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Alumni Recognize Professor Suzette Meléndez with Law Honors Award

The Syracuse University College of Law Alumni Association (SULAA) has selected Professor Suzette Meléndez to receive a Law Honors award. Meléndez was chosen as a recipient for her impactful contributions to the legal field, not only at Syracuse Law but across the larger University and New York state.

Headshot of Suzette Melendez smiling at the camera in front of a wall in the Syracuse Law Library

Meléndez received her law degree from the University of Connecticut. She practiced family law as a supervising attorney of the Domestic Violence Representation Project for Legal Services of New Jersey; and worked at the Legal Aid Society in New York City, representing clients in the areas of housing and public entitlement before joining the Syracuse Law faculty in 2002. Since then, she has incorporated her experience as an attorney into scholarly interests surrounding access to legal services for women and children, domestic violence and family law.

“Through a greater understanding of these topics, our students can see that not all children thrive or develop as they should or have the same opportunities as others depending on circumstances,” says Meléndez of her passion for teaching family law. “And, they also begin to understand that some families are genuinely different, while others are affected by circumstances they truly can’t control.”

Meléndez also serves as the co-director for the Syracuse Medical Legal Partnership (SMLP), a collaboration between Syracuse Law and SUNY Upstate Medical University’s pediatric unit, providing legal advocacy to ensure that vulnerable patient populations get only the best of care, which includes legal assistance in regard to education, safe housing, government aid programs and more. The SMLP provides an interdisciplinary educational experience for Syracuse law students, as well as medical students, residents and other medical professionals associated with SUNY Upstate. In addition, she is also the faculty advisor to the Latin American Student Association (LALSA) and the College of Law Family Law Society.

Suzette Melendez stands with a group of 9 others in the Latin American Students Law Association

Meléndez has shared her career legal expertise by serving on boards, committees and memberships of organizations at Syracuse Law, the University and the larger community. Her present commitments include the board of the Central New York Women’s Bar Association; Arriba, the first Central New York Latine bar group that operates under the auspices of the Puerto Rican Bar Association, of which she is one of the original members; the New York State Indigent Legal Services board; the Onondaga County Bar Association; and the Friends of the Central Library. From 2003-2022, Meléndez served as the director of the former Syracuse Law Children’s Rights and Family Law Clinic.

Drawing inspiration from her lived experience, she says of her accomplishments, “It’s just honestly a love of people, and I think it comes from a place that I characterize as pride in my own identity and also an appreciation for other people’s cultures that are different from mine. I want all of my students to feel welcome, while fostering an atmosphere where people are free to speak, and people also stop to listen and learn from one another.”

Suzette Melendez stands in a group of 9 others at the Salt City Market, smiling at the camera

“Professor Meléndez’s unwavering dedication has truly made an impact on Syracuse University College of Law, fostering a welcoming environment for all,” says Dean Terence Lau L’98. “Her leadership in the classroom, across our University, and within the legal profession makes her a most deserving recipient of the Law Honors Award.”

Meléndez is especially proud to receive a Law Honors award from SULAA, as she knows that some of the alumni who selected her are former students from years past. “I love my students, past and present, more than they know,” she says. “Receiving this award is an affirmation of my work and motivates me to keep moving positively and productively.”

Suzette Melendez stands with a graduate of Syracuse Law and two other professors outside of a law school building

Professor Emeritus William C. Banks Discusses the Renewal of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act

Professor of Law Emeritus William C. Banks recently spoke with Politico for an article on the pending renewal of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA). Enacted in 2015, CISA incentivizes businesses to share threat intelligence data with the federal government or other companies. It is set to expire in September.

Banks said that he thinks the law should be reauthorized but expressed doubt that the Trump administration would prioritize renewing it.

“The Trump administration is mostly dismantling pieces of government, not creating them or reauthorizing them,” Banks said, adding that some conservative voices believe the law “messes with the private sector.”

Banks is the founding director of Syracuse University’s Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, now known as the Institute for Security Policy and Law.

Youth Law Day Brings 200 High School Students to the College of Law

The College of Law’s annual Youth Law Day event recently brought more than 200 high school students from schools across Central New York to Dineen Hall for an introduction to the legal profession, learning about the role of attorneys in society, and how to chart a path to law school. The theme of the day was “Science and Technology in Law.”

Participating schools were Binghamton High School, Corcoran High School, the Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler High School, Geneva High School, Jamesville-DeWitt High School, Marcellus High School, Nottingham High School, and Utica Proctor High School. This year’s program was coordinated by Professor Lauryn Gouldin, co-founder of the Syracuse Civics Initiative.

