Law Faculty in the News - Archives

This is an archive of links to online resources where School of Law faculty were quoted, mostly newspaper websites. These links periodically become unavailable as newspapers retrict access to or archive content. When we are aware that a link is no longer available, we will remove it.

5/11/2008 - Professor Adam Scales Discusses Katrina-related Insurance Changes

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Adam Scales is proposing changes to the way private insurers and the government deal with reimbursements for flood and wind damage.

4/16/2008 - Professor David Bruck Discusses Death Penalty for Child Rape on NPR

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor David Bruck appeared on NPR to discuss a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that will determine whether the death penalty can be applied for child rape.

4/11/2008 - Professor Adam Scales Discusses Virginia Tech Massacre Settlement

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Adam Scales commented on the $11 million settlement between Virginia Tech and some of the families of the massacre victims.

4/1/2008 - Professor Robin F. Wilson’s Research Featured in Wall Street Journal

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson's research on professional women opting out of family life was discussed in the Wall Street Journal.

3/18/2008 - Dean Smolla Discusses Military Honors and Freedom of Speech in the New York Times

Washington and Lee School of Law Dean Rod Smolla discusses freedom of speech issues surrounding the case of Xavier Alvarez, a California man being prosecuted for falsely claiming he served as Marine and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

3/11/2008 - Professor Ann Massie Discusses Obscenity Laws in the News Virginian

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Anne Massie discusses the constitutionality of Virginia obscenity laws in a case involving a Stauton, Virginia adult video store.

2/19/2008 - Professor David Bruck Profiled in Union Leader

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor David Bruck was featured in a Union Leader article titled 'Legal legend heads to NH'.

2/17/2008 - Professor Robin F. Wilson Discusses Religious Deference in the New York Times

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson discusses whether government courts should ever defer to religious ones. Professor Wilson said in the interview that government courts should refuse to enforce any ruling from a religious tribunal that leaves a woman worse off than she would have been in a conventional divorce.

2/1/2008 - Professor Josh Fairfield Discusses Police Response to Theft of Virtual Property

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Josh Fairfield discusses the police reaction to a theft of a gamer's virtual property worth almost four thousand dollars.

1/28/2008 - Professor Margaret Howard Discusses Bankruptcy on WMRA's Insight

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Margaret Howard was interviewed on NPR affiliate WMRA discussing bankruptcy.

1/17/2008 - Mark Drumbl Discusses Possibility of Indonesian War Crimes Trials

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl comments in an Associated Press story discussing the possibility of Indonesia's former dictator Suharto standing trial for war crimes.

1/13/2008 - Dean Smolla Discusses Blogs and Freedom of Speech in the Providence Journal

Washington and Lee School of Law Dean Rod Smolla discusses freedom of speech issues surrounding a divorce and child custody case where the wife and mother used a blog to criticize the State's handling of the custody case.

1/10/2008 - Dean Smolla Discusses Blogs and Freedom of Speech in New York Times

Washington and Lee School of Law Dean Rod Smolla discusses freedom of speech issues surrounding a Vermont divorce case where a judge has ordered a husband to stop posting fictionalized accounts of his marriage on a blog.

1/4/2008 - Professor Lawton Cummings Discusses New Jersey Prison Break on Fox News

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Lawton Cummings appeared on Fox News to discuss whether prisoners in a recent New Jersey prison break are culpable in prison guard's suicide.

12/3/2007 - Prof. Mark Drumbl Discusses Blackwater Lawsuit in Trial Magazine

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl discusses the lawsuit brought against private security firm Blackwater USA on behalf of the families of the Iraqi civilians killed in September 2007.

11/28/2007 - Prof. Mark Drumbl's Book Award Announced in National Jurist

National Jurist magazine announced that Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl received the Book of the Year prize from the International Association of Criminal Law for his book Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law.

11/19/2007 - Professor Robin F. Wilson Discusses Nontraditional Family Structures on ABC News

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson discusses the frequency of abuse in nontraditional families.

11/12/2007 - Black Lung Clinic Featured in Chronicle of Higher Education

The Black Lung Clinic at the Washington and Lee University School of Law was featured in an article appearing in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

11/9/2007 - Mark Drumbl Book Discussion Covered in Virginia Law Weekly

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl discussed his book Atrocity, Punishment and International Law during a recent visit to UVA Law School.

