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Cardozo Law News Brief: July 26, 2024, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2024

Featured Faculty:

• Nargis Baran
• Val Myteberi
• Gary Galperin
• Michael Pollack
• Ellen Drucker-Albert
• Michel Rosenfeld

2024 Commencement Exercises, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Commencement Programs

Order of Exercises

Processional:

Felix Wu, JD, PhD, Vice Dean, Professor of Law, Herald

Presiding:

Selma Botman, PhD, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Yeshiva University, Chief Marshal

Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President, Yeshiva University

National Anthem:

Cantor Ira W. Heller, JD, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Class of 2008

Remarks:

Melanie Leslie, JD, Dean, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Class of 1991

Commencement Address:

Hon. Ronnie Abrams, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York

Student Remarks:

Meriem Sennoussi, LL.M. Class Speaker, Class of 2024

Polina Pittell, J.D. Class …

All Roads Lead To Rome: Combating Impunity For Perpetration Of Slave Trade And Slavery Crimes, Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum

Articles

The Republic of Sierra Leone has proposed amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include, inter alia, provisions for the slave trade as a crime against humanity and has recommended that the General Assembly include the slave trade as an enumerated crime in the Draft articles on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity (CAH) (Draft articles). This declaration came nearly five years after Cardozo’s Benjamin B Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, on behalf of slavery crimes expert Patricia Viseur Sellers, sent commentaries to the United Nations International Law Commission (ILC) to revise …

Redistributing Justice, Benjamin Levin, Kate Levine

Articles

This Essay surfaces an obstacle to decarceration hiding in plain sight: progressives’ continued support for the carceral system. Despite progressives’ increasingly prevalent critiques of criminal law, there is hardly a consensus on the left in opposition to the carceral state. Many left-leaning academics and activists who may critique the criminal system writ large remain enthusiastic about criminal law in certain areas— often areas in which defendants are imagined as powerful and victims as particularly vulnerable.

In this Essay, we offer a novel theory for what animates the seemingly conflicted attitude among progressives toward criminal punishment—the hope that the criminal system …

Cjcr Publishes Volume 25, Issue 2 (Symposium 2023), Jane Perov

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution (CJCR) Blog

The Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution—the country’s preeminent legal journal of arbitration, negotiation, mediation, settlement, and restorative justice—today published the web edition of Volume 25, Issue 2 (Symposium 2023).

The print edition of the issue has also been released. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on May 29, 2024.

The Seminar Paper Topics Graveyard, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Writings

I often teach one-off academic research instruction sessions for law students, for either those working on a journal or those in a writing seminar.

My approach to these sessions is relatively standard—demonstrate the sources and strategies for academic legal research—but tailored to the individual needs and overall topic of each course. One of my favorite ways to personalize a session is to demonstrate the research process using a topic that matches the class itself. A “fake paper,” if you will.

The Abolition Of Woman, Lynne Marie Kohm

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that modern feminist jurisprudence, while initially aimed at advancing women's rights, has deviated from its original goals and now contributes to the erosion of the unique identity and value of women. This shift is evident in areas such as reproduction, gender fluidity, and motherhood, where legal and academic discourse increasingly deconstructs the concept of womanhood, leading to its potential abolition.

The Supreme Court And The Federalist Society Network: The Conversation That Determined Whose Vote Counts, Deborah Toscano

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article examines the role of the Federalist Society Network (FSN) in shaping the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which invalidated Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The FSN's legal framework, emphasizing state sovereignty and the Tenth Amendment, influenced the Court's expansion of the "equal sovereignty" doctrine, leading to the dismantling of a key provision of the VRA. This decision reflects a broader shift in federalism, prioritizing state autonomy over federal oversight in voting rights.

Who Gets To Reap What They Sow? Addressing The Exclusion Of Undocumented Immigrants From Income Tax Benefits And Designing A Solution, Gabriela Amaral

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that undocumented immigrants significantly contribute to the U.S. tax system, including Social Security, but are disproportionately excluded from receiving benefits, raising concerns about economic fairness and equal protection under the law. It advocates for a more inclusive policy, particularly through work authorization, to address this inequity.

Annotated Legal Bibliography

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Impact Ipsa Loquitur: A Reverse Hand Rule For Consumer Finance, Susan Block-Lieb, Edward J. Janger

Cardozo Law Review

The topic of this symposium—Automating Bias—considers how artificial intelligence can produce, reinforce, and hide racial and other forms of discrimination in consumer finance. The animating intuition is that the complexity and opacity of algorithms and artificial intelligence in consumer lending create a greater need for disparate impact analysis to combat lending discrimination. This view was articulated forcefully by the current Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Rohit Chopra, when he was still a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Digital Footprints: Technology, Race, And Justice, Cassandra Jones Havard

Cardozo Law Review

Data aggregation is ubiquitous. To widen credit access, lenders now use nonconventional sources of personal technological information to measure borrower creditworthiness. Alternative data credit scoring is touted as a useful solution for borrowers with little or no credit history or “thin credit files.” The supposedly neutral algorithm provides a predictive analysis of the borrower’s ability to repay, thus allowing the borrower to obtain credit within the formal banking network.

