Professor Jack Graves recently spoke with Decrypt on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s “No Action” letter to DoubleZero on their proposed fiber optic network for blockchains.
“It creates, in effect, a safe harbor based on an assumed set of facts,” Graves told Decrypt. “It allows everyone to operate with a little more clarity.”
Crandall Melvin Professor of Law Lauryn Gouldin discussed with Law 360 the impact that several recent Federal Circuit Court Second Amendment cases may have on upcoming U.S. Supreme Court cases.
Three years ago, in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the justices leaned on historical ties to modern firearm laws to rule that New York’s statute restricting carry licenses outside one’s home to those who can show “proper cause” was unconstitutional. Similarly, they may be inclined to strike down the federal gun ban as it applies to nonviolent felons for lack of a historical analog, according to Gouldin.
“There are some direct conflicts between the circuits, and those conflicts are strongest when you have different as-applied challenges for people whose underlying convictions weren’t for violent felonies,” she said.
Professor Emeritus William C. Banks spoke with the Christian Science Monitor on President Trump naming Antifa a terrorist organization after the killing of Charlie Kirk.
“There’s a lot of debate and bluster – particularly when something terrible happens in the United States – [over whether] we need a law criminalizing domestic terrorism,” says Banks. “You can’t do it, because ugly words are protected just as pleasing words are.”
Yet, Mr. Trump is not the first person to suggest a domestic terrorism designation, says Professor Banks. The subject has been a matter of off-and-on debate for years, both on the right and the left. But “cooler heads eventually prevailed,” in those efforts, he says.
“We’ve built our nation on a principle of tolerating dissent,” he adds. “So long as these individuals are merely dissenters, they should be protected by the Constitution. It’s really one of the most important principles in our society.”
The second annual ‘Cuse Vet Fest, a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Syracuse VA Medical Center and Syracuse Law’s Military and Veterans Law Society (MVLS) was held in early September in Dineen Hall. The event brought VA services and community partners directly to the community, connecting attendees to VA health care enrollment, VA disability claim support (VBA), VHIC cards, PACT Act information, and Syracuse University veteran resources—a tangible example of why Syracuse University is the Best Place for Veterans.
The impact of ‘Cuse Vet Fest was immediate:
• Attendees left with completed enrollments or clear next steps on claims and benefits.
• Thanks to Bond, Schoeneck & King, we offered on-site estate-planning appointments (wills, powers of attorney, advance health care directives).
• The event spotlighted the 10-year anniversary (2015–2025) of the Betty & Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, showcasing student attorneys working side-by-side with faculty and VA partners.
• The day underscored SU’s integrated approach—legal, health, and community resources in one place.
Syracuse University College of Law has appointed Randall D. Haimovici L’00, Associate General Counsel of Litigation and Regulatory at Uber Technologies, Inc., to its Board of Advisors effective September 1, 2025.
“Randy’s an invaluable leader at the largest ridesharing company in the world. We anticipate his incredible experiences will provide our Board and our students with a global perspective on the legal industry and the skills today’s Syracuse Law students need to succeed,” says Dean Terence Lau L’98.
“I am grateful that Randy has joined the Board of Advisors,” says College of Law Board of Advisors Chair Richard M. Alexander L’82. “I look forward to working with him and the other members of the Board in supporting the College’s strategic mission and assisting our students and alumni.”
Haimovici has held the title of Associate General Counsel of Litigation and Regulatory at Uber since May 2023. In this position, he leads and manages litigation and regulatory matters while supervising 45 attorneys and heading three units. Previously, he was an associate general counsel for U.S. Mobility & Canada with Uber (2021 – 2023). He joined Uber in 2016 as director of litigation after working in private practice.
Haimovici earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis, and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. He is a frequent speaker at the College of Law, where he discusses his experience handling and settling complex, high-exposure matters. Haimovici was a member of the California National Guard and served in Operation Desert Storm.
On Friday, September 19, Professor Katherine Macfarlane will participate in the Federal Reach, Academic Speech: The Legal Limits of Executive Authority in Higher Education symposium at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Professor Macfarlane will participate in the Executive Authority, Equal Opportunity, and the Fate of DEI Programs panel.
Professor Jenny Breen discussed with Spectrum News the application of the Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act, or Taylor Law, in the ongoing litigation surrounding the state Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association strike from earlier this year.
“While the strike is understood to be the key economic weapon for private sector workers, the people who wrote the Taylor Law felt like strikes were not appropriate in the public sector. So public sector employees in New York state are banned from striking under the Taylor Law, and there are pretty harsh penalties for striking workers when they violate that prohibition,” says Breen.