11/2/2007 - Dean Smolla Discusses Protests at Military Funerals on NPR's Morning Edition

Washington and Lee School of Law Dean Rod Smolla discusses freedom of speech issues surrounding protests at military funerals on NPR's Morning Edition. Recently, a jury awarded a grieving father nearly $11 million in a law suit against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals in the belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

10/17/2007 - Mark Drumbl discusses the punishment of child-soldier recruiters in an Op Ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl, Class of 1975 Alumni Professor of Law and Director of the Transnational Law Institute, discusses the punishment of child-soldier recruiters in Sierra Leone.

10/13/2007 - Professor Ann Massie Discusses Obscenity Cases in the News Virginian

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Anne Massie discusses the chances of a successful obscenity case against a new Staunton, Virginia adult video store.

9/30/2007 - Dean Smolla Discusses Free Speech on University Campuses in the New York Times

Washington and Lee School of Law Dean Rod Smolla discusses freedom of speech issues that have emerged after the visit to Columbia University by Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

9/19/2007 - Dean Smolla Praises Legacy of Justice Lewis Powell in Richmond Times-Dispatch

Washington and Lee School of Law Dean Rod Smolla praises Justice Lewis Powell, a "hero of the middle ground", in a column published by the Richmond Times-Dispatch on the 100th anniverary of Powell's birth.

9/5/2007 - Professor Lawton Cummings Discusses Phil Spector Trial on Fox News

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Lawton Cummings appeared on Fox News to debate the merits of the prosecution and defense cases in the Phil Spector murder trial.

8/29/2007 - Professor Lawton Cummings Discusses Former Astronaut Lisa Nowak's Insanity Defense on Fox News

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Lawton Cummings appeared on Fox News to analyze former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak's insanity defense.

8/27/2007 - Dean Rod Smolla Looks at Sports-related Law Suits in Sports Illustrated

Dean Rod Smolla analyzed some current law suits in the Newsmakers section of a recent issue of Sports Illustrated magazine. The piece, "See You in Court! Handicapping the recent spate of sports related lawsuits" focused on cases involving Don Imus and Barry Bonds.

8/17/2007 - Professor Lawton Cummings Discusses Michael Vick's Plea Deal on Fox News

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Lawton Cummings appeared on Fox News to provide an analysis of Michael Vick's plea deal.

8/15/2007 - Professor Tim Jost Discusses His New Book, Health Care at Risk, on WMRA's Insight

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Timothy Jost was a guest on WMRA's Insight radio program, an hour-long interview program. Jost discussed his new book, Health Care at Risk, which examines the consumer-driven health care movement.

8/15/2007 - Professor Scott Sundby Discusses Possible Vick Plea Deal

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Scott Sundby discusses the possibility that Michael Vick will strike a plea deal in the dogfighting case.

8/14/2007 - Professor Adam Scales Discusses Boar Tusk Insurance Case at FindLaw.com

Professor Adam Scales, serving as a guest columnist on FindLaw, discusses the refusal of an insurance company to provide liability coverage for the Seattle dentist sued for replacing a patient's teeth with boar tusks as a prank.

7/26/2007 - Professor Ron Krotoszynski Addresses Seattle School Diversity Plan in Op/Ed

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Ron Krotoszynski addresses the Seattle public school diversity plan, which was recently rejected by the Supreme Court along with a similar plan in Louisville, Kentucky.

In the Op/Ed, Krotoszynski argues that school districts remain free to pursue racial diversity, which was recognized by Justice Kennedy in his controlling concurring opinion as a compelling governmental interest, provided they do so in a more flexible manner.

7/26/2007 - Professor Lawton Cummings Discusses Eric Hainstock Trial on Fox News

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Lawton Cummings appeared on Fox News to discuss the possible first-degree murder conviction in the case of Eric Hainstock.

7/14/2007 - Law Professor's Work Earns Citizen Lawmaker Award

A new state law prohibiting unauthorized pelvic exams by medical students earned a Washington and Lee University law professor one of 10 "citizen lawmaker" awards presented Friday by Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County.

