In January of 2023, the Gun Violence Prevention Clinic began researching systemic issues that result in domestic violence (DV) abusers illegally retaining firearms. The Clinic interviewed dozens of stakeholders and DV researchers to illuminate the flaws in the state’s existing processes for separating offenders as well as those under DV restraining from their guns.
Professor Matthew Bodie was quoted in the New York Times about two figure skating coaches who were fired, possibly as a result of their union-organizing efforts. A lawyer for the coaches said the terminations violated the National Labor Relations Act. Prof. Bodie, who previously worked at the National Labor Relations Board, said the coaches could take their case to the board claiming they were fired for organizing.
Professor Jean Sanderson was quoted in the Star Tribune about a bill in the Minnesota state legislature that would help protect widowed spouses who are currently responsible for unaffordable medical debts. While providers could still pursue debts through the estates of deceased patients, they couldn’t pursue widowed spouses through collections activities, lawsuits or wage garnishment. Lawmakers seek to reverse a law passed in 2001 that held these individuals responsible for the debts. Prof.
Governor Tim Walz announced the appointment of Elizabeth Bentley, visiting assistant professor of law, to the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday, April 30. She will depart the Law School in August to begin her service on the bench.
Professor Alan Rozenshtein was quoted in Bloomberg about the potential legal dispute if TikTok is banned. The provision to ban the app if its parent company does not sell it within nine months, was approved by Congress and signed into law as part of an emergency bill authorizing aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. If the dispute ends up in the courts, potentially the U.S. Supreme Court may have to weigh the government’s security concerns against the free speech and interests of its users and the app’s corporate owner.
Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin was cited in the London Review of Books about her work on obstetric and maternal harms in warfare and the failure to address in a holistic way the harms that befall women in war.
Professor June Carbone was a guest on the Bossed Up podcast episode: Redefining Success: Women and the Fight for a Fair Economy. On the podcast, she discussed her new book, Fair Shake: Women and the Fight to Build a Just Economy.
Professor Claire Hill was quoted in Forbes about the accuracy of companies reporting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices. Consumers and investors increasingly rely on companies’ claims about their ESG practices, but a new report sites that “diversity washing” is occurring with a disconnect between companies’ external commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and their actual underlying employee diversity.
