News featuring a faculty member
The Justice Department’s efforts to return indictments against six members of Congress were turned down by a grand jury in what Professor Andrew Leipold called a “rare” denial. Good Morning America spoke to Leipold for their investigation of the cases, with Leipold commenting, “The most obvious answer is that the government is being aggressive in prosecuting federal crimes, and grand juries are simply not in agreement.”
Drug labels required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are meant to help ensure safe and effective use of prescription drugs; however, recent court decisions have problematically treated those labels as key evidence in patent infringement cases, with drug companies engaging in what Professor Jacob Sherkow calls “patent gamesmanship” that could potentially limit access to affordable generic drugs. In his latest scholarship, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Sherkow and his co-authors urge the Supreme Court to address this trend.
Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson recently helped craft draft legislation with Utah Representative Mike Peterson that would empower college students to opt out of assignments if the coursework violates their “sincerely held religious and conscience beliefs.” She testified before the Utah Senate Education Committee on February 25 at the invitation of Peterson on Utah House Bill 204 and was quoted in an article from the Salt Lake Tribune about the bill.
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, deploying forces to large cities and deporting individuals without due process, has created a “terrifying and vindictive America,” Professor Lauren Aronson writes in a letter to the editor published by the Chicago Sun-Times. “My heart has been broken over and over again by my clients’ suffering, and the only solace that saved me for the work is the knowledge that the services my clinic provides give these individuals a second chance to live meaningful, productive, and most importantly, safe lives in the United States. I no longer feel like I can offer that,” she continues.
Holding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents responsible for constitutional violations might lie with state legislatures. The New York Times, investigating legal mechanisms by which individuals could bring cases against ICE, cited Professor Jason Mazzone’s work examining the Illinois Bivens Act, which has promise according to Mazzone.
As Democrat-led states seek new laws that allow individuals to sue federal agents in response to tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Reuters quotes Professors Jason Mazzone and Vikram Amar on a law that Illinois recently passed. Their scholarship, originally published in Justia Verdict, called the Illinois law “innovative” but “imperfect” as a way to address these concerns.
One of Illinois Law’s areas of strength is environmental law. We routinely offer core courses such as environmental law, administrative law, and natural resources, as well as advanced environmental electives, such as climate change and sustainable development. Where we go the extra mile, literally, is in innovative environmental courses that offer hands-on teaching.
In this episode, Professor Heidi Hurd explains her class, Costa Rica: A Case Study in Environmentally Sustainable Economic Development, a January intersession course that takes students to Costa Rica to learn from politicians and environmentalists and experience the natural world up close. Professor Hurd goes through the history of the class, her favorite memories, and why she feels this course is so important to Illinois Law’s environmental law offerings.
Also joining the podcast are Josh Rosen, a third-year student, and Sophia Abedi, a second-year student, both of whom traveled with Hurd to Costa Rica this past January. They share their experiences and how the course resonated with them in the present and will continue to make a difference in their careers.
For more information about Illinois Law’s commitment to environmental law, please visit our website. For more about the Costa Rica course, see the specific course listing.
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If you have comments or suggestions for the podcast, please contact podcast@law.illinois.edu.
Professor Bob Lawless and co-authors Pamela Foohey and Deborah Thorne recently joined the well-regarded Ballard Spahr podcast Consumer Finance Monitor to discuss their book “Debt’s Grip: Risk and Consumer Bankruptcy.”
In the episode, they discuss why people actually file for bankruptcy, the role of debt collection and litigation, potential policy reforms, and much more.
Professor Jacob Sherkow recently presented his work on patent infringement at three separate events. He presented a paper, “Compounding Patent Infringement” at the Stanford Patent Scholars Roundtable in January, and in February he presented “Infringement by Drug Label” at the Health Law Colloquium at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law as well as at the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford Law School.
Replacing animal testing for drug trials is promising, but Professor Sara Gerke and her co-authors on a new paper on the subject believe caution is warranted before adopting change. Gerke recently spoke to the Illinois News Bureau about the paper.
“The primary goal of the FDA is to make animal testing the exception in 3-5 years, and a secondary goal is to get drugs to the market faster by reducing research and development costs,” she said. “Those are all worthy and ambitious goals, but it’s hard not to worry about the attendant risks in doing so. We really need to start thinking about how we ought to validate these new approach methodologies so that they’re at least as effective as animal testing.”