Robin Wilson won the presentation from Bell for her inspiration, research and work that led the General Assembly this year to pass House Bill 2969, which prohibits the little-known but common practice at teaching hospitals of allowing medical students to perform pelvic exams on anesthetized patients without explicit consent.

6/19/2007 - Professor Mark Drumbl Discusses His New Book on WINA

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl discusses his new book Atrocity, Punishment and International Law on WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now.

6/15/2007 - Black Lung Clinic Students Featured on NPR's All Things Considered

Black Lung Clinic students and faculty were featured on NPR's All Things Considered discussing their work.

5/11/2007 - Professor Mark Drumbl Discusses His New Book on WMRA

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl, author of Atrocity, Punishment and International Law, has spent more than fifteen years studying atrocity and genocide. He has worked both on defense and prosecution sides in international tribunals. Now he explains why he thinks current approaches to international law are not working.

4/7/2007 - Professor Doug Rendleman Discusses Compensation After Largest Pet Food Recall in U.S. History on WDBJ

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Doug Rendelman discusses how compensation is limited for pet owners who lost pets due to contaminated pet food.

3/7/2007 - Professor Mark Drumbl Discusses International Court Judgement in the Croatian National News

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl interviewed by the Croatian national news regarding the judgment of the International Court of Justice in Bosnia v. Serbia, in which the Court found Serbia responsible for failing to prevent genocide in Bosnia in 1995. Croatia has an interest in this case insofar as its government also has filed a claim with the Court regarding alleged genocide committed by Serbia in Croatia during the Balkans Wars.

2/27/2007 - Professor David Bruck Discusses the Triggerman Rule in the Time-Dispatch

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor David Bruck discusses a bill to eliminate Virginia's long-standing triggerman rule, which would expose more capital-murder accomplices to the death penalty. The bill has passed the legislature and now awaits approval by Governor Kaine.

2/6/2007 - Professor Robert Danforth Discusses Beneficiaries in Newsweek

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Robert Danforth comments on removing ex-spouses as beneficiaries from wills.

12/11/2006 - Professor Adam Scales Discusses Katrina Ruling at FindLaw.com

Professor Adam Scales, serving as a guest columnist on FindLaw, addresses the recent decision by a federal judge to compensate policyholders for Katrina damage.

12/11/2006 - Professor Adam Scales Discusses Katrina Ruling at BestWire

Professor Adam Scales participated in a Q&A with BestWire concerning the recent decision by a federal judge to compensate policyholders for Katrina damage.

11/28/2006 - Professor Mark Drumbl Discusses Hussein Trial on Charlottesville-Right Now

Mark Drumbl is the director of the Transnational Law Institute at Washington and Lee University, and a guest on the November 28th edition of WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now. He and Coy Barefoot discuss the many trials Saddam Hussein will need to go through before actually being put to death, as well as how his trial has not helped the country unify. “The trial just isn’t that important for a lot of Iraqis and it certainly isn’t succeeding in curbing sectarian violence.” But Drumbl says that doesn’t mean Saddam Hussein should not continue to be prosecuted.

11/28/2006 - Professor Mary Natkin Discusses Renewed Concern over Black Lung Disease in the Washington Post

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Mary Natkin comments on coal dust limits and enforcement in mining operations. With coal production on the rise, Black Lung disease is receiving increased attention.

11/8/2006 - Professor Timothy Jost Discusses Effects of Election Results on Health Care Reform in ABC News Survey

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Timothy Jost participated in a survey of health care experts conducted by ABC News to determine whether the midterm election results will lead to changes in health-care policy.

11/6/2006 - Professor Doug Rendelman Comments on the Garnishment of Federally Protected Bank Accounts in the Roanoke Times

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Doug Rendelman comments on the banking practice of removing funds from a customer's bank account in order to repay judgement holders.

10/19/2006 - W&L Law Professor Tim Jost is Featured Guest with ABC News's Dr. Tim Johnson on the Need for Universal Health Insurance

Professor Tim Jost, the Willet Family Professor of Law at the Washington and Lee School of Law, was the featured guest recently on ABC's "Healthy Life Series" with Dr. Tim Johnson.

