"I am not a teacher, but an awakener." – Robert Frost
This Special Edition of the Monday Morning Message is called CSU|LAW Faculty/Staff Focus. We are very fortunate to have outstanding full-time, adjunct, and emeritus faculty, leaders-in-residence, and staff. I am pleased to share this update on their recent scholarship, presentations, teaching,and service.
Faculty
Professor Laura Hoffman was named a Dean’s Teacher by Dean Lee Fisher for her outstanding teaching and service to the law school.
She published her law article, “Access Denied: Accessibility and the Law of Telehealth for People with Disabilities” in Case Western Reserve University School of Law’s Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine. She was also a guest lecturer at University of California College of Law-San Francisco on telehealth and the digital divide for an online health law course. Professor Hoffman will speak as a panelist with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) titled “Ensuring Access for Patients with Disabilities in an Evolving Telehealth Landscape” on May 30th for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2024 Health Equity Conference.
- Professor Doron Kalir’s op-ed entitled, “Complete immunity – why the Supreme Court is about to give Trump a gift, and maybe the election” was published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on May 5, 2024. A copy can be found here. In it he criticizes the Supreme Court’s approach to the issue of complete immunity from criminal prosecution for crimes committed while serving as President. He argues that our historical founding documents - both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution itself - leave very little room to argue that the President may violate the law with impunity. Professor Kalir warns that a reversal - technical as it may be - may be convincingly painted by the Trump campaign as “complete exoneration by the Supreme Court.” That, coupled with the fact that the opinion is likely to be issued very close to the election, may tip the scale in favor of a new authoritarian regime.
- Professor Christa Laser was named a Dean’s Scholar by Dean Lee Fisher for her outstanding scholarship and service to the law school.
Professor Karin Mika was re-appointed a Dean’s Scholar by Dean Lee Fisher for her outstanding scholarship and service to the law school.
She presented a lecture on “Embracing AI in Appellate Advocacy” for the Strafford Group on April 17, 2024, as part of an online program for Continuing Legal Education She also presented “Lessons Learned in Adapting First Year Legal Writing for an Online Law Degree” at the Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference held at Loyola Law School on March 8-9, 2024. Additionally, Professor Mika made several presentations to Ukrainian law students as part of an international law professor initiative to help Ukrainian law schools. The presentations have discussed the American legal system, as well as the duties of American attorneys and how to apply to attend law school in the United States.
- Professor Reggie Oh was reappointed as the Professor Alan Miles Ruben and Judge Betty Willis Ruben Professor by Dean Lee Fisher for his outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service to the law school and the university.
- Professor Kevin O’Neill and co-author historian Patrick J. Charles’ article has been accepted for publication by the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal. The article, entitled But for a Free Press: A Response to Press Freedom Skeptics, will appear in Fall 2024.
Associate Dean Brian Ray organized the 2024 Cybersecurity & Privacy Protection Conference April 18-19. The Conference featured over 40 speakers and 13 sessions and featured keynotes from the FTC’s deputy Chief Technologist, Alex Gaynor, and the Center for Internet Security’s Chief Evangelist, Tony Sager. A record number of over 220 people attended live and online. Associate Dean Ray also participated in a panel discussion of AI Ethics and Risks at the CSU TECH Hub’s first annual AI Conference.
Associate Dean Ray chaired the drafting group for the Sedona Conference’s U.S. Biometric Systems Privacy Primer (“Primer”). Recently published for public comment, the Primer provides a general introduction to biometric systems and a summary of existing U.S. laws regulating the collection, use, and sharing of the biometric information these technologies collect. In March, Ray led a conversation with national technology journalist Stacey Higginbotham on the ways connected devices and systems fail, and how those failures should inform new business models, laws and regulations, and even etiquette. Associate Dean Ray participated on the panel Reasonable Security: Oxymoron or Opportunity at the 2024 RSA Conference. RSA attracts over 42,000 attendees and selects fewer than 600 sessions from over 2200 proposals each year.
- Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson was reappointed as the Steven W. PercyDistinguished Professor of Law by Dean Lee Fisher for her outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service to the law school and the university.
Professor Christopher Sagers was named the Charles R. Emrick Jr.- Calfee Halter &Griswold Professor of Law by Dean Lee Fisher for his outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service to the law school and the university.
He wrote and filed a brief on behalf of himself and other academics in United States v. American Airlines Group, a Justice Department antitrust challenge pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The case involved a remarkable tie-up between two air carriers in the Northeast, where air travel markets were already quite congested, and on the government’s allegations it would have severely injured competition there. Professor Sagers drafted the brief on request of the Justice Department and State Attorneys General, and it was signed by 25 professors of law, business, and economics from Stanford, NYU, George Washington, USC, UC Irvine, and other prominent universities.
