Articles

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Professor John Yoo weigh in on whether President Trump could and should pardon himself

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, appears on The Morning Report to discuss Covid-19’s potential long term impact on traffic, public transportation and how Californians get from point A to point B

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, says the city of San Diego’s disputed greenhouse-gas emissions numbers look suspect

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky discusses the federal appeals court decision allowing information requests by congressional oversight panels without the approval of majority members

Lecturer Shanin Specter says San Francisco needs a prosecutor who is as tough on drug dealers as on police officers

Judge Jeremy Fogel, Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, discusses judicial stress and anxiety during the pandemic

 Lecturer Carla Shapreau discusses the theft of a rare 18th century violin

Lecturer Shanin Specter says a proposal to change the way Pennsylvania voters elect state Supreme Court justices and appellate court judges violates the law and the state constitution

Ted Mermin, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, says Bank of America may be liable for fraudulent activities on EDD debit cards

Forecasting what to expect on climate and environmental policy during the first 100 days of the Biden administration and beyond.   

Swift, an evidence scholar, was the fifth woman professor hired at the School of Law and a key part of developing the clinical program.

The gifted teacher and born reformer (class of 1976) was the fourth woman professor hired at the School of Law.

Research and analysis of the Emergency Services Act by California Constitution Center fellows Stephen Duvernay and Brandon Stracener is cited as San Bernardino County asks California Supreme Court to overturn Governor Newsom’s stay-at-home order

Professor Sonia Katyal says existing whistleblower law is totally insufficient and essential to address issues at the intersection of artificial intelligence and civil rights

Lecturer Shanin Specter discusses the paralysis in the court system in relation to catastrophic injury cases

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky offers advice to President-elect Biden on handling the investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes

Serving more than 125 students from 14 countries, the course probed the many ways in which the pandemic has undermined equality across the world.

Lecturer Shanin Specter successfully had a lawsuit remanded and gave the court-ordered attorneys fees to a case-related charity

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says there is no clear answer to the question of whether President Trump can pardon himself, but there is a strong argument that such a pardon would not and should not be constitutional

Lecturer Mallika Kaur explores the farmers’ protests in India and says women’s participation challenges the narrative that the protest is only about angry men, dangerous and entirely unwilling to listen to reason

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes the LA Superior Court ruling to enjoin a ban on outdoor dining ignores a fundamental constitutional principle: Government regulation of business is allowed as long as it is reasonable

Professor Pamela Samuelson outlines how lawmakers and platforms can tackle the growing problem, and what a new Congress and administration might do.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says mask mandates do not violate anyone’s constitutional rights and it’s a shame health issues have become politicized 

Professor John Yoo urges progressives to see the value of the Electoral College

Professor Sonia Katyal, co-director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, discusses the gamble companies are taking when they consider brand value vs. reputation, as the Supreme Court overturns a key provision of the Lanham Act, allowing trademarking of disparaging names

Lecturer Mallika Kaur discusses the unprecedented farmers protests in India and the solidarity protests across CA

The founder of No One Left Offline says “the internet is the new electricity — without it, you’re in the dark.”

Alexa Koenig, Executive Director of the Human Rights Center, explains the Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations which offers guidance on how social media evidence can be used in international criminal proceedings

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why the SCOTUS decision in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York v. Cuomo is hugely important and what it tells us about the new court

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky discusses President Trump’s numerous court cases and the instances when he has been checked, or not, by the courts

Professor Elisabeth Semel, Director of the Death Penalty Clinic, says the Trump DOJ is exploiting executions for political reasons

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says the Supreme Court’s differing decisions regarding large religious gatherings during the pandemic are a result of the addition of Justice Amy Coney Barrett

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, says Biden’s Justice Department won’t be working against litigants in climate cases as the Trump administration did

Lecturer Shanin Specter weighs in as Pennsylvania plans to begin in-person civil trials again

Professor Orin Kerr discusses the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and more clarity about what the law means is needed

A three-year effort by the Human Rights Center and the U.N. Human Rights Office advances the use of digital information to pursue justice against atrocities.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says an exodus of federal judges considering retirement will depend on which party controls the Senate

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that the Supreme Court’s decision to bar New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from putting restrictions on religious gatherings is the indicative of the impact Justice Amy Coney Barrett will have on the court

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes we should loudly condemn those who have enabled President Trump’s false claims of election fraud by their words and by their silence

Professor Orin Kerr explains pros and cons of virtual SCOTUS arguments

Professor Taeku Lee discusses his recent survey of Asian American voters in Georgia that found 41 percent voted for the first time in this election

Lecturer Shanin Specter appeared on ALI’s Reasonably Speaking podcast to explore multidistrict litigation

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says the total, second most among all law schools, “so reflects our public mission and commitment to public service.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to crush workers, especially the lowest earners, the Center for Law and Work puts them in the spotlight.

“The Fire and the Forgotten” will air on PBS in May, on the centennial of what’s known as one of the worst incidents in American history of racial violence against Black people.

Kuraj teams up with Professor Daniel Farber to assess the vital implications of gene editing for environmental purposes.

Professor Prasad Krishnamurthy writes that President-elect Biden may have the opportunity to solve the nation’s $1.6 trillion student debt problem

Professor Chris Hoofnagle, Faculty Director at the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, says privacy disclosures for apps can be lacking and asks whether a reasonable consumer would agree to them if explicitly asked

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why we are used to hearing agendas from political candidates, but not judges, in reaction to Justice Samuel Alito’s recent Federalist Society speech 

Industry giants tackle racial justice in sports, music industry changes, and other timely topics at Berkeley Law’s annual Sports and Entertainment Conference. 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and UC Chancellor Howard Gillman say case-by-case reviews of religious beliefs versus government interests can never work, as the Supreme Court debates Fulton v. Philadelphia

Alexa Koenig, Executive Director of the Human Rights Center, explains why it’s critically important social media companies preserve evidence of abuse

Lecturer Shanin Specter asks the PA Supreme Court to exercise extraordinary jurisdiction to get his client’s case moving again after it was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that the US is not a democracy because the government we live under is profoundly anti-majoritarian

Lecturer Mallika Kaur, as part of her ongoing series exploring managing trauma and the demands of lawyering, explores the intersection of law and policy and highlights the dire need for leading by example 

Lecturer Rose Carmen Goldberg writes the Biden/Harris administration’s commitment to veterans gives hope this Veterans Day

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, discusses immediate steps the Biden administration could take to help the environment 

“Technology Law as a Vehicle for Anti-Racism,” a free-two day virtual symposium on November 12 and 13 aims to not just ignite a conversation about how to channel tech law and policy to serve the interests of racial justice, but to stoke the flames of action.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says there are six votes on the Supreme Court to dramatically limit affirmative action and to overrule earlier decisions allowing it, regardless of who is President

Professor Jonathan Simon discusses the opportunities for bail reform at the local level, after Prop 25 fails 

Professor Ian Haney Lopez explores the ways President Trump exploited status anxiety within the Latino community and writes that we should think of race not in terms of fixed identities but in terms of complex beliefs about belonging, respect and threat

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says Californians’ attitudes and impulses around incarceration have changed

Berkeley Law experts describe what to expect — depending on who wins the presidency and which party controls the Senate — from health care and the environment to immigration and criminal justice.