Alternative data has the potential to expand access to financial services for underserved populations and make credit markets more competitive. Machine learning, or predictive behavioral analytics, collects and sorts the borrower’s …

Providing Community Protection From Sex Offenders – At What Cost?, Jessica Novick

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review (CICLR) Blog

With the release of The Ken and Barbie Killers: The Lost Murder Tapes mini-series documentary on HBO’s Max recently, a renewed focus can be put on the “dangerous offender” status that murderer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo has who is one of the two central figures of the docuseries. Sexual offenders are some of the most feared types of criminals in our current society. Law & Order: SVU just began airing its 25th season, and the enduring legacy of this show and others similar to it has enriched the cultural fear of sex offenders. Now is an important time culturally …

Mediation Between States And Criminal Defendants For Post-Conviction Relief Under State Dna Statutes, Nowshin Nawal

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution (CJCR) Blog

With new advances in DNA technology, it has become easier to use DNA testing to find perpetrators of crime where DNA evidence is present. Many incarcerated individuals claiming innocence seek to have the evidence tested during post-conviction in light of new technology. Forty-seven states now have DNA statutes that allow testing during the post-conviction stage. A new problem arises because state prosecutors are often reluctant to agree to DNA testing, which leaves litigation as the remaining method—which is inefficient. The process would be more efficient if a third party worked with the state and the defendant.

This post was originally …

Miriam Lacroix Joins Cardozo As Director Of Diversity And Inclusion, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo News 2024

Dean Melanie Leslie and Associate Dean Jenn Kim are pleased to welcome Miriam Lacroix as the law school’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion.

A Conversation With Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Perlmutter Center For Legal Justice At Cardozo Law

2024 Event Invitations

Mr. Gonzalez was elected to become Kings County District Attorney in 2017 and is the first Latino to serve as district attorney in New York State. He is widely credited for his efforts to redefine the role of a prosecutor. In his first term, he ceased trying low-level pot offenses, dismissed 90 drug convictions tainted by a corrupt police detective and advocated for changes to state bail reform laws.

Cardozo Law News Brief: February 16, 2024, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Cardozo Law News Brief 2024

Featured Faculty:

• Rebecca Ingber
• Edward Zelinsky

Campus News:

• Milbank and Cardozo’s Perlmutter Center Announce Partnership to Advance Criminal Justice Reform
• Professor Rebecca Ingber Appointed to Venice Commission
• Dr. Richard Haass to Receive 23rd International Advocate for Peace Award

Events:

• The 2024 Cardozo Colloquium on Global and Constitutional Theory
• Cardozo Law Review Symposium on Ethics in the Judiciary and the Legal Profession: Are We in Crisis?

Path To Progress: The Smarter Sentencing Act's Potential To Redefine U.S. Sentencing Norms, Emily K. Abrams

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice (ERSJ) Blog

Over the past fifty years, the United States has witnessed a staggering increase in its prison population. Between 1973 and 2009, the nation’s prison populations increased seven-fold, at one point growing at a rate of eight percent annually. According to 2023 estimates, roughly 1.9 million individuals were incarcerated in the United States. This stark reality has fueled national discourse on the issue of mass incarceration and contributing policies such as sentencing practices. One such sentencing practice that impacts mass incarceration is statutory mandatory minimums.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice website …

Milbank And Cardozo’S Perlmutter Center Announce Partnership To Advance Criminal Justice Reform, Perlmutter Center For Legal Justice At Cardozo Law

Cardozo News 2024

Milbank pledges $1M to establish the Milbank Exoneration and Resentencing Review Unit at the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law

February 2024 Annual Report, Perlmutter Center For Legal Justice At Cardozo Law

Perlmutter Center Reports

No abstract provided.

“Swifties” Or Swift Suppression? How Police Officers Exploit Copyright Law And Practice Online To Evade Public Accountability, Jeremy Lamstein

Cardozo Law Review

The video recording of the tragic killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers had an immediate and profound impact on the public. The video held essential evidentiary value in the prosecution of Floyd’s killers, as it told a very different story than what the police officers had made the situation out to be. It was by no means the first recording of police misconduct that generated significant attention from the public, but it remains among the most notable.