Professor Milena Sterio was named the James A. Thomas Distinguished Professor ofLaw by Dean Lee Fisher for her outstanding scholarship, teaching, and service to the law school and the university.
She participated in the Centre for the Study of United Nations - O.P. Jindal Global University conference on “Confronting Global Conflicts and the Rule of Law: A Focus on Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas” on May 3; Professor Sterio’s panel was on the specific topic of “Focus on Actions and Challenges in the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas Conflicts, and Discussion on Proposed Reforms.” She also participated in a conference titled “Re-Imagining Transitional Justice in Ukraine” at Northwestern Law School on April 12. The focus of Professor Sterio’s panel was specifically on addressing the prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence in Ukraine.
On May 1, Professor Sterio took part in a Capitol Hill conference centered on the theme of “US Strategic Imperative: Advancing a Just Resolution in Syria.” Within this forum, Professor Sterio contributed to a session focusing specifically on accountability. During her presentation, she outlined the various accountability mechanisms that exist at the international, regional, and national levels to bring Syrian perpetrators of atrocities to justice. On April 24th, Professor Sterio took part in a training session for various members of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various government departments. The focus of the training was on mediation and negotiation of peace agreements. Professor Sterio’s role extends to providing expert guidance to the Kenyan government in establishing a mediation and negotiation unit, a project supported by funding from the U.S. Department of State.
Professor Sterio participated in a conference entitled, “Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone” in Freetown, Sierra Leone. She led a discussion group with the victims of conflict in Sierra Leone and other West African states; in addition, she spoke at a panel on the topic of building judicial capacity in Sierra Leone and other states, and she also moderated a panel on the future of residual and investigative mechanisms. Professor Sterio moderated a Roundtable on “Establishing a Single Residual Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals.” This discussion was part of the PILPG Thought Leadership Initiative. The Initiative focuses on prominent international law and international affairs topics and organizes monthly expert roundtables to share expertise and reflections from our work on peace negotiations, post-conflict constitution drafting, and war crimes prosecution. To listen to a recording of the roundtable, click here.
Professor Sterio participated in the “Transforming Transitional Justice: Innovative Approaches for Centering Communities to Lead Post-Conflict” conference, which was convened by the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth & Reconciliation (a consortium of organizations and experts funded by the U.S. State Department). During the event, Professor Sterio shared insights from her efforts to provide human rights documentation training to a cohort of Rohingya refugees residing in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh. Professor Sterio collaborated with several colleagues to co-author a collection of blog posts recently released on Just Security, a leading international law blog. These posts were featured as part of an online symposium focused on the consolidation of current residual international criminal tribunals into a unified residual mechanism.
Along with a group of experts, Professor Sterio submitted Commentary to the International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor. This submission was in response to the ICC’s call for Commentary regarding its latest policy initiative, which aims to establish a new policy promoting accountability for environmental crimes. Professor Sterio and her colleagues concentrated their Commentary on exploring the potential prosecution of environmental offenses as crimes against humanity or war crimes under the ICC’s Rome Statute. Professor Sterio was recently quoted in an article in the Akron Beacon Journal discussing Eric T. Nshimiye, a resident of Lake Township, who was accused of committing murder and sexual assaults during the Rwanda genocide nearly three decades ago. The article can be found here. Finally, Professor Sterio has been elected co-chair of the American Society of International Midwest Interest Group. She also currently serves on the Executive Council of the ASIL.
- Professor Brandon Stump has been invited by Emory University School of Medicine to speak at their annual Autism Celebration Month event. What sets this event apart is its unique approach of bringing together three Autistic academics to discuss their individual research endeavors, which need not necessarily focus solely on Autism-related topics. This initiative aims to counter the common trend where disabled individuals are often pigeonholed into speaking solely about their disability, neglecting their other areas of expertise and interests.
Dean Lee Fisher was named for the fourth consecutive year to Cleveland Magazine’s Cleveland 500 list, recognizing the leaders who shape Cleveland. Interesting side notes: Dean Fisher is one of two leaders at Cleveland State University named (the other is Cleveland State University President Laura Bloomberg, and Lee and his wife Peggy Zone Fisher, President/CEO of the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, are one of three couples named. Dean Fisher’s profile: https://clevelandmagazine.com/cleader/cleveland-500/detail/lee-fisher Peggy Zone Fisher’s profile: https://clevelandmagazine.com/cleader/cleveland-500/detail/zone-fisher-peggy President Laura Bloomberg’s profile: https://clevelandmagazine.com/cleader/cleveland-500/detail/bloomberg-laura.