Professor Bertrall Ross appears on NPR’s On Point to discuss the latest litigation around the 2020 presidential election

Berkeley Law student Clara Dorfman ’22 volunteered with a Berkeley Human Rights Center team that’s scouring social media for evidence of voter suppression and other threats on Election Day and beyond.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky discusses President Trump’s vow to take the fight over election results all the way to the Supreme Court

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains says electors must vote how the state dictates

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky contemplates how the Supreme Court, with three justices appointed by Donald Trump, could anoint him to stay in the White House

Emily Bruce, Director of Equity and Inclusion, discusses ways students can cope with election anxiety

Professor Bertrall Ross appears on KQED’s Forum to discuss the role of the Electoral College and the ongoing debate over its relevance

Professor Chris Hoofnagle discusses CA Prop 24 and says the writing is on the wall that privacy law is coming

Professor Abhay Aneja’s paper, “No Credit For Time Served? Incarceration and Credit-Driven Crime Cycles”, is cited in a article examining the long term impact of court debts and incarceration

Professor Sarah Song says the notion of many voices being heard, and which voices prevail, is going to be an ongoing struggle even with the forces that 2020 has unleashed

Gov. Gavin Newsom partners with Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic on a historic amicus brief about racial discrimination’s impact on how capital punishment is imposed in California. 

A message that emphasizes common interest in economic fairness across all races is essential to neutralize racially divisive messages, the Berkeley Law scholar and author says. 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky weighs in on whether Supreme Court term limits are possible under the constitution

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes of his concern for what it will mean to have a Supreme Court majority that embraces the values of the far right of the Republican Party and is far more conservative than the electorate

EBCLC’s Clinical Supervisors Seema Rupani and Hewot Shankute write there is a real appetite for progressive reforms that will increase stable, decent, affordable housing for years to come

Professor Elisabeth Semel, Director of the Death Penalty Clinic, and Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explain the unprecedented court filing that asserts the state’s death penalty law is applied in a racist manner against African Americans

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains what the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett will mean for upcoming cases on the Supreme Court docket

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains the key issues and history of the Electoral College

 Professor Robert Bartlett discusses the disparate impact of COVID-19 on small businesses

During her one-year assignment at UC Legal, Tiongson strives to honor the legacy of Christopher Patti, UC Berkeley’s former chief campus counsel.

Professor Prasad Krishnamurthy weighs in on Google’s likely defense in a suit filed by Android users alleging an app monopoly

Lecturer Mallika Kaur, as part of her ongoing series exploring managing trauma and the demands of lawyering, speaks to Berkeley Law alum Taina Gomez, Solano County DPD about self care, the culture that compounds trauma for clients and lawyers of color and what it means to be committed to social justice as a child of immigrants. 

Professor Amanda Tyler’s upcoming book, authored with the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, entitled Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union, is a review of Ginsburg’s legal legacy, filtered through her memories and perspective

The Washington, D.C. Attorney General has filed a lawsuit in parallel to a civil suit, represented by lecturer Shanin Specter, against the Washington Hebrew Congregation in relation to child sexual abuse of preschoolers

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky asks if we really want our rights to be determined by the understandings of centuries ago?

Professor Bertrall Ross appears on NPR’s On Point podcast to discuss the integrity of the votes cast by America’s 538 electors

Savala Trepczynski, Executive Director of the Henderson Center for Social Justice, explain how defunding the police protects black women and says we should spend money on helping people, not hurting them

Berkeley Law professor and prominent tax expert Mark Gergen dissects recent revelations about the president’s tax returns.

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, says local races have huge long-term implications on land use and how communities adapt to a changing climate

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky breaks down Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission – what it meant for the couple and what it means for couples moving forward

Professor Andrea Roth discusses CA Prop 20, saying putting more money into collecting DNA is a a zero-sum game

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky appears on The Brian Lehrer Show to discuss affirmative action as an issue in the presidential race 

Professor Khiara Bridges discusses white supremacy and how scholars and activists talk about racism

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says a shift towards states’ rights could lead to a new era of progressive legislation

A special slate of one-credit classes is helping first-year students and professors get to know one another during an unprecedented semester.

Professor Catherine Fisk explains why qualified immunity creates a too high a bar for victims of police violence

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says Judge Amy Coney Barrett has gone further than other SCOTUS candidates in refusing to answer questions

Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and tech-law expert James Dempsey assess the legal wrangling over the Trump administration’s attempted ban of the Chinese apps.

Professor David Singh Grewal, with Joshua P. Zoffer, explains why court reform for the sake of democracy becomes all the more urgent when faced by the prospect of a minoritarian majority on the Supreme Court

Professor Bertrall Ross discusses the mechanisms by which a majorly conservative U.S. Supreme Court would affect the sociopolitical landscape of the country

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes Democrats must use the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings as an opportunity to convey how much President Trump and the Republicans will undermine the rights of all Americans by putting Judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court

Lecturer Shanin Specter appears on the Court Radio Show to discuss tort issues related to COVID-19

Lecturer Shanin Specter discusses the president’s civil liability for Covid transmission

The joint UC Berkeley/Americorps initiative sends recent graduates to work in farm and forest communities across California to build resilience and mitigate climate change.

Ted Mermin, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, offers consumers tips on the complicated business of getting out of gym memberships

Professor Chris Hoofnagle discusses Prop 24 and says an opt-out system may not be perfect, but it is the only workable approach

Professor Pamela Samuelson predicts the usual right-left splits won’t apply in Google v Oracle

Professor Tejas Narechania says Google v Oracle poses two big questions for the Supreme Court

Professor Catherine Fisk says OSHA may feel themselves powerless to protect West Wing workers from exposure to the virus by the president

Lecturer Mallika Kaur asks what “defund the police” means in terms of response to domestic violence incidents, currently the single largest category of calls received by police?

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says conservatives on the Supreme Court are moving strongly toward creating a right of people to exercise their religious freedom to discriminate against others

Governor Newsom signs a whopping seven bills that focus on protecting residents’ civil, financial, and environmental rights — all driven by Berkeley Law clinics and centers.

Professor Orin Kerr predicts Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment to the Supreme Court will bring a considerable and rapid shift to the right

Lecturer Shanin Specter examines the president’s civil liability for Covid transmission, following his campaign fundraiser in Bedminster 

Jim Dempsey, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, discusses the legal cases around the sale of TikTok

The executive director of Berkeley Law’s Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, Trepczynski discusses race hierarchy and its far-reaching implications.

Professor Khiara Bridges says when public agencies share private information it can lead to serious unexpected consequences 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why no start of a new U.S. Supreme Court term ever has been like this one

Professors Bertall Ross & Kathryn Abrams discuss efforts by Republicans to reduce the number of votes cast by people of color, swinging a close election to incumbent President Donald Trump and away from Democrat Joe Biden

Professor john a. powell, Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute, says critical race theory has lifted up the racial gaze of America

Professor Christopher Tomlins digs deeply into the persona of the Virginia slave Nat Turner and examines the legacy of the 1831 rebellion he led.

Professor Bertrall Ross says replacing Justice Ginsburg with a woman with different ideology reinforces the idea that identity matters more than the substantive values that the individuals represent

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says adding Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court would make it the most conservative Supreme Court since the Lochner era

Rachel Johnson-Farias, Executive Director of the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice, says the judiciary has been attacking Roe v Wade with “death by a thousand cuts”

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes the disconnect between the nation’s highest judicial panel and the people who live with its rulings is starker than ever

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says Judge Amy Coney Barrett is far to the right of most in American society

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky advises Senate Democrats to focus on what Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation will mean for the Constitution, the country and for people’s lives

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, discusses Governor Newsom’s executive order banning sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035

Professor Orin Kerr discusses the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her legacy, and the impact a Supreme Court vacancy may have on the Presidential Election

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, says telecommuting may be more politically palatable in the Bay Area, but policies such as road pricing and building housing near transit would go further to cut congestion and emissions.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains how Republican-appointed judges seem more inclined to advance the party’s interests than uphold the Constitution

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and UC Chancellor Howard Gillman warn that the addition of another conservative justice to the Supreme Court could be a disaster for Americans’ access to healthcare

Professor Amanda Tyler discusses Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s impact and legacy

Professor Bertrall Ross discusses the issues and concerns surrounding the upcoming election

Professor Khiara Bridges explains the history and importance of Critical Race Theory 

More than 100 Berkeley Law students work each year at the East Bay Community Law Center, helping to push forward myriad initiatives that serve disenfranchised people of color.

