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In the Media Archive

2008 News

February 29, 2008
On Facebook Forever? Why the Networking Site was Right to Change its Deletion Policies, And Why Its Current Policies Still Pose Privacy Risks - FindLaw.com
UW law professor Anita Ramasastry discusses the social network site Facebook's recent decision to allow users to easily delete -- not just deactivate -- their profiles. Ramasastry explains why the prior policy was so harshly criticized, warns users of social networking sites that they still cannot count on permanent deletion of information from the Web, and describes several related Facebook policies that also arguably compromise user privacy.
February 26, 2008
A Case-by-Case Ruling on Discrimination - New York Times
The Supreme Court ruled that allegations that a plaintiff’s co-workers had also suffered discrimination, offered as evidence of a biased corporate culture, may be admissible in court, some of the time. Under the Supreme Court’s case-by-case approach, plaintiffs will have a greater chance of surviving summary judgment and getting their cases before a jury. “It’s a big deal that portends a real change,” Eric Schnapper, a UW law professor who was one of plaintiff’s lawyers in the case.
February 26, 2008
City police get look at pact their union rejected - Seattle P-I
The Seattle Police Officers' Guild accused Mayor Greg Nickels of attempted "union busting" after police administrators were dispersed to the city's police precincts to present officers a labor contract offer that had been rejected by union leaders. "Hardball" bargaining isn't illegal, but state labor examiners likely would examine the circumstances to determine if the city acted in bad faith, said UW law professor Lea Vaughn.
February 22, 2008
Marc Hershman, 1942-2008: Ocean policy pioneer mentored many - Seattle P-I
Marc Hershman, a man of infectious passion and mentor to many, was the director of the UW School of Marine Affairs for a decade, one of 16 members of the president's U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, and an internationally recognized expert in ocean policy. He was also an adjunct law professor and taught in the Law & Marine Affairs LL.M. program. Hershman died Feb. 17 at age 65.
February 20, 2008
Making the Breakup Much Easier - New York Times
Business breakups and other tangles can be avoided with a buy-sell agreement — basically a business prenup or a postnup. UW law professor Samuel Donaldson offers some practical solutions.
February 20, 2008
Shame and the Law - KUOW
Are 'shaming laws' making a comeback? What are the origins of these laws? Should an emotion like shaming play a major role in our legal system today? Do shaming laws work? UW law professor Steve Calandrillo joins University of Chicago law professor Martha Nussbaum and others on Weekday.
February 20, 2008
Searching Laptops at the Border and In Airports: A Disturbing Practice That Imperils Fourth and First Amendment Rights - FindLaw.com
UW law professor Anita Ramasastry, discusses the First and Fourth Amendment issues raises by U.S. government searches of laptops and other electronic devices at international borders and international airports. Ramasastry discusses the recent suit by two public interest groups to enforce a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to disclose government policy regarding this category of searches. She also covers the handful of federal cases, in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth and Ninth Circuits, that have taken on the First and Fourth Amendment issues involved when laptops are searched.
February 19, 2008
Smelter case a big mess in more ways than one - Tacoma News Tribune
“It’s the first statement by an appellate court that a polluter can’t use the border as a shield,” said UW law professor Michael Robinson-Dorn about the hazardous waste generated by a Teck Cominco smelter located in Canada. Heavy metals have leached out of the smelter's slag and accumulated in Washington's Lake Roosevelt.
February 6, 2008
Three firms indicted in pet-food recall case - USA Today
Dongsheng Zang, a UW professor of international law, says because there's no bilateral treaty between the U.S. and China covering these issues, "legally and practically" the indictments of the Chinese companies have no impact.
February 2008
Daylight Saving Time: A Way To Save Lives - KCBA Bulletin
If you’ve never given much thought to Daylight Saving Time beyond replacing smoke alarm batteries, meet UW law professor Steve Calandrillo, who has thought (and written) a lot about DST and this year he would like nothing more than for the entire U.S. to spring ahead — permanently.
January 30, 2008
Foster Care: Worthy legal pilot - Seattle P-I
The UW School of Law's Children and Youth Advocacy Clinic's pilot project to help provide legal representation to kids is discussed in this editorial.
January 29 & 30, 2008
Linebacker discovered joy of learning but had to buck football program that emphasized eligibility, not education - Seattle Times
To Huskies fans a tragic hero, to the courts a wanted felon - Seattle Times
Law professor Rob Aronson, former faculty representative to the Athletic Department, talks about the "pressure to win" mentality and how it compromised academics and integrity in the Seattle Times series about the Husky football team that went to the 2000 Rose Bowl.
January 24, 2008
Second Life Bans Cyber Banks and Unregulated Financial Institutions: Why This Solution May Only Create More Problems, At Least in the Short Term - FindLaw.com
UW law professor Anita Ramasastry, who is currently a visiting law professor at the National University of Ireland-Galway, discusses the recent move by the creators of the virtual world Second Life to ban from the site any bank that is not subject to a real-world regulator.
January 22, 2008
Field of UW law school dean candidates narrowed to 4 - Seattle P-I
Four candidates are being considered to head up the University of Washington's School of Law, and they will visit the Seattle campus for interviews.
January 22, 2008
Pass the bill - Seattle Times
Emeritus law professor William Angersen writes about SSB 5278 which concerns the use of public funds to finance campaigns for local office.
January 10, 2008
Kenya in Crisis - KUOW
Law professor Joel Ngugi joins Weekday's Steve Scher and other guests to discuss recent developments in Kenya.
January 9, 2008
CellCyte shares plummet; questions raised about CEO's bio - Seattle Times
Inaccurate biographical information in SEC filings, such as the recent allegations that involve CellCyte co-founder and Chief Executive Gary Reys, could open the door to legal action from shareholders, said UW law professor Sean O'Connor.
January 9, 2008
New DNA Methods Could Throw More Convictions Into Doubt - Seattle Weekly
A feature which includes the story of Ted Bradford who, with the help of law students in the UW Innocence Project Northwest clinic and professor Jackie McMurtrie, had his criminal conviction reversed based on DNA evidence not available at the time of conviction.
January 9, 2008
Why Amazon Was Right to Raise a First Amendment Objection to A Subpoena for Its Customer Records in a Tax Fraud Case - FindLaw.com
UW law professor Anita Ramasastry, who is currently a visiting law professor at the National University of Ireland-Galway, discusses a Wisconsin federal magistrate judge's decision to uphold Amazon customers' First Amendment rights in the face of a federal government subpoena.
January 8, 2008
Sobriety checks would need judges' OK, Gregoire says - Everett Herald
Law professor John Junker says data shows that 1 percent of people stopped at checkpoints are arrested. "On that grounds, it doesn't seem like a very effective way to use (police) resources," he said.
January 7, 2008
Questions and answers about the conflict in Kenya - Seattle Times
Law professor Sylvia Kang'ara, who grew up in Kenya's Rift Valley, answers questions regarding the recent chaos and violence in Kenya.
January 6, 2008
Kenyans hear of harrowing violence from home - Seattle Times
Law professor Joel Ngugi is one of the many Kenya natives in Seattle hearing reports of atrocities from friends and family in Kenya.
January 5, 2008
Options for a solution to the post-election crisis - Daily Nation (Kenya)
Law professor Joel Ngugi discusses the recent violence in Kenya.
January 2, 2008
Civilian Police and Rule of Law Programs - U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State's Fact Sheet about the program which supports the UW Asian Law Center's Afghan Legal Educators Project, an initiative to train Afghanistan’s law deans and law professors.