News

Roy Gutterman Speaks About Defamation Cases and the Ruling Against Infowars Host Alex Jones in the Grid 

Professor Roy Gutterman, a white man with brown and gray hair, wearing a white collared shirt, smiles in front of a black background.

The jury in a defamation lawsuit against Infowars Host Alex Jones has ordered him to pay $965 million in damages for what the plaintiffs’ attorney described as “defamation on a historic scale.” Once attorney fees are determined, Jones will owe more than $1 billion in lawsuits stemming from his broadcasts and public statements peddling lies about the shooting deaths of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. Jones claimed for years that the massacre was a false flag staged by the government. 

According to Professor Roy Gutterman L’00, Director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, these lawsuits may open the door for future victims of misinformation-based harassment to turn to the courts for relief.

“Most defamation cases really focus on an individual plaintiff,” said Gutterman. “So, in some ways, these lawsuits against Alex Jones and Infowars are kind of a novel way to rein in this new genre of conspiracy theory-related information.”

Professor Emeritus William Banks Provides Input to AP News on Debunked January 6 Claim About Former President Donald Trump 

Professor William Banks, a white man white short white hair, wearing a brown suit jacket over a white collared shirt, smiles.

In a round-up of popular, but untrue, stories for the week, AP News debunks the claim that former President Donald Trump signed an order to deploy 20,000 National Guard troops before his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but was stopped by the House sergeant at arms, at the behest of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Professor Emeritus William Banks explained that guard troops are generally controlled by governors, though they can be federalized. The claims “make no sense at all,” Banks added. “The House sergeant at arms, he or she is not in the chain of command. Nor is Nancy Pelosi.” 

While Trump was involved in discussions in the days prior to Jan. 6 about the National Guard response, he issued no such order before or during the rioting.

Professor Nina Kohn Speaks with KHN About How the Pandemic Prompted New State Laws for Nursing Home Residents 

Professor Nina Kohn, a white woman with brown shoulder-length hair, wearing a black blazer over a tan sweater, with gold necklaces and earrings, smiles in front of a window. She is holding a dark blue book.

During the first 12 months of the pandemic, at least 34% of those killed by the virus were residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, even though they make up fewer than 1% of the American population, according to Kaiser Health News. 

“Part of what the pandemic did is to expose some of the underlying problems in nursing homes,” said Professor Nina Kohn. “This may present an opportunity to correct some of the long-standing problems and reduce some of the key risk factors for neglect and mistreatment.” 

According to a review of state legislation, 23 geographically and politically diverse states have passed more than 70 pandemic-related provisions affecting nursing home operations. States have set minimum staffing levels for nursing homes, expanded visitation, mandated access for residents to virtual communications, required full-time nurses at all times and infection control specialists, limited owners’ profits, increased room size, restricted room occupancy to two people and improved emergency response plans.

Professor Gregory Germain Offers Advice in “How Bad Credit Happens and What You Can Do About It” 

Professor Gregory Germain

How does your credit go bad? And what can you do about the problem after it arises?  

Professor Gregory Germain, Director of the Bankruptcy Clinic at the College of Law, was featured in an article by AmOne on what’s on a credit report, the effect of bankruptcy on your credit, what makes a credit score fluctuate, and more. 

“The only thing you can do as a consumer is avoid negative information on your credit report by carefully managing your debts and payments,” Germain said. “What happened in the past, if accurate, cannot be changed.”

Unfortunately, the ramifications of a poor credit history can spread far and wide throughout various areas of your life.

Professor Arlene Kanter Discusses Remote Work Opportunities for Disabled Workers with the NYT 

Arlene Kante

The strong late-pandemic labor market is giving a lift to a group often left on the margins of the economy: workers with disabilities. Companies’ newfound openness to remote work has led to opportunities for people whose disabilities make in-person work — and the taxing daily commute it requires — difficult or impossible, reports the New York Times.

In the past, employers often resisted offering remote work as an accommodation to disabled workers, and judges rarely required them to do so. But that may change now that so many companies were able to adapt to remote work in 2020, said Professor Arlene Kanter, Director of the Disability Law and Policy Program. 

“If other people can show that they can perform their work well at home, as they did during Covid, then people with disabilities, as a matter of accommodation, shouldn’t be denied that right,” Kanter said.

Professor Jenny Breen Moderates “Labor’s Revival: Unions and the Struggle for Racial and Economic Justice” Panel 

After decades of decline, the U.S. labor movement is once again on the rise, as workers turn to collective action to push back against stagnant wages and unsafe working conditions. What will this 21st century labor movement look like? How are workers challenging corporate greed and divide-and-conquer tactics? 