Professor Catherine Fisk explains the issues with the Labor Department’s proposal to adopt a shorter, simpler test for when employers may legally classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees who are covered by federal minimum wage and overtime law

Experts from all over campus are sharing their knowledge in a livestreamed video series, created soon after the pandemic emerged, called “Berkeley Conversations.”

Dean Erwim Chemerinsky advocates for an “open book” bar exam, as the California Supreme Court says no to “diploma privilege” 

The Policy Advocacy Clinic helped persuade California to become the first state to stop intercepting tax refunds, garnishing wages, and levying bank accounts for unpaid debt during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the Berkeley Law Staff Circle on Anti-Racism (SCAR) contributed to a letter sent to Chancellor Carol Christ regarding the relationship between the campus police department and the school community.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says Democrats should move to expand the size of the Supreme Court if Republicans force a vote on Justice Ginsburg’s replacement through without President Trump first being re-elected

Five Berkeley Law professors describe Ginsburg’s enormous influence and the colossal implications of rushing to confirm her replacement before the presidential election.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and UC Chancellor Howard Gilman, co-authors of a new book, The Religion Clauses: The Case for Separating Church and State, discuss the difference between separationist and accomodationist views, the reason they felt that it was an opportune time to write this book, and what they hope to accomplish with its release

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, weighs in on the significance of Governor Newsom’s plan to eliminate sales of gas-powered cars and trucks in the state by 2035

After coordinating programs to maximize representation, Pedral says completing the census by the September 30 deadline is vital for California’s future.

The Berkeley Center for Law and Business cooks up a tasty startup niche for foodtech entrepreneurs. 

The Environmental Law Clinic fights toxic chemicals in federal court and at the State House.

Professor Khiara Bridges discusses the evolution of Critical Race Theory and expresses doubt President Trump even knows what it is

Professor Amanda Tyler reflects on her experiences with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why, if President Trump’s nominee is confirmed, we’ll have the most radically conservative Court since the early 1930s

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says President Trump’s use of the Justice Department for political gain is exceptional and unprecedented

Alexa Koenig, Executive Director of the Human Rights Center, explains why social media companies’ use of algorithms to remove content can hinder investigations into incidents

The remarkable journey of California Law Review Editor-in-Chief Samson Lim ’21, who spent six years in a wheelchair.

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, discusses Gov. Newsom’s promise to accelerate the state’s response to global warming

Dean Erwin Chemerinksy President Trump’s executive order essentially banning WeChat has chilling effect on the exercise of free speech that is profound and constitutionally unsupportable

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that there’s a way for Democrats to make clear they will not tolerate Republicans trying to fill Justice Ginsburg’s seat in advance of the election

Professor Amanda Tyler discusses her experiences with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says the Trump administration’s efforts to block downloads of TikTok and WeChat are unprecedented, even in the context of trade restrictions, and unconstitutional

Anya Grossman, Director of Global Outreach and Professional Engagement, and James Dempsey, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, explain how Berkeley Law’s LLM program keeps the curriculum relevant 

The Workers’ Rights Clinic caseload has surged since the pandemic sent a shockwave through the labor force. 

Lecturer Mallika Kaur, as part of her ongoing series exploring managing trauma and the demands of lawyering, speaks to critical race theorist and feminist legal scholar Angela P. Harris about challenging homogeneity of the profession and academy;  the genius and struggle of women scholars; emotional intelligence for strong lawyering; the trap of “diversity” without power-sharing; and the potential of Juneteenth, 2020

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and UC Chancellor Howard Gillman, co-authors of a new book titled The Religion Clauses: The Case for Separating Church and State, argue the Supreme Court’s majority is using the religion clause to strike down hard-fought advances in civil rights

Professor Ian Haney Lopez, with Tory Gavito, writes that President Trump’s competitiveness among Latinos is real and suggests Joe Biden’s key to reaching Latino voters is to link racism and class conflict

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that the Trump administration’s attack on critical race theory is profoundly anti-intellectual and wrong 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says comments on the arrest of journalist Josie Huang and says a reporter on a public sidewalk observing what’s going on is constitutionally protected

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky discusses his new book, “The Religion Clauses: The Case for Separating Church and State,” and how the Supreme Court’s First Amendment law concerning religion is likely to change in the years ahead

Professor Orin Kerr’s work, and his 2011 paper titled, “Why Courts Should Not Quantify Probable Cause” are cited in this Bloomberg Opinion column 

California law deans, including Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, urge the California Supreme Court to drop remote proctoring for the fall bar exam and eliminate limits on materials students may consult during the two-day online test

Berkeley Law professor and former dean Christopher Edley, Jr. joins three others in describing the historical and current factors impeding progress, and how to surmount them.

The Environmental Law Clinic fights toxic chemicals in federal court and at the State House.

Where there’s money, scams are sure to follow — and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception.

Three Berkeley Law graduates at the National Center for Youth Law play key roles in a court ruling ordering the release of detained children in federal immigration custody. 

“Right now we’re asking ourselves what it will take to change the systems that have purposefully disenfranchised people of color.”

A look at the flow of lawyers moving from BigLaw to public interest work cites “Making Public Interest Lawyers,” a large-scale study looking at law careers authored by Professor Catherine Albiston, along with Scott Cummings and Rick Abel of UCLA Law

An examination of oil spills, chemical dispersants and related lawsuits against the EPA, including the suit filed by Claudia Polsky and the Environmental Law Clinic

Editors-in-chief of two top-ranked Berkeley Law journals describe new challenges and opportunities to sustain excellence and build community. 

The Human Rights Center’s Investigations Lab contributed to this in depth report on the situation in Portland

Judge Jeremy Fogel, Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, says his colleagues on the bench face a couple of “unique challenges” when it comes to evaluating their own temperament

The work of Innocence Project co-founder and special counsel Barry Scheck, (class of ’74) lands Berkeley Law on the list 

Professor Catherine Fisk says union protections make it difficult to charge police officers with crimes

Professor Kenneth Ayotte discusses the tricky, no-win business of valuation during bankruptcy

Professor Jonathan Simon says a combination of a new state law and the current police reform climate may have swayed the Alameda DA to prosecute the case of a police officer who fatally shot Steven Taylor at a Walmart store in April 

Professor Prasad Krishnamurthy writes that a permanent payroll tax credit is a necessary step toward guaranteeing a living wage for all Americans

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that while it should be the role of the federal courts and the Supreme Court to protect the right to vote, the five conservative Supreme Court justices have strongly indicated that the solutions are not to come from federal courts

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says President Trump’s latest attempt to cut funding for “anarchist jurisdictions” is “clearly unconstitutional”

A federal lawsuit and proposed state legislation show the breadth of the clinic’s advocacy work. 

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, appears on Forum to discuss the Trump administration’s environmental record and its impact

Ted Mermin, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, says Californians facing a financial cliff or targeted by predatory financial products “are going to find that someone’s got their back” 

Professor Catherine Fisk weighs in as San Francisco passes an emergency ordinance that temporarily bars employers from taking adverse action against employees and job applicants who tested positive for Covid-19 or who are or were isolating due to Covid-19 symptoms or exposure

Professor Malcolm Feeley discusses the political history of ‘Law and Order’ 

Berkeley Law students with young children praise the school’s leadership and Student Parents Group for providing much-needed support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that the Supreme Court’s dealings with issues concerning COVID-19 and the election process have made clear that it does not want the federal courts changing the rules of an election, even when necessary to protect the right to vote in a pandemic

Dr. Rohini Haar, Human Rights Center Research Fellow, discusses “less lethal weapons” used to disperse crowds and the serious, sometimes deadly, injuries they can cause

A change in leadership of Berkeley Law’s clinics arrives as the thriving program welcomes its biggest class of in-house students and solidifies plans to expand.

