In the News

Professor Todd Berger Discusses the “Ideal Trump Juror” with Newsweek

Professor Todd Berger, director of Advocacy Programs, was quoted in the Newsweek article “The 3 Qualities of Trump’s Ideal Jurors, According to Lawyers.” Although a trial date is unknown, the article covers aspects of seating prospective jurors.

Professor Berger explains that in criminal cases, prosecutors often seek out jurors from the white, working-class with conservative views who are law and order oriented. However, Trump’s case might see a role reversal, in which the defense is seeking conservative working-class jurors.

Professor Emeritus William Banks Discusses the Indictment of Former President Trump

Professor Emeritus William Banks spoke with WAER on the indictment of Former President Trump by the Manhattan District Attorney.

“The Constitution provides that a president can be impeached while in office for high crimes and misdemeanors,” Banks explained. “And the Constitution also explicitly says that upon the end of his term, or her term, the President is amenable to the law, like all the rest of us may be prosecuted and convicted for crimes as a regular citizen.”

Professor Michelle Schenandoah Discusses the Impact of the Vatican Rejecting the “Doctrine of Discovery” on Indigenous People

In this Associated Press article, Professor Michelle Schenandoah comments on the recent development of the Vatican rejecting the “Doctrine of Discovery” that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property laws today.

“This goes beyond land. It really has created generation upon generation of genocidal policies directed towards Indigenous peoples. And I think that it’s time for these governments to take full accountability for their actions.”

Professor Gary Pieples Joins New York State Law Professors in Opposition to Governor Hochul’s Proposed Changes to Current Bail Reform Law

Professor Gary Pieples, director of the Criminal Defense Clinic, has joined more than 100 law professors from every law school in New York in opposition to Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed changes to the current bail reform law.

In the Daily Orange, Pieples said Hochul’s plan would regress to a time when judges had complete discretion, before the 1960s when lawmakers began to revise the law. He emphasized in line with the letter that the sole legal purpose of bail is to ensure the defendant returns to court, and this must remain the standard for evaluation.

“None of these people have been convicted, and they’re being accused of something. Nobody’s determined whether they’ve done it, and the system is based on the belief that all of these folks are innocent until the government can prove otherwise,” Pieples said. “Partly, it’s just undoing that general idea that ‘oh, well, you’re dangerous and we’re going to put you in jail because of that.’”

Professor Shubha Ghosh Discusses TikTok Security Issues with WSYR TV

Crandall Melvin Professor of Law Shubha Ghosh was interviewed on WSYR about the security and data privacy issues surrounding TikTok.

“There is a concern about the use of personal information to try to sway opinion or promulgate false information. Those are the kind of concerns in terms of how the information is used to profile users, target users, or even proselytize users, however, that might go. But those concerns are not limited to TikTok,” says Ghosh.

Professor Gregory Germain Comments on Recent Bank Failures and Economic Impact

Professor Gregory Germain provided several media outlets with comments on the recent bank failures and consumer concerns.

At Nasdaq.com and Money, Germain says, “As long as the FDIC is doing their job of assuring that banks are adequately capitalized and properly managed, there is no reason for this mini-panic to have a significant impact on our economy.”

On WRVO FM, he explains the circumstances around SVB’s failure pertained mostly to business accounts that exceeded the FDIC’s $250,000 deposit guarantee. “Because those deposits were not guaranteed and ensured by the F.D.I.C, as soon as there was any whiff of financial problems at the bank, everyone rushed to take their money out and they had a traditional bank run.”

Professor Gary Pieples Discusses Onondaga County’s Use of Virtual Arrangements

In Onondaga County, virtual arraignments, enacted during the COVID pandemic on an emergency basis, continue to be used by Syracuse City Court. Professor Gary Pieples, Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic, explained that “virtual arraignments prevent attorneys from adequately being able to talk to clients, and prevent clients from asking questions of their lawyers during hearings.”

Read the full Central Current article.

Professor Jack Graves Discusses Crypto Regulations with Crypto Compass

Professor Jack Graves provides insight into the lack of regulation in domestic and international cryptocurrency exchanges and its risks and implications to consumers at Crypto Compass.

Graves explains that whereas exchanges reminiscent of Coinbase are licensed cash transmitters, they don’t seem to be broker-dealers. “As soon as you talk about broker-dealers of securities, that triggers a bunch of disclosure and custody requirements,” Graves states. “I happen to use Fidelity as my brokerage company, and if Fidelity goes bankrupt, I’m not an unsecured creditor in bankruptcy. So, I have a claim to my assets before all the unsecured creditors.”