ABC News has been running a special series of health care-related stories this week entitled, "Prescription for Change: Fixing America's Health Care System."

10/18/2006 - Professor Timothy Jost Discusses Universal Health Care in ABC News Opinion

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Timothy Jost's opinion on universal health care coverage was featured on abcnews.com. Jost discusses fears Americans have conerning such a system and analyzes how these fears are answered by universal health care systems in other countries.

10/17/2006 - Professor Scott Sundby Discusses Reluctant Jurors in the Christian Science Monitor

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Scott Sundby discusses the reluctance of people to serve on a capital case jury more than once. The failure of people to respond to a jury summons is an acute problem facing the entire judicial system.

10/1/2006 - Professor Mark Drumbl Discusses the Nuremberg Trials in the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl's commentary on the 60th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Trial verdicts was featured in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Drumbl says that Nuremberg began 60 years of international genocide prosecutions -- but that the prosecutions have not achieved Nuremberg's most important goal, to keep similar events from happening.

10/1/2006 - Professor Robin Wilson Discusses No-fault Divorce in New York Times Op/Ed

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson's Op/Ed on New York state's no-fault divorce rules appeared in the New York Times on October 1.

9/28/2006 - Professor Mark Drumbl Discusses the Nuremberg Trials on NPR's All Things Considered

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl's commentary on the 60th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Trial verdicts was featured on the NPR's All Things Considered. Drumbl says that Nuremberg began 60 years of international genocide prosecutions -- but that the prosecutions have not achieved Nuremberg's most important goal, to keep similar events from happening.

9/25/2006 - Professor Robin Wilson Discusses Cohabitation in the Weekly Standard

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Robin Wilson discusses how the law treats marriage and cohabitation.

9/25/2006 - Professor David Bruck Discusses Lethal Injection in the Virginia Pilot

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor David Bruck discusses lethal injection and whether the procedure constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

9/18/2006 - Professor Scott Sundby Discusses Death Decision Effect on Jurors in the Star Tribune

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Scott Sundby discusses the death penalty decision process in the case of Alfonso Rodriguez, the man convicted in the abduction and murder of Dru Sjodin.

9/17/2006 - Professor Sally Wiant Discusses the Protection of School Logos in the Roanoke Times

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Sally Wiant discusses trademark abuse of school logos on clothing and other gear.

9/17/2006 - Professor David Bruck Discusses the Triggerman Rule in the Time-Dispatch

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor David Bruck discusses a bill to eliminate Virginia's long-standing triggerman rule, which would exposing more capital-murder accomplices to the death penalty.

8/29/2006 - Professor Mark Drumbl's Opinion Featured in Wall Street Journal

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl's letter to the editor concerning omissions in an editorial was published on August 29th in the Wall Street Journal.

8/18/2006 - Professor Adam Scales Discusses Ruling for Katrina Insurers on FindLaw

Professor Adam Scales, serving as a guest columnist on FindLaw, addresses the recent decision by a federal judge who ruled that insurance companies do not have to pay for damage caused by flooding during hurricane Katrina.

8/18/2006 - Professor Scott Sundby Comments on Jonbenet Ramsey Case on NBC Affiliate WSLS, Roanoke

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Scott Sundby comments on the recent confession by a man claiming he killed Jonbenet Ramsey nearly ten years ago.

8/16/2006 - Professor Adam Scales Discusses Ruling for Katrina Insurers in the New York Times

Professor Adam Scales discusses the ruling by a federal judge that an insurance company's policies do not cover damage from flood waters or storm surge. This decision could affect hundreds of upcoming cases related to property damage from Hurricane Katrina.

8/4/2006 - Professor Adam Scales Discusses Denied Insurance Claims in the New York Times

Professor Adam Scales discusses the "anti-concurrent causation" clause that has resulted in the denial of many insurance claims from Hurricane Katrina victims. (Free registration at the New York Times website may be required to view this story.)

8/3/2006 - Professor Mark Drumbl Discusses Middle East Crisis on Popular Boston Radio Show

W&L School of Law Professor Mark Drumbl was the featured guest recently on "Stu Taylor on Business," a popular morning radio program on WBIX, Boston. Professor Drumbl spoke on the Middle East crisis.