The welcome address of the day was delivered by the Hon. Brenda K. Sannes, Chief United States District Judge for the Northern District of New York. Students then heard from a panel of judges that featured the Hon. Anthony Brindisi, the Hon. Beth Coombe, the Hon. Ramón E. Rivera L’94, and the Hon. Staci Dennis Taylor L’14. Professor Nina Brown of the Newhouse School of Public Communications then lectured on Ownership and AI.

From left, the Hon. Anthony Brindisi, the Hon. Beth Coombe, the Hon. Staci Dennis Taylor L’14, the Hon. Ramón E. Rivera L’94, and Professor Suzette Melendez.

Before lunch, the students broke into groups to tackle a mock oral argument activity. This activity was led by current law students who gave them advice and feedback about oral argument and modeled the activity for them. While at lunch, students were able to network with faculty, alumni, and current law students.

Students then heard from a college admissions counselor who answered their questions about applying to law school, followed by a lecture called “The Life of a Criminal Case” by Gabriela Girona Wolfe L’16, Assistant Public Defender from the Northern District of New York. 

Professor Lauryn Gouldin

The visiting students were then able to ask a panel of current Syracuse Law students about their path to law school, how to prepare for the LSAT, good study and test-taking habits, and more. The panel was moderated by 3L Jesse Elmer and featured 2L Jocelyn Anctil, 3L James Cameron, and 2L Jared Park.

Kimberly Wolf Price L’03, Chief Strategy & Diversity Officer at Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, provided closing remarks.

Event sponsors were:

Syracuse University College of Law

Barclay Damon

Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC Law Firm

Bousquet Holstein

The Hon. Robert A. Katzmann Justice for All: Courts and the Community Initiative

Lexis Nexis

New York State Bar Association

The Onondaga County Bar Association

Syracuse Civics Initiative

Syracuse Student Bar Association

The Wladis Law Firm

Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society

United States District Court for the Northern District of New York

Professor Jenny Breen Reacts to Law Firms Being Targeted by President Trump

Professor Jenny Breen spoke with Newsday for the article “Trump Aims at Law Firms That

Opposed Him: Experts: Orders Designed To Tamp Down Dissent.”

“It’s very clear that he’s trying to raise the price of dissent, and he’s trying to make it really hard for people to challenge what the administration is doing,” said Breen.

The full article may be behind a paywall.

Professor Laurie Hobart Publishes “AI, Bias, and National Security Profiling” in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal

Associate Teaching Professor Laurie Hobart G’16 has published the article “AI, Bias, and National Security Profiling” in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal. The article appears in Volume 40, Issue 1.

From the abstract: “This Article outlines the ways that AI may reproduce human bias in national security investigations at scale. It argues that current case law is insufficient to protect civil rights and civil liberties against discriminatory uses of AI. It discusses potential barriers to constitutional challenges under Fourth Amendment, Equal Protection, First Amendment, and Due Process precedents; limitations on Bivens claims; and issues arising from classification, state secrets doctrine, and general judicial deference in national security contexts. While explaining how current case law risks civil rights and civil liberties in the face of AI profiling, the Article also offers litigation strategies for civil rights advocates to proceed under the status quo.

Criminal Defense Attorney Establishes Practice to Further Trial Experience, Fulfill Essential Function of the Law  

“The stakes are never higher than when someone’s liberty hangs in the balance,” says John J. Dowling III L’20 of why he chose to become a criminal defense attorney.

John Dowling smiles at the camera in a headshot in front of a blue sky

Dowling started his criminal defense practice, Dowling Defense Group LLC, in 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. After graduating from Syracuse University College of Law, he had opportunities to join larger organizations that would have initially been more lucrative, but he decided to blaze his own trail to gain trial experience as quickly as possible.

“It’s difficult to generate trial experience right out of law school. If you work for a big firm, it’s going to be a long time before you get to try a case in front of a jury,” he explains. “So I went another way and opened a law firm by myself, and it’s amazing. I’m so glad I did it, as I’ve already tried a number of cases and argued two cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals.”

Dowling believes that the advent of the plea bargain—which didn’t always exist—has resulted in less trial experience for attorneys. “Trial by jury pre-dates the American Revolution, and I don’t think plea deals are how the framers of the Constitution thought this is how it would go,” he says. “A jury trial is the spinal column of the criminal justice system, but it’s used less and less because the risks of going before a jury can be higher.”

His focus on federal criminal law is not often a common choice, but he likes the challenge of going up against the federal government, including the FBI, Secret Service, or IRS.

“It’s a huge process when the federal government comes at you with all its forces,” he says. “But, Syracuse Law set me up to be an effective criminal lawyer, and now I’m using those skills to help others.”

Dowling is thankful for the education he received at Syracuse Law, calling it “one of the best in the country” and noting the experience he gained in various legal externships, as well as Trial Practice, Trial Advocacy and Moot Court. He points to Associate Dean for Online Education and Teaching Professor Shannon Gardner as someone who had a big impact on him as she demonstrated excellence and professionalism within the law.

