In the News

In the News

  • Professor Timothy Lytton's book Kosher was reviewed by The Jewish Press on May 22, 2013.

  • Timothy Lytton, author of the new book “Kosher: Private Regulation in the Age of Industrial Food,” said consumers shouldn’t expect an overnight boom of Magen Tzedek certifications. Lytton said it took from the 1950s to the ’90s to build a reliable system of kosher certification of industrial food in the United States.

    But Lytton said that for Magen Tzedek to get jumpstarted, there also needs to be an increase in consumer demand and also brand competition among similar-minded certifiers.

    From the article "Magen Tzedek, Ethical Kosher Seal, Stalled Amid Orthodox Opposition" in The Jewish Daily Forward on May 20, 2013.
  • Professor Patrick Connors authored the article "Timing of Expert Disclosure in Context of Summary Judgment Motions" for the New York Law Journal on May 20, 2013.
  • Professor Timothy Lytton was interviewed about his book "Kosher: Private Regulation in the Age of Industrial Food" for WNYT's Forum 13 program on May 12, 2013.
  • Dean Penelope (Penny) Andrews was interviewed for WNYT's "Today's Women" series on May 2, 2013.
  • Guest speakers during a luncheon at the Radisson Hotel-Utica Centre are: Attorney Frances E. Cafarell, Utica native and clerk of the Appellate Division, Fourth Department; and Penelope Andrews, president and dean of Albany Law School.

    From the article "Law Day celebration features women and the law" in the Utica, N.Y., Observer-Dispatch April 30, 2013.
  • Professor Timothy Lytton's book Kosher: Private Regulation in the Age of Industrial Food was reviewed by The Jewish Daily Forward on April 29, 2013.
  • Professor Timothy Lytton was interviewed by the Times Union for "Albany Law prof considers kosher food rules" on April 25, 2013.
  • Professor Stephen Gottlieb appeared on WAMC's The Roundtable to discuss the death penalty, Miranda rights, and surveillance and privacy on April 24, 2013. 
  • Professor Robert Batson discussed native-state relations on the WWKB-AM radio program "Let's Talk Native" on April 14, 2013.

  • “The purpose of bail is to ensure that the person shows up for trial,” said Laurie Shanks, a clinical professor of law at Albany Law School. “This is basically, ‘would you run? Do you have anything to lose?’”

    Bail is not, she said, intended to serve as punishment or a means of preventing anticipated future crimes.

    . . .

    Such a change concerns Ms. Shanks, who fears changing the law as a knee-jerk reaction to “an egregious case, like this one.” She argues that defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence.

    From the article "Massena crime suspect Patrick Lloyd jailed without bail" in the Watertown, N.Y., Daily Times on April 13, 2013.
  • Michael Hutter, an Albany-based attorney with Powers & Santola, a Law Journal columnist and an Albany Law School professor who frequently argues in the appellate courts, said he includes Abdus-Salaam among the very best jurists in the state, with the potential to become the court's intellectual leader.

    "Her decisions have been absolutely superb pieces of judicial writing, showing clarity, thoughtfulness and putting the decision in proper perspective with regard to possible implications and past precedent," Hutter said.

    From the article "First Department Justice Tapped for Top Bench" in the New York Law Journal on April 8, 2013.
  • Vincent Bonventre, an Albany Law School professor, notes that Gov. Mario Cuomo replaced the lone black judge in 1992 with another African-American. Bonventre says Abdus-Salaam has been a "strong" midlevel court jurist who is "moderately liberal."

    From the article "Cuomo watch: Court picks maintain diversity" in Newsday on April 7, 2013.
  • Professor Michael Hutter authored the piece "'Pealer' and Forensic-Related Records: Confronting 'Crawford' and Its Progeny" for the New York Law Journal on April 4, 2013.
  • Professor Timothy Lytton's book Kosher was featured in the "Business Book Haiku" section of BusinessWeek on April 4, 2013.
  • Professor Vincent Bonventre appeared on YNN's Capital Tonight to discuss the Supreme Court hearings on same-sex marriage on March 29, 2013.
  • Professor Robert Heverly appeared on the web-based technology law program "This Week in Law" on March 29, 2013.
  • Professor Stephen Gottlieb appeared on WAMC's The Roundtable to discuss same-sex marriage and other legal issues on March 27, 2013.  

  • Professor Paul Finkelman authored the piece "Massachusetts Keeps a Slavery Myth Alive" for TheRoot.com on March 27, 2013.
  • Professor Timothy Lytton's post "Kosher Certification: A Model of Reliable Food Label Regulation" was featured by Fooducate on March 25, 2013.
  • Melissa Breger, a professor of law at Albany Law School, said that overall, no-fault divorce has been a “welcome alternative” for litigants who do not wish to reveal traumatic facts in public, air dirty laundry in court or, in some cases, perjure themselves by accusing their spouse of behavior that never occurred in order to end their marriage.