In the days after the attacks of September 11, 2001, initial recovery at the Pentagon was supported by a mix of fire fighters, first responders, and military personnel. Among them was current Syracuse Law student Jared Hansbrough L’29, at the time a Marine Captain, who volunteered to join fellow Marines in casualty recovery efforts over the ensuing week.
On Sept. 13, the group recovered a Marine Corps flag that was standing in the wreckage, perched on the edge of a 4th floor office that had been split in half by the gaping hole left in the Pentagon. The flag had somehow survived the attack unscathed. The group returned the flag to the Marine Corps, where it would symbolically become a reminder of the events of that week. What began as a quiet act of service became a symbol of resilience and commitment to country — and a story that continues to inspire more than two decades later.
The Hon. James E. Baker, Director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law and Professor at Syracuse Law and the Maxwell School, also knows that flag. It once stood behind the desk of his mentor and close friend, Peter Murphy, his son’s godfather and longtime Counsel to the Commandant of the Marine Corps. At 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, Peter was standing in front of it when Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. Though injured, he returned to work the next day, determined that the law was as present on Sept. 12 as it had been on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11.
The flag was subsequently carried to Afghanistan and into space on the shuttle Endeavor before being returned to Peter. Today, it is displayed at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, a lasting tribute to Peter’s service, the service of Marines, and most of all to the victims of 9/11.
Judge Baker said, “Peter, who was from New York, would have loved knowing that Jared had found his way to the law and to Syracuse, or as he might have put it, that Jared had chosen to continue to support and defend the Constitution as a lawyer.”
After more than two decades of military service followed by public service at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Jared is now pursuing his law degree through the online hybrid JDinteractive program, preparing for a career in private practice. Today, we honor Jared’s story, and the courage, sacrifice, and service of all who responded in the wake of that tragic day.
Read more in the Washington Post from Sept. 14, 2001.
The call for papers is now open for “The Americans with Disabilities Act and Universal Design: Global Legacy and Potential in Higher Ed” Symposium to be held by Syracuse University College of Law on April 10, 2026, in the Melanie Gray Courtroom in Syracuse, NY.
The symposium will examine the transformative global impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the evolution of universal design principles in higher education contexts worldwide. This symposium explores how the ADA’s foundational principles have transcended U.S. borders to influence international disability rights frameworks, accessibility standards, and inclusive design practices across diverse cultural and legal landscapes.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
• Comparative analysis of international disability rights legislation influenced by the ADA
• Universal design implementation in global higher education institutions
The role of artificial intelligence in universal design for learning in higher education
• The role of advocacy and activism in expanding universal design globally
• Cross-cultural perspectives on accessibility and inclusion in academic environments
• Technology and digital accessibility in international educational contexts
• Legal frameworks and policy development for disability rights worldwide
• Campus planning and architectural accessibility across different cultural contexts
• Intersectionality and disability rights in diverse global communities
• Challenges and opportunities in implementing universal design principles internationally
• Innovative solutions for advancing accessibility and equity in higher education
Submission Guidelines
We seek original research, case studies, theoretical frameworks, and innovative practices that contribute to understanding the global impact and future potential of ADA principles and universal design in higher education.
Abstract Requirements:
• Maximum 750 words
• Clearly articulated research question or practice area
• Methodology (if applicable)
• Key findings or arguments
• Significance to the symposium themes
• Author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact information
Please indicate if you are interested in presenting, publishing, or both. We anticipate publishing around four papers in a forthcoming issue of The Journal of International Law and Commerce; one paper in The Journal of Global Rights and Organizations; and smaller abstracts may be published in a special feature on Impunity Watch News. Details on registration and schedule for the conference will be forthcoming.
Submissions are due October 23, 2025, 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time by email to Chris Ramsdell.
The Symposium is supported by:
Professor Roy Gutterman L’00, Director, Tully Center for Free Speech; Professor, Newhouse School; Professor of Law, College of Law, had his Syracuse Law Review article “Actually . . . A Renewed Stand for The First Amendment Actual Malice Defense” Cited by the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Dershowitz v. CNN, Inc.
From page 15 of the decision, “Sullivan has ‘become part of the fabric of American law’ and been ‘woven into a long line of federal and state cases’.”
Gutterman’s article discusses the New York Times v. Sullivan constitutional, actual malice privilege in the modern context of the first Trump administration.
The article is at 68 Syracuse L. Rev. 579 (2018).
