Professor Emeritus Richard Frase was interviewed on FOX 9 about new Minnesota statutes that have strengthened language about felony murders so that only those major participants in an actual killing face the harshest consequences. Previously, a person could be charged, convicted, and sent to prison for murder, even if there was no intent to harm anyone during the commission of a felony crime. Professor Frase, a member of the legislative task force studying the issue, said, “It is a very controversial doctrine, the whole felony murder rule.

Professor Matthew Bodie was quoted in the New York Times about corporations’ awareness of implementing more employee-progressive policies such as unionization and whether this is a growing trend. One example is Microsoft, which could have thousands of union employees working under collective bargaining agreements within a few years, but this makes it an outlier as a high-tech firm. Some analysts cite large companies that indicate they are progressive in policies and beliefs, but their actions may not necessarily mirror these.

Professor June Carbone co-authored an opinion piece in the New Pittsburgh Courier about how a possible resurgence in marriages in the U.S. won’t necessarily produce the benefits as expected. Several books and websites are predicting a post-pandemic increase in marriage engagements in 2024, and the so-called “marriage promotion movement,” has for decades claimed that marriage supports children’s well-being and combats poverty.

Prof. Alan Rozenshtein was quoted in the Washington Post about a new crowdsourced database meant to improve working conditions for judicial employees. It will allow young lawyers to review the judges they worked for and give law students a way to learn which judges have good — or bad — reputations as employers. The database solicits feedback on a judge’s interviewing process, hours, assignment style and workplace environment. Judges are also given a “positive, neutral, or negative” rating.

Professor Perry Moriearty was quoted in Yahoo News and Star Tribune after her client, Brian Flowers, is resentenced in a 2008 murder case. A parole hearing will be held this summer after Hennepin County District Judge William Koch resentenced Flowers to concurrent life sentences instead of consecutive life sentences. Flowers’ legal team, which included Professor Moriearty, fought for resentencing over a decade as a series of state and federal laws regarding the prosecution of youth changed.

Professor Richard Painter was quoted in Bloomberg Law about Jeffrey Clark’s attempt to fight sanctions due to his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The former U.S. assistant attorney general told a three-judge D.C. Court of Appeals panel that the D.C. Bar lacks jurisdiction to sanction him, including possible disbarment. Professor Painter said that sanctions, especially disbarment, would hinder Donald Trump’s ability to tap Clark for a high-ranking post in a new administration sanctions.

Professor Susan Wolf was quoted in MIT Technology Review on Alabama’s embryo ruling which said, in part, that an embryo is a child “regardless of its location.” The ruling could have implications for future technologies in development, such as artificial wombs or synthetic embryos made from stem cells. Professor Wolf commented, “I think the opinion is really extraordinary.

Prof. Daniel Schwarcz was interviewed in a USA Today article fact checking whether health insurance companies recently changed their exclusions for war and insurrection because they’ve been tipped off to expected widespread violence. Various social media posts made the claims but these were determined by the article as false. Excluding such events is neither new nor uncommon for health insurance companies, and according to Professor Schwarcz, health insurers had similar language in their policies before 2024.