    Prior to the law’s passage, Breger had “some serious concerns” about no-fault divorce, as did advocates for domestic violence and other groups, such as the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women and the New York State Catholic Conference.

    The big concern, Breger said, was how the law would impact survivors of domestic violence. Would it make it easier for women to get out of abusive relationships? Or would victims lose their bargaining power when it came to issues such as custody?

    “There was a concern there would be no accountability for offenders, and that litigants wouldn’t have their day in court,” Breger said. She said that it’s probably too early to ascertain what the impact of the law has been on domestic violence survivors.

    From the article "Divorces up since New York adopted no-fault law" in The Daily Gazette on March 24, 2013.
  • Professor Timothy Lytton's book Kosher: Private Regulation in the Age of Industrial Food was featured on Marion Nestle's Food Politics blog on March 22, 2013.
  • According to New York Court Watcher, a blog maintained by Professor Vincent Bonventre of Albany Law School, the list of seven potential nominees includes three blacks; three women; four appellate judges; three private litigators; one openly gay attorney; six candidates from New York City and one from Buffalo; and no academics, Hispanics, Asians or Republicans.

    From the article "Most Bar Groups Ever Size Up Seven Candidates to Fill Vacancy" in the New York Law Journal on March 22, 2013.
  • Professor Sarah Rogerson's letter to the editor "Ongoing domestic violence fight" was published by the Times Union on March 14, 2013.
  • "They reframed the question," said Timothy Lytton, an Albany Law School professor and author of the book "Holding Bishops Accountable: How Lawsuits Helped the Catholic Church Confront Clergy Sex Abuse."

    "Before 1984, nobody talked about it. Police wouldn't investigate it. Now, books are being written on the responsibility of the pope. All over Europe there are questions about the Vatican's role in all this and that is largely the results of lawsuits," he said.

    From the article "Victims raise legal questions about retired pope" by the Associated Press on March 5, 2013.
  • Separate and apart from the sanctions they mete out, laws shape values. “When you’re talking about public health issues … one of the roles that law plays is an expressive function,” says Timothy Lytton, a law professor at Albany Law School who studies the effectiveness of laws aimed at improving public health. “It normalizes certain types of behavior and abnormalizes others. So if you pass a ban on certain types of weapons, those become not normal weapons; they get carved out.” Gun-rights organizers also recognize law’s powerful effect in setting parameters of acceptability—it’s why for years they’ve pushed for expanded state concealed-carry permits. “They want the law to help them change what’s normal, and that seems to me to be a valid use of law,” says Lytton.

    From the article "Gun Control’s Long Game" by The American Prospect on March 4, 2013.
  • Professor Paul Finkelman authored the piece "Francis Lieber and the Law of War" for The New York Times' Disunion series, which follows the Civil War as it unfolded, on March 2, 2013.
  • "You even have less of a likelihood (of parole) now. Now every crime is on the front page of every paper and it's on social media," Laurie Shanks, a professor at Albany Law School, said a recent interview.

    "The police union can go on Facebook or Twitter or send a petition electronically by clicking a button on a computer," she said. "The chances of parole are slimmer now than they were 30 years ago . . . In fact, the chances of parole are almost nil."

    From the article "Lamont Pride to be sentenced in Officer Peter Figoski's slaying" in Newsday on Feb. 28, 2013.
  • Professor Paul Finkelman participated in the online debate "The Constitution’s Immoral Compromise" for The New York Times on Feb. 26, 2013.
  • Professor Paul Finkelman authored "Three-Fifths Clause: Why Its Taint Persists" for The Root on Feb. 26, 2013. The piece was also featured on Slate.com.
  • Professor Vincent Bonventre appeared on YNN's Capital Tonight program to talk about same-sex marriage cases before the Supreme Court on Feb. 25, 2013.
  • The only notable exception to this is Hebrew National, says Timothy Lytton of Albany Law School, who has written a book about kosher regulation (Hebrew National says it has “always stood by its kosher distinction and status” and a Triangle K rabbi says it made “kosher meat available to the greater American public, and not just the glatt consumer”.) The certifying bodies do a much better job than the government did, says Mr Lytton. They pounce on mistakes and are swift to admit their own. America’s kosher food industry generates $12 billion in sales a year so no one wants to lose customers because of sloppiness.

    In Israel, by contrast, the state is closely involved, promoting the Chief Rabbinate’s kosher label as the only acceptable one. But those standards are the lowest common denominator, says Mr Lytton, and many religious Jews find them too lax. They insist on stricter checks from private companies which costs extra.

    From the article "A meaty question" in The Economist on Feb. 7, 2013.
  • Professor Robert Heverly recorded a segment on "Who Controls the Internet" for WAMC's Academic Minute on Feb. 5, 2013.
  • The newly partisan tone was evident in the confirmation hearings for Mr. Cuomo's first nominee for the Court of Appeals, Jenny Rivera, who was questioned for hours over two days before being approved on a party-line Judiciary Committee vote. Ms. Rivera is expected to be confirmed in a floor vote, but the intense hearing was unusual, said Albany Law School professor Vincent Bonventre.

