializations or niches they have a need to build on. When a specialty comes along, sometimes an outside firm will lead on that before a company may take attorneys in-house."


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April 11, 2011
Laura Bartell  stressed the importance of having a will or letter expressing the wishes of the deceased when it comes to real estate and other property in Detroit Free Press article titled "Widow sues cemetary after stepson is interred in husband's plot. "There's nothing you can't take care of while you're alive," Bartell said. She said cemetery officials should ask more questions to avoid conflicts as to who in the family has authority.


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April 11, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Detroit News article titled "Judge stalls charges against mom in standoff, awaits Supreme Court ruling."


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April 11, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in an article titled "Enron ruling may hurt former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson."


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April 11, 2011
Jocelyn Benson  commented in a Between the Lines article highlighting the push for anti-bullying legislation. Benson will head up a data collection effort to expose the extent and the impact of bullying in Michigan via the Michigan Allies Project. She said in a speech before an anti-bullying rally in Howell that Michigan needs to take a zero tolerance approach to bullying.


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April 11, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Detroit News article about former City Council President Monica Conyers's request to a federal judge to modify her 37-month prison sentence for bribery and let her serve time at home. Her bid is a long shot considering Conyers has filed an appeal, which is pending before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Henning said. "You can ask," he added. "Barring extraordinary circumstances, I doubt he would reconsider."

 


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April 11, 2011
Jocelyn Benson  was featured in the Grand Rapids Legal News for her role in the Michigan Allies Project. The purpose of the Michigan Allies Project is to collect data and report on "hate" incidents and crimes throughout the state of Michigan. The project's focus will be on hate incidents that target individuals based on their race, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation.


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April 8, 2011
Jocelyn Benson  will be among the speakers participating in the Michigan Democratic LGBT Caucus's and the Michigan School Tolerance Campaign's march to end bullying in Michigan schools on Saturday, April 9, according to a Between the Lines article.


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April 5, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was quoted in a Michigan Radio story titled "Is the State Supreme Court a flip-flopper?"


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April 1, 2011
Robert Sedler  was quoted in a Michigan Radio story titled "Is the State Supreme Court a flip-flopper?"


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April 1, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was quoted in a Great Lakes Echo article titled "Rust belt govs need to shine up their environmental legacy."


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April 1, 2011
Peter Henning  comment in a Bloomberg story about challenges facing SEC head Mary Schapiro as she hits the halfway point of her five-year term. "Insider trading is really flash," says Henning. "If you look at some of the biggest numbers, like Raj (hedge-fund mogul Raj Rajaratnam, now on trial in federal district court in Manhattan) you're talking about $50 million. But Lehman is the biggest bankruptcy in history, and it alone has cost over $1 billion in legal and other professional fees."


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March 31, 2011
Robert Sedler  was mentioned in a Detroit Free Press article regarding a upcoming Jewish Community Center event. Sedler will lead a discussion on "The Supreme Court as an Institution" at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at the Center in West Bloomfield.


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March 31, 2011
Michael Steinberg  was featured on the Craig Fahle Show in a segment regarding a minor who was served Mike's Hard Lemonade at a Tigers game.


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March 30, 2011
Michael Steinberg  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "ACLU files lawsuit over child's removal."


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March 25, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in the Wall Street Journal on a case involving the empaneling of a special investigative grand jury to probe the child welfare agency in Brooklyn, N.Y. "This is the traditional role of the grand jury, which is not only to return charges but to investigate governmental corruption." Any recommendations from the grand jury, though, don't have the force of law, he said. "It essentially becomes a bully pulpit."


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March 24, 2011
Lance Gable  was a guest on the Craig Fahle show on WDET, discussing the one-year anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. His segment starts at approximately 1:16:00 in the podcast.


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March 23, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a News Journal opinion piece examining the Securities and Exchange Commission's handling of former general counsel David M. Becker, who was involved with the Madoff bankruptcy case even as he had a personal stake in its outcome. Henning says an effective SEC would move away from "low-hanging fruit" cases against inside traders to the more pernicious action in derivatives markets.


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March 22, 2011
Robert Sedler  commented in an Mlive.com article titled "Power grab or fiscal prudence? State lawmakers disagree on expanded powers of emergency financial managers."


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March 20, 2011
Michael Steinberg  was quoted in the Lansing State Journal in an article titled "ACLU says ban on Capitol signs unfairly enforced." He was also quoted in a March 12 Detroit News article titled "U-M floats new trespass rules: Proposal would limit campus bans; ACLU says policy too broad." Click here for that article.


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March 18, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Bloomberg Business Week story about the Securities and Exchange Commission's former general counsel, David M. Becker, who was involved with the Madoff bankruptcy case even as he had a personal stake in its outcome. "An effective SEC would move away from "low-hanging fruit" cases against inside traders to the more pernicious action in derivatives markets. Financial companies are digging out of the holes that their exotic credit contracts caused in the crisis, he says, but the SEC needs to keep a vigilant eye on them because "these companies are like crack addicts -- they will smoke the thing that gets them high and increases their revenue," Henning said.


