School of Law

Magarian”No evidence exists of any serious threat of voter fraud, at present or in any recent election cycle,” says Greg Magarian, J.D., election law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. The current cries of ‘fraud’ focus on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a public interest organization that advocates for low- and moderate- income and minority citizens. “Filing false registration forms does not constitute voter fraud,” he says. “Voter fraud requires voting by a person who is not legally entitled to vote. That is a difficult trick to pull off, and simply turning in a registration form for ‘Captain Crunch’ does almost nothing to enable it.”

Distinguished environmental law and policy scholars and scientists from around the country will gather at WUSTL Oct. 30 to discuss “International Climate Change: Post-Kyoto Challenges.”

Distinguished environmental law and policy scholars and scientists from around the country will gather at Washington University in St. Louis to discuss “International Climate Change: Post-Kyoto Challenges,” from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 30 in Anheuser-Busch and Seigle Halls. “The international community is aiming to complete negotiations by the end of 2009 on a new climate change agreement to take effect when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012,” says Maxine Lipeles, J.D., director of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic and senior lecturer in law. “This conference will address the critical question of what roles the world’s two largest emitters – the U.S. and China – will play under the new agreement.” The conference, hosted by Washington University School of Law’s Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Block”Emergency government bailouts of private industry are nothing new, but what makes the recent spate of so-called bailouts so extraordinary is simply the numbers involved and the extent of government involvement in ownership and management,” says Cheryl Block, leading federal budget expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “We absolutely need a better regulatory infrastructure to monitor and provide better early-warning signals, and to provide procedural mechanisms for responding to emergencies. It is troubling that weighty decisions are being made on an ad hoc basis behind closed doors. These decisions potentially involve not only substantial amounts of taxpayer money, but they also involve employment decisions regarding management of major business enterprises.”

Charles W. Burson, former counsel to the Vice President and assistant to the President and Chief of Staff at The White House, and Ambassador Thomas Schweich, special representative for Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, are the lead commentators for the Washington University School of Law’s Vice Presidential Debate Watch Party at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Student Commons of Anheuser-Busch Hall.

Terry Smith, J.D., professor of law at Fordham University and nationally recognized expert on race and politics, will kick off the School of Law’s 11th annual Public Interest Law & Policy Speakers Series at noon Sept. 23 with a timely talk on politics and racism. The fall lineup of speakers also includes an international peace […]

Terry Smith, J.D., professor of law at Fordham University and nationally recognized expert on race and politics, will kick off the School of Law’s 11th annual Public Interest Law & Policy Speakers Series with a talk on “Politics and Post-Racialism: Reflections on the Meaning of a Black President” September 23.

BernsteinAccess to affordable health care has been a recurring topic in current political discussions. Merton C. Bernstein, leading health insurance expert and law professor emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis says that Medicare is the most practical platform for both extending coverage to everyone and taming medical cost inflation. He is available to discuss the candidates’ health care proposals.

Terry Smith, J.D., professor of law at Fordham University and nationally recognized expert on race and politics, will kick off Washington University School of Law’s 11th annual Public Interest Law & Policy Speakers Series with a timely talk on “Politics and Post-Racialism: Reflections on the Meaning of a Black President” on Tuesday, Sept. 23. The fall line-up of speakers also includes an international peace negotiator, a former government environmental attorney and administrator, a renowned human rights lawyer and author, and a nationally recognized leader in the marriage equality movement.

Magarian”Minor political parties’ inability to gain traction in the United States does not reflect natural facets of our national character,” says Gregory P. Magarian, election law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, home of the 2008 vice presidential debate. “Rather, our legal system imposes formidable barriers to minor parties’ electoral viability. The use of plurality voting (the candidate with the most votes gets the only prize) and single-member districts in congressional and most state legislative elections drives voters to coalesce around only two electoral options, marginalizing any candidate who lacks a major-party brand.” Magarian is available to discuss general election law and electoral system issues.