The LA Times Editorial Board calls for the passing of AB 3070, a bill that addresses discrimination in jury selection, and points to Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic’s report, “Whitewashing the Jury Box” to support the need for action

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky comments on the importance of The Hatch Act, as members of the Trump administration are called out for potentially violating it

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon says the United States’ forcing TikTok to sell itself is “really unprecedented” 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that the RNC events at the White House are blatant violations of The Hatch Act – the most recent of so many instances of Trump flouting federal laws and the norms of the office

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky discusses key lessons the legal profession can learn from attempts to administer the July bar exam and how the pandemic presents a chance to rethink how law school graduates will take the test in the future

Samson Lim ’21 turns adversity and physical hardship into a transformed perspective and remarkable success.

Jim Dempsey, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, says TikTok’s lawsuit against the Trump administration faces an uphill fight, but the company may be successful with a due process argument

Berkeley Law student Rodolfo Aquino ’22 savors his summer experience as a judicial extern at California’s highest court.

Savala Trepczynski, Executive Director of the Henderson Center for Social Justice, writes that people of color have had a golden rule that said be twice as good and calls for white folks to adopt a version of this rule for themselves and their anti-racist work: be twice as kind

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why the coronavirus makes California’s ‘student borrower bill of rights’ essential

On the first day of an all-remote learning semester, students and faculty experienced a milestone like no other. 

The in-house clinical program welcomed seven new hires — six teaching fellows and one supervising attorney, expanding the growing program’s outreach to marginalized communities and individuals.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why John Eastman’s theory that Kamala Harris may not be eligibile to be Vice President are wrong under the language of the 14th Amendment and under Supreme Court precedent

Professor Jonathan Simon explains why this moment in time resents a unique opportunity to reduce prison overcrowding by making reforms, particularly by releasing women who could safely be released

Savala Trepczynski, Executive Director of the Henderson Center for Social Justice, writes about the connection between the murders of her great, great grandmother and Breonna Taylor – both black women, both killed in their homes by police, both still waiting for justice

Lecturer Shanin Specter explains why Amazon should be regarded as a supplier for the purposes of product liability law

Professor Rebecca Wexler says the California Supreme Court opinion in Touchstone v Facebook reflects a real skepticism of Facebook’s claims about the Stored Communications Act

In his latest Deal Professor column in DealBook, Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon considers what TikTok could have done differently to avoid its current trouble with the Trump administration

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky weighs in on legal challenges related to Trump’s most recent executive orders

Part of a livestreamed Berkeley Conversations event, professors john a. powell and Claudia Polsky ’96 describe why environmental harms disproportionately affect people of color.

Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, discusses the murder of activist Berta Cáceres‎ and her role in the fight to bring her killers to justice

California Constitution Center Executive Director David Carrillo and Senior Research Fellow Stephen M. Duvernay look at some of the 12 measures in the California November general election

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky discusses the reasons California has filed or joined more than 90 lawsuits against the Trump administration

Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, discusses the murder of activist Berta Cáceres‎ and the fight to bring her killers to justice

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that President Trump’s latest executive orders are unconstitutional and exceed presidential authority

Professor Elisabeth Semel, Director of the Death Penalty Clinic, explains why Batson process isn’t working on the state level, as prosecutors use Black Lives Matter to exclude black people from juries

Lecturer Spencer Pahlke explains how to use cross-examination skills to deal with Covid-deniers

Prize-winning writer Henry Leung ’22 reflects on a surreal but stimulating summer of legal work and activities “full of warmth and connection.” 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman reflect on the 2019-20 Supreme Court term and the decisions concerning the protection for religion, as part of a SCOTUSblog symposium on the Roberts court and the religion clauses

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, discusses the environmental impact of single family zoning laws

Professor Khiara Bridges shares five fun facts and discusses the intersection of ballet and the law (page 21)

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky looks at recent Supreme Court actions in cases related to the pandemic, and shares what can be learned from them 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky advocates for the lower passing score for the California bar to be retroactive to February 2020

A new podcast further raises Kerr’s public profile, which he’s twinned with his prominent scholarly work for much of his career.

Professor Elisabeth Semel, Director of the Death Penalty Clinic, along with AJ Kutchins and Brendon Woods, writes that the time for waiting is over and the California Legislature must pass AB3070

David Carrillo, Executive Director of the California Constitution Center, explains why remote voting by California legislators is constitutional and should be allowed

Jeremy Fogel, Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, applauds the use of live audio or video by federal and state courts 

Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, comments on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ investigation into the killing of a man at the San Diego-Tijuana border a decade ago, in which she is co-counsel for the victim’s family

Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program student Cristina Violante wins the American Bar Foundation Graduate Student Competition from the international journal Law & Social Inquiry.

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon, in his recurring Deal Professor column in DealBook, explores why special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, are having a moment

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that President Trump cannot postpone the election and Republicans, Democrats, conservatives and liberals must all loudly condemn the idea as antithetical to the most basic aspects of a democratic society

Jeremy Fogel, Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, dicusses the benefits of “virtual court”

Professor John Yoo and Sai Prakash debate whether Trump’s aggressive fight for presidential power goes beyond the Founders’ original designs

Two Berkeley Law professors and two other UC Berkeley scholars describe how race has created different forms of criminal justice in the U.S.

Professor John Yoo discusses presidential power, the Supreme Court DACA ruling and his new book, Defender in Chief: Donald Trump’s Fight for Presidential Power 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky weighs in on the California Supreme Court’s decision to reduce the state bar exam’s passing score

Lecturer Mallika Kaur, as part of her ongoing series exploring managing trauma and the demands of lawyering, interviews UC Hastings Professor Naomi Roht-Arriaza

Eager to gain in-house experience at a major tech company, Vejjajiva calls her summer at Salesforce “both exciting and educational.” 

Lecturer Rose Carmen Goldberg reflects on her last moments with her father and how COVID-19 restrictions made it difficult to have those last moments

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that President Trump’s use of federal agents in Portland is not only outrageous, it is clearly unconstitutional

Professor Jennifer Urban explains why the push to strengthen the Digital Millennium Copyright Act could end up squelching online speech, how her research informs her thinking and advocates reformulating DMCA incentives

How the Berkeley Law community is staying connected long-distance. 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains the ways federal agents in Portland appear to be going well beyond the authority to protect federal property and the rights the arrests of protesters are violating

Professor Orin Kerr says while the federal government does have the right to send troops to cities and states to protect its interests, the issue is what the troops are doing

Professor Pamela Samuelson, co-director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, backs the Internet Archive’s argument that its digital lending qualifies as fair use, comparable to traditional library lending, and says the idea that lending out a book is illegal is just wrong

Professor Jonathan Gould, with Olatunde C.A Johnson, writes that the Supreme Court’s suspicion of Congress’s competence and motives should be worrying for anyone who cares about the most democratic branch’s ability to serve as a check on presidential power and confront an ever-growing list of policy challenges

Professor Franklin Zimring argues that new incentives and stiff penalties can reduce needless police killings

“Precisely the kind of legal scholar the moment demands,” Asad Rahim earned his Ph.D. at Berkeley Law’s Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program.

The role brings a renewed focus on teaching for Hoofnagle, a renowned privacy expert and a faculty co-director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology. 