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March 16, 2011
Christopher Lund  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Attorney General Bill Schuette: EMU's student's religious beliefs against homosexuality violated."


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March 15, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Bloomberg story about Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. making $3 billion in loans to itself in transactions that allegedly elude the Dodd-Frank law. The law was enacted last year to prevent a bank from using similar techniques to make regulators, credit-rating companies and lenders believe it was healthier than it was.


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March 11, 2011
Kingsley Browne   participated in a Fox News Channel point-counterpoint discussion of women serving in military infantry units.


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March 8, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Detroit Free Press article about the Securities and Exchange Commission's inquiry into the Allen Park's failed deal to open Unity Studios film production and training institute in 2009. He said that two years ago such an inquiry was unheard of. But the SEC is now focusing on government bonds.


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March 7, 2011
Nick Schroeck  commented on the lawsuit filed against oil and gas company Enbridge over its 2010 Michigan pipeline rupture in an interview with Michigan Radio. The interview was referenced in a story in the Michigan Messenger online news network.


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March 7, 2011
Nick Schroeck  commented on the new Transnational Environmental Law Clinic partnership with Windsor Law on NPR, Law Ontario Waterkeeper and in the Grand Rapids Legal News.


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March 4, 2011
Peter Henning  commented about the warrant request in the nine-month investigation of last spring's police shooting of 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones in a Detroit News story. Henning said the warrant request could be for a broad range of charges. "Without knowing who the warrant is for, it's hard to say what it's for," Henning said. "If it was someone involved in the actual incident, it could be a manslaughter charge or improper use of a firearm. But if it's from someone who was questioned during the investigation, it could be failure to disclose information to police or obstruction of justice. Without knowing who the warrant is for, I'm in the dark, he said."


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March 4, 2011
John Mogk  wrote an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press titled "Farms next to neighborhoods pose special challenges only cities can address."


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March 3, 2011
Susan Cancelosi  was highlighted in a Legal News article titled "Golden years: Wayne Law professor goes to bat for seniors."


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March 2, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in a Detroit Free Press story about a lawsuit accusing John Lietke, longtime head of Utica Steel, and Marilyn Amormino, longtime controller, of using the company's coffers as a personal piggy bank. Henning says prosecutors often are reluctant to get drawn into a case in which a civil lawsuit is already under way. They don't want to appear that they are taking sides.


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February 28, 2011
Linda Beale's blog, A Taxing Matter, was picked up again by the Wall Street Journal. The specific post featured is titled "What Corporations Want (Daily Show)."


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February 27, 2011
John Mogk  wrote an op-ed in the Detroit News titled "Change law to fight speculators: State Constitution provision on condemnation should be amended."


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February 25, 2011
Linda Beale's blog, A Taxing Matter, was picked up again by the Wall Street Journal. The specific post featured is titled "The House GOP Budget."


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February 25, 2011
Laura Bartell  commented in a Bloomberg article titled "Michigan Foreclosures-by-Advertising Catch Homeowners Off Guard."


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February 24, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was featured on the Craig Fahle Show today talking about the transnational clinic. His interview starts at around the 33 minute mark.


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February 24, 2011
Robert Sedler  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Fight to save Michigan's film tax break in works."


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February 22, 2011
Robert Ackerman  commented in a Legal News article titled "Discussing trends emerging from China's global impact."


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February 22, 2011
Nick Schroeck  commented in an updated version of a Metro Times article profiling the Anglers of the AuSable. The mid-Michigan group of fly fishermen are scheduled to appear at the Michigan Supreme Court this week arguing appeals of the case involving Texas-based oil company Merit Energy Co. and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.


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February 15, 2011
Linda Beale's blog, A Taxing Matter, was picked up by the Wall Street Journal. The specific post featured is titled "Health Care and the Anti-Abortion Right."



February 15, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Bloomberg Businessweek article titled "Madoff Lawsuit: Turns on What JPMorgan Knew of Fraud: Ann Woolner." The trustee for Bernard Madoff, disgraced financier and operator behind what has been called the largest Ponzi scheme in history, says Madoff's bankers and several investors either knew the fund manager was crooked or should have known. According to Henning, this is a novel extension of the legal concept of willful blindness. Also called deliberate ignorance or constructive knowledge, it isn't something you normally see applied to people who aren't accused of actually committing a crime, Henning said. "It's a stretch, but he's not going to get laughed out of court."


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February 9, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in an article examining the case of billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, co-founder of the Galleon Group LLC hedge fund, who is set for trial Feb. 28 in Manhattan federal court on charges he made $45 million on illegal stock tips dating back to 2003. Rajaratnam is the "main target" in the probe, and will serve several years in prison if he pleads guilty or is convicted at trial, Henning said.