Now, imagine that the world had never seen the extent of this horrific incident. In this alternate universe, the video never …

P*Law 2024, Center For Public Service Law

2023–2024 Flyers

This document outlines the full schedule for P*LAW Week 2024 at Cardozo School of Law, hosted by the Center for Public Service Law. Held from January 29 to February 1, the week featured panels, workshops, and student-led presentations on critical public interest topics, including immigration, incarceration, housing justice, student debt, reproductive rights, and exoneration. With contributions from legal professionals, alumni, faculty, and students, the events provided education, mentorship, and career development opportunities for those pursuing paths in public interest law.

Professional Norms At A Crossroads: Farhane And Its Implications For Legal Counsel, Hayley Sandoval

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

This Note examines the right to effective assistance of counsel during guilty pleas through the lens of the pending Second Circuit case Farhane v. United States. This case will have significant implications for the right to effective legal representation, particularly in terms of defense attorneys’ duty to warn clients of the potential risk of denaturalization as a consequence of pleading guilty. In May 2024, the court reheard Farhane en banc and will issue a decision later this year. If this opinion aligns with the court’s initial decision, it will severely limit the rights of all defendants in criminal proceedings in …

Music, Mayhem, And A Mississippi: Still Burning-The Hope Of Smothering The Deleterious Effects Of Deliberate Indifference, Angela Dixon

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that the deliberate indifference standard, as applied in Eighth Amendment jurisprudence, fails to adequately address inhumane and unconstitutional prison conditions, particularly in Mississippi. It critiques the standard for prioritizing prison officials' intent over objective conditions, allowing systemic neglect and racial disparities to persist. The analysis advocates for a shift toward an objective standard to better protect human dignity and hold prison administrators accountable.

Squatters Squabbles: The Use Of Mediation To Provide Beneficial Solutions To Adverse Possession Claims In New Jersey, Bayla Zohn

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

In our society, law is a complex and ever-evolving field, constantly adapting to fit our needs. Yet, there are certain legal matters we would expect to have clear and obvious resolutions. Property ownership should be simple and unambiguous, governed by "established legal rules and precepts." Examine a deed, survey the stated legal owner of the tract of land, and your answer should be uncomplicated. Yet, there are a multitude of complex laws that allow individuals to obtain legal ownership of land in a seemingly illicit fashion.

One Size Does Fit All: A Quasi-Federal Solution To The Euro-Centric Structural Shortcomings Of The Icc, Anivesh Bharadwaj

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The article critiques the International Criminal Court's (ICC) centralized structure in The Hague, arguing that it undermines transparency, accessibility, and legitimacy, particularly for victims and witnesses in remote regions. The author proposes a "quasi-federal" framework to decentralize the Court, enabling regional proceedings while maintaining a central Appeals Chamber and Presidency. This restructuring aims to address structural flaws, enhance deterrence, and improve justice delivery by bringing proceedings closer to affected communities.

Drug Addiction, Insanity, And Competency: How The Halimi Case Galvanizes A U.S.-Inspired Reform Of France's Criminal Responsibility System, Ruben Attia

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The Halimi case, culminating in a verdict from the Court of Cassation in April 2021, has ignited intense and contentious debates on criminal responsibility, leading to a profound erosion of public trust in the French judicial system. This Note delves into the urgency of addressing the issues presented by Halimi and emphasizes the necessity for innovative approaches within the French legislative framework. Striking a delicate balance between permitting the trial of controversial cases and upholding the age-old moral duty of excluding the mentally insane from guilty verdicts, this Note compares the intricacies of criminal responsibility in France with those in …

Bias Notification Duty, Eldar Haber, Shai Stern

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

Algorithms are often tainted with bias that could negatively affect subjects' lives in many aspects. But while policymakers and scholars tend to focus their attention on methods to fix the bias within the algorithm or its output, they neglect a crucial piece of the puzzle: when companies discover bias and fix it in the algorithmic output, they do so behind the scenes. While such a move might debias the output, society remains in the dark about its existence or how it might have affected the outcome. Society thus misses a unique opportunity to study social and cognitive biases that shape …

What Recent Scrutiny Surrounding New Jersey's Newborn Screening Program Is Missing: Comment On The Reproductive And Social Justice Issues The Program Illuminates, Dylan Blanchard

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

The note critiques New Jersey's Newborn Screening Program, highlighting its constitutional and social justice implications. While the program is a vital public health measure, its retention of newborn blood samples without informed consent and subsequent use by law enforcement raises significant Fourth Amendment concerns. The analysis argues that the program disproportionately impacts minorities and perpetuates systemic racism in the criminal legal system, as biometric data from these samples can be used to bypass probable cause requirements.

Annotated Legal Bibliography

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.