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program, and Ted Lamm, Climate Policy Researcher at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, write that California’s electrical grid is getting cleaner, but it is still not well positioned to deal with a changing climate with its web of decades-old poles and wires

The Human Rights Center Investigations Lab contributed to a study that found Uighur workers in forced labor settings in China are making masks for the US and other countries (credit to the lab – staff and students – in the video)

Professor Orin Kerr weighs in on the constitutionality of detention of protesters in Washington state by federal officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and Department of Homeland Security

Lecturer Mallika Kaur interviews a Fresno-based immigration lawyer to discuss the importance of giving clients more control and how to stay healthy while doing trauma inducing work, as part of her ongoing series exploring managing trauma and the demands of lawyering

Professor Jonathan Simon discusses the impact of Justice Kennedy’s retirement and Justice Kavanaugh’s appointment on capital punishment cases

Lecturer Carrie Rosenbaum, with Ediberto Román, examines the flaws of the Trump administration’s immigration policy that would have forced international college students to leave the U.S, and explain and why it would have failed court scrutiny under the Administrative Procedure Act

California Constitution Center Executive Director David Carrillo and Senior Research Fellow Stephen M. Duvernay ask why, if everything happening remotely is our new long-term reality, is the California legislative process on hold?

An amicus brief authored by Professor Seth Davis on behalf of congressional lawmakers is highlighted as the courts decide whether the Penobscot Nation has authority over its namesake river’s waters in Maine

Research by the Policy Advocacy Clinic spurs Orange County’s decision to end collection and discharge $18.5 million in fees charged to families with children in the juvenile system before 2018.

Stephanie Campos-Bui, Clinical Supervising Attorney in the Policy Advocacy Clinic, discusses the decision from the Orange County Board of Supervisors to join other counties throughout California in ceasing collection of old juvenile fines and fees

Professor Holly Doremus discusses the the Great American Outdoors Act, a bill before Congress that would invest billions in national parks in California and nationwide

The Human Rights Center’s summer team contributed to a report on excessive police force and blinding of US protesters (credit at the end of the video)

Professor Rebecca Wexler discusses the issues with the current rules of evidence in criminal court, which do not account for the rise of forensic software, or for the entrance of trade secrets claims

Professors Taeku Lee, Bertrall Ross, Ian Haney López, Kathryn Abrams, and Abhay Aneja weigh in during a livestreamed Berkeley Conversations event moderated by Dean Erwin Chemerinsky.

Professor Franklin Zimring discusses the debate on Oakland around defunding the police

Professor Bertrall Ross explains the challenges prosecutors face in proving hate crime charges against a Martinez couple who allegedly defaced a Black Lives Matter mural

As corporations scramble to send the right message to their customers, a self-guided class for professionals bolsters Berkeley Law’s growing suite of courses bridging corporate law and social and environmental justice.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky appeared on Slate’s Amicus podcast to examine the Supreme Court term, taking a close look at the Trump financial records cases, the ministerial exception cases, and a landmark decision about tribal lands in Oklahoma

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why the Covid-19 church singing ban is legally enforceable 

Coverage of “Whitewashing the Jury Box”, the Death Penalty Clinic report that found California prosecutors disproportionately strike people of color, especially African-Americans, from serving on juries

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky comments on yesterday’s Supreme Court decisions related the President Trump’s taxes and finances

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains what today’s Supreme Court decisions regarding President Trump’s taxes and finances means in the near and long term

Ted Lamm, Research Fellow at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, discusses California’s zero-emissions truck rule, which was approved last month, and explains the important health benefits for disadvantaged communities 

Professor Sonia Katyal, co-director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, explains how the Black Lives Matter movement is helping make long overdue change in racist branding

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky reacts to the selection of Dr. Michael V. Drake as the new president of the U.C. system

Bloomberg examines the ways the pandemic is the perfect storm for fraud and highlights the Berkeley Center for Law and Business’ annual “Fraud Fest”

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky discusses the impact of the new ICE regulations and steps the university is taking to protect our international students

Professor Elisabeth Semel, Director of the Death Penalty Clinic, discusses “Whitewashing the Jury Box”, the report she co-authored that found California prosecutors disproportionately strike people of color, especially African-Americans, from serving on juries

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky predicts the Supreme Court will focus on the separation of powers issues as they decide the case related to President Trump’s taxes 

Time looks at the movement for prosecutorial reform and highlights the case of Toforest Johnson, who is represented by the Death Penalty Clinic

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon, in his recurring Deal Professor column in DealBook, says post-pandemic M.&A. is all about the big getting bigger and pushing their brands into new places

Students in the Human Rights Center’s Investigations Lab scour digital content, leading to an Amnesty International report that documented 125 incidents of excessive force against protesters over 10 days.

Dean Erwin Chemerinky and john a. powell, Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute, weigh in on the opportunities and challenges the new UC President faces, ahead of the announcement of the selection

Ted Lamm, Research Fellow at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, explains what recent Supreme Court decisions could mean for the Trump administration’s plans to roll back environmental protections

Lecturer Rose Carmen Goldberg explains why the Senate should pass the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act, which would create a five-year pilot program requiring the VA to fund service dogs for veterans with PTSD and other mental health conditions

Professor Prasad Krishnamurthy writes that California should enact an “Automatic Application and Admission” plan for the UC system, to increase diversity across race and class lines at all UC campuses

A Berkeley Law student group works to develop a self-help litigation guide and other resources to help state prisoners avoid the coronavirus. 

Shanin Specter’s high-profile Philadelphia personal injury firm Kline & Specter has joined hundreds of companies that have decided to halt advertising on Facebook, due to concerns about the social media platform’s publication of hate speech and misinformation

Professor Amanda Tyler explores the potential ramifications of the Supreme Court decision in Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam

Oscar Sarabia Roman ’21, Emma Nicholls ’21, and Gaby Bermudez ’22 honor the work of iconic Judge Thelton Henderson ’62 by advocating for marginalized people of color.

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon, in his recurring Deal Professor column in DealBook, considers who benefits from public benefit corporations

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon, in his recurring Deal Professor column in DealBook, considers who benefits from public benefit corporations

Three International Human Rights Law Clinic students helped draft a complaint with the United Nations on behalf of a British citizen tortured by Sri Lankan officials in 2016.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky looks at today’s Supreme Court decision and what Chief Justice Roberts may have signaled about his a willingness of to follow precedent in the area of abortion rights

Stephen M. Duvernay, a senior research fellow at Berkeley Law’s California Constitution Center, explains why Governor Newsom  has widespread power to respond during a state of emergency such as a pandemic

Stephen M. Duvernay and Brandon V. Stracener, senior research fellows at the California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law, write that while the governor legally has the power to force people to wear masks, people should wear them because it’s the right thing to do to save themselves, their families and fellow Californians

Professor Elisabeth Semel, Director of the Death Penalty Clinic, writes that AB 3070 is about addressing enduring, pervasive racial and ethnic inequities 

Professor Prasad Krishnamurthy writes that India’s solution to the problem of the unbanked — requiring existing banks to offer free, quality accounts in underserved areas — can be replicated here at home

Jeremy Fogel, Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, testifies before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Coronavirus pandemic and Federal Courts

Adam Sterling, Executive Director, Berkeley Center for Law and Business, discusses the Startup@BerkeleyLaw program, which helps startup founders and their teams understand the legal, finance and operational challenges they may face

A look at “Israel and Jewish Identity in the Age of Covid,” a new podcast produced by the Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies

Professor Catherine Fisk looks at the history of police unions and examines steps police departments can take make reforms

Kicking off a Berkeley Law series about students’ summer experience, Chris Gronseth ’22 describes working at the intersection of law and artificial intelligence.  