Dean Fisher wrote a column in the May issue of Community Leader Magazine, a publication of Cleveland Magazine, It’s Not About Them. It’s About Us. Dean Fisher was interviewed about the process of changing the law school’s name by the Public Relations Society of America here: 5 Keys to Crisis Management
On April 5, Dean Fisher interviewed Mark Termini ‘84, sports attorney and agent who has personally negotiated $1.4 billion in contracts for NBA clients including LeBron James, and author of Words to Negotiate By, as part of the CSU|LAW Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium. On April 9, Dean Fisher spoke on a panel with former NBC News legal reporter Pete Williams at John Carroll University. The discussion was entitled, “Insurrection & Immunity: How the Supreme Court Could Affect the 2024 Presidential Election.” Pete Williams is John Carroll University’s Journalist in Residence and former NBC News correspondent for the Department of Justice & Supreme Court for 29 years. Watch the recording here.
On April 22, Dean Fisher spoke as panelist with Sonali Wilson, CSU General Counsel and CSU|LAW Leader-in-Residence at the Ohio Attorney General’s Annual Conference for Public College and University Attorneys. The panel was titled “Reflections on In-House Counsel at Ohio’s Institutions of Higher Education.” As Ohio Attorney General (1991-95), Dean Fisher created the first annual Ohio Attorney General’s Annual Conference for Public College and University Attorneys. He also created the Education Section in the Attorney’s General’s office and created the first in-house counsel positions at Ohio’s public college and universities; the first General Counsel position was at The Ohio State University in 1991.
On April 30, Dean Fisher was the keynote speaker at the Mahoning County Law Day Luncheon. See Law Day speaker highlights importance of voting - WKBN.com . On May 7, Dean Fisher spoke on a bipartisan panel of Ohio Attorneys General about Civility and Civil Discourse at the Ohio State Bar Association Annual Meeting in Columbus. The other panelists were Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and former Ohio Attorneys General Betty Montgomery and Nancy Rogers. Dean Fisher signed a letter to members of Congress with a number of other law school deans urging increased funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). Systems for providing legal services to low-income Americans remain persistently underfunded and well below the rate of inflation.
Leaders-in-Residence
- Legal Educator-in-Residence Howard E. Katz was an invited participant at a workshop on “Professional Identity Formation in the Professional Responsibility Course”, conducted by the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership at the St. Thomas University School of Law in Minneapolis on April 19th and 20th. He participated in plenary and breakout sessions to develop ideas for integrating professional identity formation into Professional Responsibility casebooks and courses. He also made a presentation on “Innovative Teaching Techniques” to the faculty at the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in Baton Rouge, as part of their Spring 2024 Faculty Speaker Series.
- Leader-in-Residence Sonali B. Wilson and Dean Lee Fisher served as panelists at the Ohio Attorney General’s Annual Conference for Public College and University Attorneys on April 22, 2024. The panel was titled “Reflections on In-House Counsel at Ohio’s Institutions of Higher Education”, the panel was moderated by Rory Callahan, Principal Assistant Attorney General, Education Section. Dean Fisher and Sonali Wilson, CSU VP, General Counsel and Board Secretary were joined by Natalie Jackson, General Counsel, Bowling Green State University. Dean Fisher appointed the first in-house counsel at Ohio State University in 1992 while he was Attorney General. Soon after other colleges and universities entered into MOU’s with the AG’s Office to establish in-house counsel offices (AG is statutory counsel for all Ohio agencies and state instrumentalities and only they or their designees may represent these entities). The panel reflected on how the role of General Counsel has evolved over the years, how the in-house offices have grown and what the future may hold for these in-house attorneys. The AG’s Office reported back that the session was a conference favorite and received high marks!
Emeriti Faculty
- Professor Emeritus David Barnhizer’s latest book, CONFORMITY COLLEGES: The Destruction of Intellectual Creativity and Dissent in America’s Universities (Skyhorse Publishing 2024), was recently released. He has engaged in an extensive media tour giving more than twenty video and other broadcast interviews in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and even Costa Rica. Click here to hear Professor Barnhizer’s interview with Ben Rubin from UKColumn. Professor Barnhizer was one of 35 people from a diverse mix of backgrounds and professions invited to participate in the Brownstone Institute’s Retreat in Avon, Connecticut. This multi-day retreat consisted of presentations, brainstorming, and discussions about some of the most critical issues facing America.
- Professor Emeritus Brian Glassman was a co-presenter at a virtual event hosted by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association on February 27, 2024: “The 2024 Presidential Election: Ineligibility to Hold Office Under the Constitution’s 14th Amendment?”
- Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus Steven Steinglass working with the Law Librarians at the College of Law, has developed a blog to complement the Ohio Constitutional Law and Historywebsite (see link). The Ohio Constitution News blog (see link) enables those interested in the Ohio Constitution to receive emails notifying them of developments on the Ohio Constitution, additions to the website, and commentary. Interested persons may subscribe for free to receive emails to the Ohio Constitution News blog (see link). Those interested in the Ohio Constitution can also go to the Apple App Store or the Google Store and download the free user-friendly Ohio Constitution App. This App was developed by recent graduate Ernest Oleksy under the supervision of Dean Steinglass.
- Starting with the 2025 edition, Professor Emeritus Alan Weinstein will be the lead author for Ohio Planning & Zoning Law, a one-volume treatise published annually by Thomson-Reuters for which he has been a co-author since 2019. He succeeds OSU Professor Emeritus Kenneth Pearlman as lead author. Professor Pearlman was a founding author of the treatise in 1995. Professor Weinstein is also quoted in an April 14 article on Cleveland.com: “Art Modell law is ripe for legal challenges but could help Cleveland keep the Browns.”
Adjunct Faculty
- Adjunct Professor Douglas H. Meal and Sharilyn N. Clark, 3L, co-authored an article for inclusion in the “Course Materials Book” for PLI’s Twenty-Fifth Annual Institute on Privacy and Cybersecurity Law. Professor Meal will be presenting at this conference this coming May. The article has been accepted for publication by The Sedona Conference Law Journal and can be read here.
- Adjunct Professor Zach Germaniuk presented to the Ohio Community Development Corporation Association (OCDCA) alongside Professor Emeritus Kermit Lind and representatives from the City of Cincinnati law dept. about the statewide use of civil nuisance abatement. Professor Germaniuk, who recently completed ten years of public service at Slavic Village Development, provided three case studies on using civil nuisance abatement litigation to assist community stabilization and development.
- Adjunct Professor and Judge Kristin Sweeney participated in the CSU Department of Psychology’s Viking Series. In her presentation, “Examining Emotions in the Juvenile Court System,” Judge Sweeney shared the purpose and goals of juvenile law, with a special examination of the role emotions play in the juvenile courtroom: What is remorse? If defendants show remorse, are they statistically less likely to offend again? How can victims and their families find closure?
Clinic Directors/Staff Attorneys
- Khalida Sims Jackson, Director of the Pardon, Clemency + Reentry Clinic was one of several speakers at the 2024 Conscious Inclusion Summit. The program, sponsored by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the Council on Conscious Inclusion, was titled, “Justice in Flux: Understanding Today’s Legal Landscape.” In addition to providing an overview of the Pardon, Clemency + Reentry Clinic and the services it provides, Professor Jackson presented on the updates of the SB 288 - the new expungement law in Ohio, amended in October 2023, referencing the Ohio Revised Code 2953.32 -2953.34. Also referenced HB 230, regarding drug trafficking and organized trafficking of persons. Professor Jackson challenged the audience to keep an open mind when it comes to the criminal justice system and that it goes well beyond the courtroom.
Staff
- Barbara Andelman, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Freda Levenson, Legal Director of the ACLU of Ohio were interviewed by the Columbus Jewish News on what someone should think about before applying to law school and what the application process looks like. A copy of the article can be found here.
- Allison Bolt, Budget Manager and Patricia Riley, Coordinator, Online Educationparticipated in a Power BI training course offered by the College of Business. Power BI (business intelligence) is a data analysis and report creation tool.
- Laura Ray, Outreach & Instructional Services Librarian, presented “Resources for Advocacy Action” at the April 2nd Board meeting of the Arthritis Foundation Northeast Ohio. Her talk outlined the legislative process and highlighted freely available resources for finding information on proposed federal and state legislation, such as the Congress.gov and Ohio Legislature websites. Laura is a current member of the AF Board.
Affiliate
- Professor Eric Tucker has three forthcoming publications that are currently available in pre-publication form on SSRN: “Political Economic Reflections on Contemporary Worker Subordination and the Law: Some Old, Something New and a Lot That’s Blue” (forthcoming, Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal, Vol. 44.3) https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4799268; “Regulating Health and Safety in Capitalist Workplaces: History, Practices and Prospects” (forthcoming in Guy Davidov, Brian Langille and Gillian Lester, eds., The Oxford Handbook of the Law of Work, New York: Oxford University Press) https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4418242; and “Labour, Labour Law and Capitalist Rent Seeking: Rentier Capitalism and Labour in Historical Perspective” (forthcoming in Balihar Sanghera, ed., Global Rental Capitalism: Theory and Development, New York: Routledge) https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4799759
Have a great day. Have a great week.
The views and opinions expressed in my Monday Morning Message are solely my own and do not reflect the views and opinions of the law school or the university.
My best,
Lee