7/15/2006 - Professor Scott Sundby Discusses His Book, A Life and Death Decision: A Jury Weighs the Death Penalty, in the St. Petersburg Times

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Scott Sundby discusses his book, A Life and Death Decision: A Jury Weighs the Death Penalty, which looks at the way the decision to impose the death penalty affects juries.

7/12/2006 - David Bruck on Law.com discussing the Supreme Court and Death Penalty Disquiet

David Bruck on Law.com discussing the Supreme Court and Death Penalty Disquiet

7/11/2006 - Law Professor Melissa Waters Returns to All Things Considered

As the trial of Saddam Hussein resumes, commentator Melissa Waters describes a phenomenon she calls "The Great Iraqi Walkout." She's seen it many times in her work training Iraqi judges and lawyers over the past three years, and Americans have seen it in the walkouts and boycotts conducted by the attorneys and co-defendants in Saddam Hussein's trial.

6/29/2006 - Black Lung Clinic Profiled in Associated Press Story

The Black Lung Legal Clinic at the Washington and Lee University School of Law was profiled in an Associated Press story about compensation for black lung disease.

6/15/2006 - Adam Scales on WDBJ-7 commenting on judgment against MTD Mowers

Adam Scales on WDBJ-7 commenting on judgment against MTD Mowers

6/13/2006 - Melissa Waters in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Mirandizing Irag

Melissa Waters in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Mirandizing Irag

6/13/2006 - W&L's Melissa Waters on NPR's All Things Considered

Assistant Professor of Law Melissa Waters discusses her work in training Iraqi lawyers, prosecutors, and judges on NPR's "All Things Considered" from Tueday, June 13.

6/9/2006 - Professor Scott Sundby Comments on the Overturning of the Atkins Death Sentence in The Washington Post

Washington and Lee University School of Law Professor Scott Sundby commented on the overturned death sentence of Daryl Atkins, a Virginia man whose defense attorneys believe is mentally retarted.

6/7/2006 - Professor Scott Sundby Discusses how Mitigation Specialists can affect Jury Decisions in Salon Magazine

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Scott Sundby discusses how mitigation specialists can affect a death penalty decision by a jury. "[Juries] believe that even under adverse circumstances, every individual has the choice to do good or bad," says Sundby, who is also the author of "A Life and Death Decision: A Jury Weighs the Death Penalty." "When presented with strong mitigation evidence, they say, 'Well, he had a bad childhood. A lot of people have had a bad childhood, and they didn't murder.'"

5/31/2006 - Professor Scott Sundby Discusses the Muhammad Verdict in the New York Times

Washington and Lee School of Law Professor Scott Sundby comments on the guilty verdict in the case against sniper John A. Muhammad.

5/4/2006 - David Bruck on NPR's Morning Edition

David Bruck on NPR's Morning Edition

5/3/2006 - Mark Drumbl on Charlottesville—Right Now, a news radio show on 1070 am WINA in Charlottesville

Mark Drumbl on Charlottesville—Right Now, a news radio show on 1070 am WINA in Charlottesville

5/3/2006 - Scott Sundby in the Baltimore Sun

Scott Sundby in the Baltimore Sun

4/18/2006 - New York Times Op/Ed on Low-income Tax Credits by W&L School of Law Professor Dorothy Brown

LOW-INCOME taxpayers are audited by the Internal Revenue Service more often than their higher-earning counterparts. The reason for this is not politics, as is commonly presumed; nor is it that these taxpayers must be watched closely for fraud. The problem, as many people found out this week, is that the low-income tax credit is wildly complex.

4/18/2006 - Mark Drumbl's April 10 Interview on WMRA's Insight (NPR)

Mark Drumbl's April 10 Interview on WMRA's Insight (NPR)

4/6/2006 - David Bruck on the Mousaui Trial, The Washington Post

David Bruck on the Mousaui Trial, The Washington Post

4/3/2006 - Professor Robin Wilson Discusses Nanotechnology on Focus 580, University of Illinois Radio

Professor Robin Wilson Discusses Nanotechnology on Focus 580, University of Illinois Radio