Professor Kinch Hoekstra appears on the “Ideas” podcast to talk about on the politics of an ancient epidemic – the plague of Athens

Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, explains how rooftop solar panels can improve resilience against natural disasters

Professor Jeffrey Selbin, director of the Policy Advocacy Clinic, discusses the impact juvenile fees have on families and communities

Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, along with Ken White, writes that the Federal Bureau of Prisons should end its unjust policy of requiring inmates to “voluntarily” waive privilege in emails they send to their attorneys through the bureau-provided email system

Lecturer Rose Carmen Goldberg writes about her father’s COVID-19 diagnosis

Professor Elisabeth Semel, Director of the Death Penalty Clinic, discusses a the new report she co-authored that found California prosecutors disproportionately strike people of color, especially African-Americans, from serving on juries

Professor Catherine Fisk discusses the ways police unions and cities can work together to make meaningful reform

Shanin Specter explains why the COVID-19 liability waivers the Trump campaign forces rally attendees to sign are not enforceable

Professor Eric Stover, Faculty Director of the Human Rights Center, in an in-depth interview about the Tulsa Massacre, through the lens of history and human rights

Lecturer Carrie Rosenbaum, with Ediberto Roman and Geoffrey Hoffman, explains why the Supreme Court DACA decision is far from a permanent victory for Dreamers

Lecturer Mallika Kaur, as part of her ongoing series exploring managing trauma and the demands of lawyering, interviews Dylan Nicole de Kervor of the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice

Professor Rebecca Wexler argues that the courts’ interpretation of the Stored Communications Act has created a category of privileged communication without congressional approval or instruction

Jeremy Fogel, Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, writes that judges have an express mandate to act in ways “that promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary”

Professor Sonia Katyal, co-director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology. with UCLA Professor Angela R. Riley, writes brands can no longer stand apart from social movements and activism and must stop using racial stereotypes to sell products

Shanin Specter says the best advice for business owners who want to protect employees and themselves during the pandemic is simple: follow the rules 

The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court follows a sustained effort by the UC communities to support the legal rights and human needs of DACA recipients.

While students, faculty, and staff are scattered around the world, Berkeley Law has brought them together through a variety of online events—many focused on the pandemic and the implications of the death of George Floyd.

Mario Alvarado Cifuentes, Pro Bono Administrator, says DACA helped him, but it was never meant to be a full solution

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says the Supreme Court’s DACA decision shows we still have an independent judiciary

Professor Rebecca Goldstein’s striking finding in a working paper that “age is a more powerful predictor of police-related policy preferences than race” is cited in an Op-Ed.

Professor Elisabeth Semel, Director of the Death Penalty Clinic, discusses a the new report she co-authored that found California prosecutors disproportionately strike people of color, especially African-Americans, from serving on juries

A new study from the Death Penalty Clinic found that prosecutors often routinely strike Black and Latino prospective jurors and that appellate courts have failed to rein in the practice

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says the Supreme Court decision on LGBTQ rights is a huge advance, both for civil rights and for the triumph for the rule of law

An eye-opening report from Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic shows that racial discrimination is a deeply ingrained part of jury selection in California.

Professor Franklin Zimring discusses the history of police violence, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd

Jeremy Fogel, Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, comments on judges speaking out about the judiciary’s role in perpetuating injustices and pledging to root out racial bias

Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr on Friday filed a brief supporting a new trial for Toforest Johnson, who is represented by Ty Alper, Associate Director of Death Penalty Clinic

The Berkeley Center for Law and Business cooks up a satisfying niche for foodtech entrepreneurs through two of its innovative programs.

Federal judges express concerns about the impact remote judicial proceedings have had on the legal profession during a virtual panel discussion titled “The Changing Landscape and the Opportunities It Presents” jointly hosted by the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, the Berkeley Judicial Institute, the nonprofit ChIPs and the Federal Circuit Bar Association

Professor Jonathan Simon cautions against police using social media to investigate crimes that may occur during protests

Professor Catherine Fisk discusses occupational safety and health as Amazon faces litigation over alleged unsafe work conditions

Professor Khiara Bridges explains how COVID-19 and George Floyd’s murder reveal black people’s vulnerability and marginalization

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that major reforms in our criminal justice system are needed and hopes the national protests about police racism and police violence will lead to reforms that really will make a difference

Professor John A. Powell, Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute, discusses the nationwide uprisings over the police killings of Black men and women and how the COVID pandemic is disproportionately impacting Black communities

Professor Frank Partnoy warns another financial crisis, hastened by the pandemic, could be on the horizon

Three Berkeley Law graduates at the National Center for Youth Law play key roles in a court ruling ordering the release of detained children in federal immigration custody. 

Professor Laurel Fletcher, Director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, discusses East Bay Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s (D-Oakland) call for the creation of a “Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Commission”

Amelia Miazad, founding Director and Senior Research Fellow of the Business in Society Institute, and Professor Stavros Gadinis suggest corporate leaders welcome input from employees and consumers, but also local communities, NGOs, academic experts, government authorities and regulators, as they navigate their business thru the pandemic

Professor Ian Haney Lopez asks if President Trump can replicate President Nixon’s success in posturing against protesters

A research fellow at Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center, Haar has analyzed the impact of rubber bullets, tear gas, and others weapons used during protests.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that the President and the Supreme Court have gutted the legal tools for fighting police abuse, but it does not have to be this way

Claudia Polsky, founding Director of the Environmental Law Clinic, discusses the successful lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the ELC, to force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its plans for responding to offshore oil spills

Ted Mermin, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, comments on the complexities surrounding calls for Governor Newsom to alleviate consumer debt during the pandemic

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky reflects on his personal experience with the Rodney King riots and his feelings about the current crisis

Claudia Polsky, founding Director of the Environmental Law Clinic, discusses the successful lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the ELC, to force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its plans for responding to offshore oil spills

Savala Trepczynski, Executive Director of the Henderson Center for Social Justice, comments on “white silence” on social media

Dr. Rohini Haar, Human Rights Center Research Fellow, explains why tear gassing should be a weapon of absolute last resort

Catherine Crump, director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, explains that while police have a right to monitor protest activity, a line must be drawn when that surveillance becomes oppressive

Dr. Rohini Haar, Human Rights Center Research Fellow, explains what to do if you are exposed to tear gas 

Professor Orin Kerr discusses The Legal Academy, his new weekly YouTube series that looks behind the curtain of law schools and their faculties

Savala Trepczynski ’11, executive director of Berkeley Law’s Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, says white people working to overcome their own fears and uncertainty is essential for bridging the racial divide.

John A. Powell, Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute, looks at the murder or George Floyd and calls on us to keep the struggle for love and humanity alive 

In a new Yale Law Journal paper, Professor David Singh Grewal offers a timely blueprint for putting the themes of power, equality, and democracy at the center of legal scholarship. 

Professor Ian Haney Lopez discusses the murder of George Floyd, the protests that have followed it and the need for systematic change

Ethan Elkind, Director, Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, discusses options lawmakers have that would draw down and eventually phase out fossil fuel production in California

Savala Trepczynski, Executive Director of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, writes that “black and brown people have been protesting for centuries. It’s white people who are responsible for what happens next.”

Professor Rebecca Wexler weighs in on the trade-secret and intellectual property issues related to algorithms currently in use to solve crimes

Erik Stallman, associate director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, explains why the President’s executive order aiming to limit protections for social media companies asks the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate rules that the FCC itself has said it has no authority to issue

Professor Robert Merges weighs in on trade between China and the U.S., during a virtual event hosted by the Berkeley Center For Law and Technology as a part of its China Law Trade and IP Certificate Series

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky writes that President Trump’s effort to open religious institutions for worship services has no basis in law 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky suggests the Supreme Court should continue to utilize technology after the pandemic 

Visiting professor Peter H. Schuck explains why the President’s comments about the death of a congressional staffer in 2001 may constitute intentional torts for which a civil jury could award punitive damages against him

LL.M. students praise Berkeley Law’s commitment to academic excellence and community building amid COVID-19.

Professor Prasad Krishnamurthy calls for debt-relief legislation that would allow consumers to defer payment and an opportunity to refinance missed payments

Professor Ian Haney Lopez discusses his new book Merge Left: Fusing Race and Class, Winning Elections, and Saving America

Jeremy Fogel, Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, explains why the courts are in a unique position to expand electronic access, as part of a webinar on accessing the courts in a post-pandemic world.