A panel of prominent labor leaders met in Dineen Hall on Monday, October 24 to discuss these topics and the ongoing struggle for dignity and democracy at work in the 2022 Lender Center Conversation: Labor’s Revival: Unions and the Struggle for Racial and Economic Justice. 

Professor Jenny Breen moderated discussion, speaking with panelists including Jan Brisack, Organizer, Starbucks Workers United; Johnnie Kallas, Director, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations Labor Action Tracker; and Chris Smalls, President, Amazon Labor Union. 

According to coverage by Spectrum News and panelist’s expertise, unsafe working conditions, long hours and few breaks are just some of the reasons why workers choose to unionize. 

“I’ve seen workers get carried out on stretchers,” said Smalls. “When I see workers get inspired by the efforts that we’re doing, that continues to resonate with myself. I know that there’s a bigger purpose, and that’s what motivates me to continue going.”

Professor Roy Gutterman L’00 Writes Guest Opinion Article on Prince, SU Football and Justice Clarence Thomas 

Professor Roy Gutterman, a white man with brown and gray hair, wearing a white collared shirt, smiles in front of a black background.

Last week, Supreme Court justices heard arguments in a case about copyright infringement and an iconic photograph of the musician Prince that was manipulated by the artist Andy Warhol. Justice Clarence Thomas posed a hypothetical question about the “copyrightability” of a blown-up version of the Prince photo in orange and the slogan, “Go Orange.” 

In his preface to the question, he acknowledged that he was both a fan of Prince’s 1980s music and the Syracuse University Orange football team.

Professor Roy Gutterman L’00, Director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, wrote a guest opinion article featured on Syracuse.com about Thomas’s SU references. Of all the sports teams and college programs, how did Syracuse make it to the top of Thomas’s docket? Perhaps nobody will know for sure, Gutterman claims, later going into detail about Thomas’s 1991 commencement speech at the Syracuse University College of Law.

Podcast: Professor Todd Berger interviews CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic 

Joan Biskupic, CNN Digital Expansion 2018

Professor Todd A. Berger, Director of the Advocacy Programs at Syracuse Law, sits down with CNN Senior Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic as the Supreme Court starts its new term. Berger discusses hot topics facing the Court with the veteran reporter, including the Court’s legitimacy crisis, the idea of court packing, and the legacy of Chief Justice John Roberts. 

Prof. Kanter and Yohannes Zewale LL.M. ’19 and Current S.J.D. Candidate Discuss Disability Rights and Citizenship on Panel 

Our understanding of citizenship can be transformed when viewed through the perspective of people with disabilities. How do disability rights fit into the modern Human Rights framework? Have universities become more accessible and if so for whom? Are disabled students fully included in higher education’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts? And how do disability rights in New York State and the United States compare to other countries? 

Professor Arlene Kanter, Founder and Director of the Disability Law and Policy Program (DLPP), and Yohannes Zewale LL.M. ’19 and current S.J.D. Candidate participated on the “Renewing Democratic Community: Disability Rights and Citizenship in the Modern Civil Rights Era” panel hosted by the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. The panel discussed how promoting disability rights moves us closer to realizing the promise of full citizenship in democracies here and around the world. 

Led by Chris Faricy, Associate Professor of Political Science and the inaugural Hicker Family Professor in Renewing Democratic Community, additional panelists included Brian McLane, President of Paradigm Solutions; Beth Myers, Lawrence B. Taishoff Assistant Professor of Inclusive Higher Education; and Paula Possenti-Perez, Director for the Center for Disability Resources.

Professor Nina Kohn Writes “COVID-19 and the Problem of Multiple Sufficient Causes”

Professor Nina Kohn, a white woman with brown shoulder-length hair, wearing a black blazer over a tan sweater, with gold necklaces and earrings, smiles in front of a window. She is holding a dark blue book.

Professor Nina Kohn’s students often ask if an individual can be held liable for spreading COVID-19. Her Answer? “Well…maybe.” 

In an opinion article published in Bill of Health, the blog of the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School, Kohn explains how an oft-ignored legal doctrine may hold the key to establishing liability in COVID-19 cases. 

“The doctrine could enable plaintiffs with COVID-19-related claims to establish causation despite multiple sources of COVID-19 exposure,” Kohn says. “But if liability is not permitted to attach where one sufficient cause is ‘innocent’ — an approach seriously being considered for the Restatement Third of Torts — we should expect more COVID-19 claims to go off the rails despite clear evidence of wrongdoing.”