    "Senate judiciary hearings in New York state have been a waste of time in the past. Usually they're nothing more than rubber-stamping whoever the governor sends before them," Mr. Bonventre said.

    From the article "GOP Rebels as Cuomo Shifts Left" in The Wall Street Journal on Feb. 5, 2013.
  • And the justices come in prepared, Albany Law School professor Laurie Shanks said Tuesday. Shanks, who is not involved in the Raucci case, said the justices also have expectations of their own.

    “They expect you to be prepared,” Shanks said. “Very often you get out ‘Good morning, your honor,’ and they start asking you questions.”

    The justices’ questions then focus on the issues that they saw when reading through the submissions. The direction of those questions can often go in a different direction, Shanks said.

    “Often what you believe is the most important argument, they may or may not agree,” Shanks said.

    From the article "Raucci appeal set for hearing today" in the Schenectady, N.Y., Daily Gazette on Feb. 5, 2013.
  • Dean Penelope (Penny) Andrews appeared on WNYT's Forum 13 to talk about her new book From Cape Town to Kabul: Rethinking Strategies for Pursuing Women’s Human Rights on Feb. 3, 2013.
  • Professor Vincent Bonventre was interviewed for the article "Rivera Would Face Steep Learning Curve On NY's Top Court" on the Law360 website on Jan. 23, 2013.

  • Professor Paul Finkelman authored the piece "2nd Amendment Passed to Protect Slavery? No!" for The Root on Jan. 21, 2013.
  • Dean Penelope (Penny) Andrews appeared on The Capitol Pressroom to talk about her new book From Cape Town to Kabul: Rethinking Strategies for Pursuing Women’s Human Rights on Jan. 18, 2013.
  • Albany Law School Professor Vincent Bonventre, who has written and commented on the court, said Rivera brings with her a "paper trail of scholarship devoted to domestic violence, feminist jurisprudence, equality and the upward mobility" of Hispanics.

    "This is someone who might fall into the category of critical legal theorist or critical legal feminist, somebody who looks at these issues…from a very, very different angle," Bonventre said. "There just isn't any question in my mind that if the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee read her stuff, some of them will be a little uncomfortable with it, not because there is anything 'bad' in there, but it may be a kind of scholarship they are not used to. It is the kind of legal scholarship that says in society, in the legal profession, this is what is happening to women, this is what is happening to Latinas at home, and the law is not addressing it."

    From the article "CUNY Law's Rivera Named to Fill Ciparick Seat" in the New York Law Journal on Jan. 16, 2013.
  • Professor Vincent Bonventre appeared on YNN's Capital Tonight to discuss Professor Jenny Rivera's nomination to the state Court of Appeals on Jan. 16, 2013.

  • Professor Vincent Bonventre was interviewed by YNN for "President lays out gun control plan, reaction still fresh to NY’s law" on Jan. 16, 2013.
  • Professor Paul Finkelman is on History's "The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents" series, which premiered on Jan. 15, 2013. He was interviewed about Presidents Lincoln, Jefferson and Fillmore, among others.
  • Dean Penelope (Penny) Andrews appeared on WAMC's The Roundtable to talk about her new book From Cape Town to Kabul: Rethinking Strategies for Pursuing Women’s Human Rights on Jan. 9, 2013.

  • Timothy Lytton, law professor at Albany Law School and author of “Holding Bishops Accountable: How Lawsuits Helped the Catholic Church Confront Clergy Sexual Abuse,” says the Catholic Church is losing its credibility as a moral voice in America.

    “Whereas the Catholic bishops have traditionally been highly respected advocates for a range of moral issues related to economic justice, human rights and peace, in the wake of the scandal, many Americans no longer take much notice when they speak out. I can only imagine that, as the crisis spreads to other countries, the church will suffer a similar diminishment of prestige.”

    Lytton continues to say, “The church has been engaged in an internal struggle for three decades about how to address this issue adequately. The first step is that bishops and other high church officials must take responsibility for their failings. Without this, the culture is unlikely to change, and new policies to protect children are likely to be less effective. If the Church fails to repair the damage to its moral standing through real accountability and institutional change, one can only imagine that it will erode support for the church and its mission.”

    From the article "Child Abuse And The Catholic Church: A Gospel Of Tragedy" by Mint Press News on Jan. 9, 2013.

  • But Albany Law School professor Vincent Bonventre said Cuomo hasn’t shown much of an ideological hand in his nominations.

    “If he’s like his dad, he won’t stick to just liberal Democratic appointments,” said Bonventre. “His dad appointed as many Republicans as Democrats and as many conservatives as liberals.

    “Certainly, he’s been interested in diversity, like his dad was,” Bonventre added, noting that the younger Cuomo made Randall Eng the state’s first Asian-American presiding judge for the Appellate Division, one step below the Court of Appeals.

    From the article "Andy can court all new judges" in the New York Post on Jan. 1, 2013.