From price-gouging on essentials to outright theft, students in Berkeley Law’s Consumer Advocacy and Protection Society have been uncovering fraud and swindles all over the country—and fighting back. 

Jim Dempsey, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, explores whether the China-U.S. supply chains, previously driven by trade war-induced uncertainties, increasingly may be cast in terms of cybersecurity and national security imperatives

Ethan Elkind, Director, Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, explains why regulatory retreat over automobile fuel efficiency undermines both climate progress and U.S. competitiveness

Shanin Specter suggests the legal community consider new and creative approaches

Professor Khiara Bridges explains how racism and racial bias impeded important public health measures that impacted the spread of Covid-19

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky expresses concerns about the actions of Attorney General William Barr

Part of a Berkeley Conversations panel, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Professor Bertrall Ross describe how the pandemic may alter the landscape before, during, and after Election Day.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky weighs in on the extraordinary circumstances of the Michael Flynn case

Professor Chris Hoofnagle explains why Facebook’s new lobbying strategy raises flags

Professor Catherine Fisk weighs in on the struggles employees face as they weigh their protections under law against the pressure to return to work, as Tesla reopens their factories

We honor the Class of 2020’s commitment to public interest, pro bono, and social justice through summer jobs and our robust pro bono, clinical, and field placement programs.

Kiki Tapiero ’20 and Alex Copper ’20 win Berkeley Law’s Pro Bono Champion award while Safa Ansari-Bayegan ’20 and Miguel Soto receive its Eleanor Swift Award for Public Service.

Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, along with Ken White, calls for the Federal Bureau of Prisons to stop forcing inmates to “voluntarily” waive all claims to confidentiality in emails they send their lawyers through the BOP-provided email system

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon, in his recurring Deal Professor column in DealBook, considers what went wrong in one of the highest-profile lawsuits over a busted deal — so far — during the pandemic

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky asks whether the Supreme Court will uphold the rule of law when it comes to the Trump presidency

Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, explains why government requests for Google data should raise major privacy concerns

Professor Catherine Fisk looks at Tesla’s reopening and predicts the same factors that led to massive unionization in the 1930s could result in 21st century versions of unions.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky appeared on KPFA’s Upfront to discuss the SCOTUS cases relating to President Trump’s taxes and financial dealings.

Seven Latinx Berkeley Law students receive fellowship to pursue public interest internships and judicial externships—and to help diversify the legal profession.

Professor Jeffrey Selbin, Director of the Policy Advocacy Clinic, with Jessica Feierman, explains why now is the time to impose an immediate moratorium on all juvenile fees and fines

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why California is likely to prevail against shutdown related lawsuits 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky asks if the Supreme Court can overcome the political polarization as they take up cases concerning presidential power and the rule of law.

Lecturer Rose Carmen Goldberg, with Dwight Stirling, calls for California to pass Senate Bill 1274 to empower service members to sue their assailants in civilian court

Professor Paul Schwartz examines the role for COVID-19 cellphone surveillance apps in contact tracing and the impact they might have on privacy and civil liberties.

Extraordinary 3Ls Savannah Reid, Bill Nguyen, and Camila Gonzalez wowed their supervisors, peers, and project partners en route to their awards. 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky looks ahead to the fall semester with a focus on health and safety.

Lecturer Millika Kaur interviews Marin County public defender and Berkeley Law alum Jose Varela for the first in a new series exploring managing trauma and the demands of lawyering

Professor Prasad Krishnamurthy and EBCLC’s Miguel Soto explain how consumer debt can result in a court order to sell your home, even if you pay your mortgage.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky comments on SCOTUS and Federal Courts’ response to Covid-19 lawsuits that push back on state and local governments’ orders.

Professor Catherine Fisk looks at the outdated policies that make it difficult for independent contractors to receive unemployment assistance during the pandemic.  

Professors Catherine Albiston ’93 and Catherine Fisk ’86 explain how the lack of paid leave in the U.S. reflects a growing inequality among Americans stoked by the COVID-19 crisis.

Professor Catherine Crump, Director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, discusses the technological and legal implications of the Ring device, and the significance of this new third-party surveillance.

Professor Catherine Fisk explores the complexities of employer liability during the pandemic

A look at CLEE’s new report on how policymakers can reduce and eventually phase out oil and gas production in California

Berkeley Law students, Bay Area attorneys, Silicon Valley philanthropists and community lenders partner to help small-business owners 

Faculty members Stavros Gadinis and Amelia Miazad ’02 remain hopeful that companies will continue to value “doing well by doing good” through the coronavirus pandemic. 

Professor Sonia Katyal aims to ensure that our growing reliance on artificial intelligence does not inflict harm on vulnerable communities.

PrivLAB, a fast-growing student organization led by Erin Hilliard ’21 and Hailey Yook ’21, helps students tackle timely privacy law issues.

A surging Berkeley Law initiative combines East Asian studies, law, technology, and intellectual property to provide greater understanding.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky reflects on the history of sex discrimination and why the ERA matters

Shanin Specter weighs in on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s call to make tort reform a condition for giving state and local governments aid for budgets depleted by COVID-19 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky discusses how Berkeley Law’s LLM program is adapting and reacting to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Douglas Letter ’78 embraces his chaotic, sleep-deprived ride as the House of Representatives’ general counsel.

A fast-selling book and a major award highlight the early impact of the Human Rights Center’s Investigations Lab.

Safa Ansari-Bayegan ’20 parlays a formative experience into an award-filled career path toward indigent criminal defense.

Research by professors Rebecca Wexler and Andrea Roth sparks a federal bill to help level the forensic evidence playing field.

Ted Mermin, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, advocates for a moratorium on debt collection during the Covid-19 pandemic

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky previews the upcoming month at SCOTUS 

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why the law is not on the side of small business owners suing the government, arguing that closure orders for nonessential businesses are unconstitutional.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says House Republicans who blocked a rule change to allow proxy voting are needlessly putting their colleagues and their staffs in danger

As the COVID-19 crisis grips the region, the center’s staffers are finding new angles for advocacy—and seizing the chance to shape the post-coronavirus landscape. 

Professor Emeritus Daniel Rubinfeld, with UPenn Professor Robert Inman, suggest using the 3 principles of federal policymaking, laid out by the Founding Fathers, to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky reacts to the California Bar’s decision to postpone the bar exam until September.

Professor Catherine Fisk, talks workers rights and breaks down how essential workers are faring during the pandemic.

Erik Stallman, associate director of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic, weighs in on the SCOTUS decision in Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and David Carrillo, Executive Director of the California Constitution Center, explain States’ broad quarantine powers.

Joseph Lavitt explains why the issue of insurance coverage for businesses impacted by the coronavirus involves questions the courts have not yet addressed.

Professor Pamela Samuelson considers the implications of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Romag Fasteners, Inc. v. Fossil, Inc. and whether juries or only judges can decide about disgorgement of a trademark infringer’s profits in trademark cases.

Professor Orin Kerr weighs in on the issues with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, as SCOTUS prepares to consider whether to rein in the sweeping anti-hacking law.

In a new paper, Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon explores a hot topic in corporate law. 

A look at CLEE’s report, Building A Sustainable Electric Vehicle Battery Supply Chain: Frequently Asked Questions.

Nine UC Berkeley faculty members from a wide range of disciplines have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), a 240-year-old organization honoring the country’s most accomplished artists, scholars, scientists and leaders.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, with UCLA Law Professor Jennifer M. Chacón, write that the President’s attempts to ban immigration during the Covid-19 crisis are unlawful.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why House Democrats have the authority to permit proxy voting.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky talks Congressional power and the ERA.

Jeremy Fogel, Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, explores how the courts have a chance to learn from the virtual ways they are doing their work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Adam Sterling, Executive Director, Berkeley Center for Law and Business, talks the CARES Act with KQED’s Forum and explains how Berkeley Law students are working to help small businesses.