His law school education also cemented his beliefs that criminal defense attorneys are an essential function of the law. “Everyone deserves a defense,” Dowling says. “Whether someone is guilty or innocent, things need to be handled the right way, and rules need to be abided by in order for a fair system to exist.”

Many of his cases are considered white collar crimes, which come with complex questions and interpretations of the law. “Clients can get themselves into situations that weren’t nefarious, but the consequences can be devastating to their lives, marriages, finances, etc. And, whether or not the government can show proof beyond a reasonable doubt is not as cut and dried as people think,” Dowling says.

“White collar crimes can often be harder to figure out and more nuanced than violent crimes, but they still have devastating penalties,” he adds. “There are many people who are falsely accused or overcharged, not because prosecutors are corrupt but because a witness might be lying, evidence is presented in a certain way, or the government has taken shortcuts. Often, it’s the consequences of misunderstandings that put people in prison.”

He is pleased with the path he chose and finds his job as a defense attorney fascinating, interviewing witnesses, doing research, and demonstrating his knowledge of the law in front of juries, all in an effort to make sure his clients get a fair trial.

Dowling acknowledges there are a few cases he won’t take, but, he says, “I don’t struggle with what clients are accused of doing because I recognize that all people have rights. I’m not here to agree or disagree. I’m here to serve an essential function of the American legal system.”

Professor Emeritus William C. Banks on U.S. Acquiring Greenland “Clashes with Denmark and the EU Would be Legion”

Professor of Law Emeritus William C. Banks spoke with Newsweek for the story “Greenland as 51st state: What U.S. taking over Arctic island could look like”.

Banks, who specializes in national security law, called the idea of Greenland becoming a U.S. state “almost surely a pipe dream of Trump.” “Greenland would have to request statehood, itself a ridiculously remote prospect. Clashes with Denmark and the EU would be legion, and if the U.S. attempted to take Greenland by force, it would be waging an unlawful war.”

“Hypothetically,” for Greenland to become a state, Banks says, “Congress would have to enact a statute admitting Greenland (to the U.S.) and the president would then sign the bill, making it a law and adding Greenland. If the people and government of Greenland/Denmark remain opposed, it is hard to see how governance as a state could work.”

“Incredibly Sloppy and Dangerous,” says Professor Gregory Germain on War Plans Leaked on Signal Group Chat

Professor of Law Gregory Germain spoke with Newsweek about the use of the chat app Signal by Trump administration leaders to discuss war plans attacking Yemen. A journalist was added to the group chat.

“I don’t know if it’s technically a crime to use a server that is not set up and approved by the government to discuss top secret war plans; I do know that it’s incredibly sloppy and dangerous, and government officials need to be a lot more careful and put procedures in place to prevent something like this from happening again,” he said.

“But even if it is some sort of crime, who is going to prosecute? It’s very hard to see Pam Bondi’s Justice Department bringing charges over this incredibly sloppy and embarrassing incident,” he said.

Germain added that, under federal code, 18 USC 798, it is a crime to “knowingly and willfully” share classified information with people who do not have appropriate clearances.

“Presumably, the sharing of information with the journalist was a mistake, not a knowing and willful violation,” he said.

Vice Dean Keith Bybee Speaks with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio on His Book “How Civility Works”

Vice Dean Keith Bybee appeared on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC Radio) program Future Tense, speaking about his book “How Civility Works.”  The program examines how society functions in an increasingly uncivil world.

Bybee says “When we think about law as something that is authoritatively determined according to a specified process, so we know something is a law for people in the community to obey not because I just said it or you just said it but because duly elected officials have followed the process for passing that law and has been promulgated and enforced according to preestablished rules, we have institutions in place called courts of law that tell us what to do when there is a dispute over what a law means.

We lack all that, typically, in the case of civility. That lack of governing and regulating institutions in the case of good manners has led people on occasion to make civility more like law and determine codes of conduct that can be enforced by authoritative institutions.”

Vice Dean’s segment starts at 2:34.

Professor Shubha Ghosh Comments on the Potential Oracle/TikTok Deal’s Impact on Oracle Shareholders

Crandall Melvin Professor of Law Shubha Ghosh spoke with Politico on the potential Oracle/TikTok deal in the story “Trump’s TikTok-Oracle deal could break the law — but nobody can stop him”.

Oracle shareholders may have standing to sue if the deal negatively affects the value of Oracle stock. However, even concerned shareholders may be unable to stop a deal between Oracle and TikTok from moving forward. Ghosh said shareholder lawsuits typically take place “after the fact,” triggering only once a deal is agreed to and later goes sideways.