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February 8, 2011
John Mogk  commented in a Detroit News article titled "Private landowners complicate reshaping of Detroit." Mogk states that Detroit Mayor Bing "can expect lengthy and costly lawsuits from speculators."


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February 3, 2011
Lance Gable  will be a guest on the Craig Fahle Show on WDET today around 11 a.m. to talk about the court decision striking down the health care law.



February 1, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted in an Mlive.com story titled "'Misleading' statement in court tarnishes record of Detective Sgt. Christopher Boulter."

 


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January 31, 2011
Laura Bartell  provided legal expertise in a recent Herald Palladium article.


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January 31, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was on WDET 101.9 this morning discussing the latest Asian carp developments with Craig Fahle. His interview starts at about the 1 hr 33 minute mark.


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January 31, 2011
Julia Qin  was featured in a Macomb Legal News article, along with Wayne Law Professor Gregory Fox and Michigan Law Professor Nico Howson, for her role in the U.S.-China Economic Law Conference held at Wayne Law on Feb. 11, 2011.


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January 28, 2011
Gregory Fox   was featured in a Macomb Legal News article, along with Wayne Law Professor Julia Qin and Michigan Law Professor Nico Howson, for his role in the U.S.-China Economic Law Conference held at Wayne Law on Feb. 11, 2011.


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January 28, 2011
Christopher Lund  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "University of Michigan's campus ban reviewed after 2,000 are restricted." Professor Lund discussed some potential constitutional problems with U-M's policy.


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January 27, 2011
John Mogk  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Control of Detroit water system a thorny issue, legal experts say."


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January 20, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a story about Bank of America Corp. which was ordered to return $500 million in deposits to Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and pay $90 million in interest. Bank of America Corp. said it didn't act with "maliciousness" and shouldn't have to pay damages greater than $1.3 million of Lehman's costs for litigating the case. According to Henning, securities laws require Apple to disclose developments that a reasonable investor would consider to be important. The SEC hasn't provided guidance on whether that would include Jobs's medical condition, he said.


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January 19, 2011
Jocelyn Benson  commented in a Newsweek article titled "Colorado: New Power Pols." Secretaries of state have been among the more anonymous local officeholders, managing elections without taking a political side. Since the 2000 recount in Florida, however, when Republican Katherine Harris raised the post's profile, it's gone from political backwater to proving ground. This month at least seven states have replaced old-model functionaries with openly partisan secretaries, says Benson, who calls the shift "one of the most concerning outcomes of the 2010 elections."


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January 18, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Bloomberg story about Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs announcing that he is taking a leave of absence from the helm. Henning talked about the SEC's requirements for disclosing such announcements.


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January 18, 2011
Lance Gable  was interviewed on legal and ethical issues in research with older populations on the Senior Solution radio show, on 107.5 FM WGPR.



January 15, 2011
John Mogk  wrote an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press focusing on residency requirements for Detroit employees titled "Residency rules bring safer neighborhoods, boost city economy."

 


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January 13, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Detroit Free Press article titled "Inkster cops should be cleared of perjury, attorney says."


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January 13, 2011
Robert Sedler  participated in a Skype interview explaining some of the issues regarding privacy in America. Sedler talks about Internet regulation, TSA searches and the use of video cameras in public areas.

 


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January 13, 2011
Robert Ackerman  was quoted in the National Law Journal in an article titled "'U.S. News' considering giving third tier law schools a number." Dean Ackerman said he would welcome the change.


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January 11, 2011
Peter Henning  commented in a Bloomberg.com story about deliberately spreading false rumors to sway prices in the market. "Proving a market-manipulation case is difficult. You might be able to see a unicorn before you see a market manipulation case established based on rumors."

 


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January 11, 2011
Peter Henning  was quoted on AnnArbor.com in a story titled "FBI agent signed as witness on Hutaree marriage certificate using false name."


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January 10, 2011
Noah Hall's blog, the Great Lakes Law blog, was referenced in a Michigan Messenger article titled "High court in flux delivers victory to environmental groups: Restores citizen right to sue over pollution."


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January 5, 2011
Noah Hall  commented in a Chicago Tribune article titled "Court throws out major 2004 environmental ruling."


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January 4, 2011
Nick Schroeck  was quoted in a Michigan Messenger story titled "High court in flux delivers victory to environmental groups: Restores citizen right to sue over pollution."


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January 4, 2011
Peter Henning  commented on MLive.com in an article titled "Time for transparency in public defender system? Kilpatrick's defense may cost 'hundreds of thousands,' but we don't know why he qualified."


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January 3, 2011
John Mogk  wrote a column in Crain's titled "Redevelopment requires the following plan." Mogk states it's the city's inability to implement plans -- not the absence of community involvement -- that has led to redevelopment failures over the past 50 years.


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January 3, 2011