Two Berkeley Law clinics give immediate financial relief to vulnerable families by persuading California to stop collecting government debt during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Catherine Albiston examines inequality, paid family leave, and the new legislation during the Covid-19 crisis.

Ted Mermin, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, urges Governor Newsom to protect stimulus checks from debt collectors.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky examines whether the government can restrict individual liberties to stop the spread of COVID-19.

California Constitution Center Executive Director David Carrillo and fellow alum Matthew Stanford argue that Federalism is both the problem and the solution to the Covid-19 crisis.

Professor Aaron Edlin, with Dana Goldman, explains how California could use a system of virus alerts to help people get back to work

Former doctor and current Berkeley Law healthcare regulation authority George Horvath ’14 unpacks the technical, legal, and policy issues that led to paltry early testing in the U.S. 

Professor Jeffrey Selbin, director of the Policy Advocacy Clinic, talks to The Marshall Project about the concerning history of escalating court fees and fines during recessions.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why President Trump is wrong to claim he has “absolute power” during the pandemic.

Berkeley Law students work to get migrants out of America’s overcrowded detention centers.

After working on his case for 2½ years, Alex Copper ’20 and Sydney Royer ’20 from Berkeley Law’s Post-Conviction Advocacy Project help a San Quentin prisoner gain his release. 

With COVID-19 keeping us apart, the Berkeley Law family wanted to show you what we’re all about.

Dean Chemerinsky makes the case for allowing law school graduates to practice law under an experienced attorney’s supervision while the bar exams are delayed.

Jim Dempsey, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, talks privacy issues with data collection.

The deans of UC Berkeley and UCLA law schools write that it is exceedingly hard to imagine that by July it will be safe for students to sit closely together in gigantic test halls, nor is it likely to be feasible to implement appropriate physical distancing measures.

Professor Prasad Krishnamurthy writes about the steps Gov. Newsom can take to help ease the financial burden of Californians.

Adam Sterling and Robert Bartlett explain the flaws in the CARES Act’s PPP that could leave small businesses that need the funds the most at the back of the line.

Led by a research center and a clinic, Berkeley Law’s students and faculty are leaping into action to help entrepreneurs weather the current economic storm.

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon returns to the DealBook column as the “Deal Professor” to talk deal making during the pandemic.

Adam Sterling and Robert Bartlett explain the flaws in the CARES Act’s PPP that could leave small businesses that need the funds the most at the back of the line.

Professor Aaron Edlin, with Bryce Nesbitt, suggest a path to normalcy lies in credible, verifiable, and voluntary programs to identify individuals as “certified recovered” from Covid-19

Dean Chemerinsky updates the community on future plans. 

Professor Jonathan Simon appeared on the Crime Inc. podcast to talk “governing through crime.”

Professor Jonathan Gould, along with David Pozen, writes about how Congress can force the White House to more aggressively respond to the pandemic.

In addition to competing on a winning ABA Student Trial Advocacy Competition team and his editorial work on the California Law Review, 3L Paul von Autenried is also a celebrated concert pianist. 

Professor Khiara Bridges discusses the role of racial bias in emergency medical care.

Professor Andrea Roth explores the idea of “virtual court” testimony by video and the right to confront.

The Policy Advocacy Clinic joins more than 130 racial, economic, and criminal justice organizations across the country and political spectrum to call for a nationwide moratorium on juvenile fees and fines.

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon expresses his frustrations with the inequities he’s seen in public/private school virtual classrooms.

Professor Kenneth Ayotte, with David Skeel from Penn Law, looks at bankruptcy law and its readiness for the coming wave of corporate failures.

As a UCDC Law Program extern at the House Judiciary Committee, Alex Thomson ’20 describes a “one-of-a-kind experience.”

Professor Amanda Tyler looks at the lessons we can learn from President Lincoln as we navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.

Claudia Polsky, founding Director of the Environmental Law Clinic, with Tim Whitehouse and Tom Bruton, writes that the EPA must designate PFAS wastes as “hazardous” immediately and set strict standards for their management to keep hazardous chemicals out of drinking water.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why the President does not have the authority to reopen business by April.

The timely 10-week online executive education course for attorneys helps fill a glaring void in legal training.

At a time of great stress and uncertainty, Dean Chemerinsky shares some good news about Berkeley Law’s rankings.

Colleagues, former students, and peers gathered for a special conference to celebrate more than 40 years of pioneering work in law and economics. 

Professor Catherine Fisk & Seema Patel, Clinical Director for the East Bay Community Law Center, explain workplace rights during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Please know that we are with you during this difficult period. Our paramount priority is protecting the health of our students, staff, and faculty, as a community.

Professor Pamela Samuelson, Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology’s, testimony before the Senate IP Subcommittee was quoted in coverage of the hearing.

Ethan Elkind, Director, Climate Program at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, compares the transportation plans of the Democratic presidential nominees.

Lecturer Rose Carmen Goldberg discusses the necessary reform the VA needs to make to help service members with PTSD who desperately need proper care

New book offers a how-to guide for mining online information to increase accountability in the courts and the public eye.

As Berkeley Law’s admitted students weigh their options, its current students continue to inspire and amaze.

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon spoke to Bloomberg Radio about Carlos Ghosn’s sharp criticisms of the Japanese legal system.

Professor Catherine Fisk told Rolling Stone a new bill makes it harder to classify workers as independent contractors and the impact that may have on dancers in music videos.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky argues that the regents should approve cohort-based tuition and implement predictable tuition increases to maintain the quality of the country’s finest public university system, the University of California.

The principles provide concrete guidance for city staff to better protect residents’ personal information.

The Oakland effort has ignited a national call for greater housing rights.

Through a new partnership, the Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice is taking student-led interest groups to law schools around the country.

Leadership in the Legal Profession is an online executive education course designed to provide attorneys with the tools to become relationship lawyers.

Tyler is widely revered for her commitment to teaching—and to her students’ aspirations. 

UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, a towering figure in privacy policy, shares key challenges and promising triumphs with a packed crowd of Berkeley Law students.

Part theater and part mock trial, the unique Feb. 16 performance at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley flows from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

A flurry of new work, including an amicus brief in a hot-button Supreme Court case, shows the depth and reach of Khiara M. Bridges’ intersectional scholarship.

Hannah Braidman ’21, Daina Goldenberg ’20, Alex Lyons ’20, and Paul von Autenried ’20 best more than 50 other law school teams at the ABA Student Trial Advocacy Competition in labor and employment law.

Given to just three graduating law students each year, the E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship develops top indigent defense lawyers through rigorous training and strong support.

The denaming—the outcome of a nearly three-year process—is the first time a Berkeley facility’s name has been eliminated due to its namesake’s character or actions.

As general counsel of the House of Representatives, Letter is at the center of a hyper-partisan impeachment showdown.

Before a packed crowd of students, three prominent scholars deftly analyze the impeachment process and place the current trial in historical context. 

International Human Rights Law Clinic report finds that police indifference inflames trauma for families of Oakland murder victims.

Inaugural participant Diana Henriques, an award-winning financial journalist and author and New York Times reporter since 1989, reflects on her busy week at the school. 

The school’s wide-ranging efforts include its California Constitution Center co-sponsoring a summit that assesses current data, pipeline programs, and judicial clerkship hiring.

As the heart of the VC industry has moved north and east, the school has become a leader in teaching the intricacies of venture capital law to students, investors, and entrepreneurs.

Led by three dedicated 2Ls, the Reproductive Justice Project expands its substantive and geographic reach.

Lecturer Rose Carmen Goldberg discusses how the new $738 billion bill under the National Defense Authorization Act leaves victims of military medical malpractice, sexual assault and other grievous harms with little recourse

Fueled by her love of mentoring and eagerness to diversify the legal profession, Grayce Zelphin ’11 is Berkeley Law’s first director of judicial clerkships.