Salt Blog

By Benjamin G Davis, Associate Professor of Law,  University of Toledo  College of Law (Update 10/18 – app wrote a out the Ehren Watada court martial below. Today met the military judge who had heard that case. Also, next building over was a motions hearing in the Private…

By Benjamin G. Davis, Associate Professor of Law, University of Toledo College of Law On September 17, 2012 the Daily Show host Jon Stewart interviewed former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his new book “Interventions” (http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/mon-september-17-2012-kofi-annan).  Watching Annan reminded me of a moment during his term as…

By Beth Lyon Republican state congressional majorities around the country have passed laws requiring voters to present government-issued photo identification. Although voter identification statutes are not vote-suppressive in other contexts, for example in Europe, these are settings where national photo identification is the law. Lacking…

by SpearIt Last week, East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. announced an executive emergency curfew on those 17 years old and under, which, among other restrictions, will have police arrest and jail juveniles between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. as well as…

by Tanya K. Hernandez The October 10, 2012, Supreme Court argument in the Fisher v. Texas affirmative action case marks a peculiar turning point in the racial history of the United States and its inspiration in worldwide civil rights movements.  Just as the United States Supreme…

by Michael M. Rooke-Ley At a time when students of color remain tragically underrepresented in our colleges and universities and when the disparity of wealth among Americans has reached unconscionable levels, educators must be afforded every opportunity to create learning environments that reflect the extraordinary and invaluable diversity…

AN OPEN LETTER FROM LAW PROFESSORS AND LAWYERS IN SUPPORT OF PROFESSOR DERRICK BELL March 28, 2012 As lawyers and law professors whose work and lives have been enriched by the late Professor Derrick A. Bell, Jr., we add our voices to the many who have paid…

Written by SpearIt PASSING Initiative 502, which legalizes small amounts of marijuana for use by adults 21 years and older, should be a priority for supporters of racial justice in Washington. On the merits alone, this legislation would advance Washington state’s criminal-justice policy, which…

by Benjamin G. Davis, Associate Professor of Law, University of Toledo College of Law As I noted in http://www.blog.saltlaw.org/2012/08/28/bringing-light-in-ohio-2012-coon-davis-finds-his-place-at-true-the-vote-ohio-summit/, I am undecided on the top of the ticket because of what the candidates have said or done about torture. President Bush tortured.  In his first…

By Benjamin G. Davis, Associate Professor of Law, University of Toledo College of Law Over at lawfareblog.com there is a guest posting entitled above (http://www.lawfareblog.com/2012/09/jenks-on-italy-the-abu-omar-rendition-prosecution-and-violation-of-the-nato-sofa/) to which I sent a comment but which lawfareblog.com has declined to post.  So here it is here. I read Jencks…

By Marjorie Cohn The Obama administration has closed the books on prosecutions of those who violated our laws by authorizing and conducting the torture and abuse of prisoners in U.S. custody. Last year, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that his office would…

By Benjamin G. Davis, Associate Professor of Law, University of Toledo College of Law As I wrote on Friday (http://www.blog.saltlaw.org/2012/08/25/true-or-screw-the-vote-zenos-law-on-preisseless-voting-in-ohio/), I went with my son Dan down to Worthington, Ohio near the capital Columbus in Franklin County, in my rented car on Saturday, August 25, 2012 to the True…

Benjamin G. Davis, Associate Professor of Law, University of Toledo College of Law Many of you have heard about: “…. when Doug Preisse, the influential Republican Party chairman of Franklin County, which includes the state capital, Columbus,…

By Jeanne Mirer and Marjorie Cohn There are images from the U.S. War against Vietnam that have been indelibly imprinted on the minds of Americans who lived through it. One is the naked napalm-burned girl running from her village with flesh hanging off her…

by SpearIt America does not hide its fear and distrust of Islam. These attitudes inform politics and public opinion, particularly visible in anti-sharia movements and political clamor about the radicalization of Muslim inmates. These attitudes played out last month against the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro,…

By Benjamin G. Davis, Associate Professor of Law, University of Toledo, College of Law (The Mother of All Updates 7/22 – Holy Toledo! Thanks to intrepid readers I have been provided an Al-Jazeera op-ed story that says that Omar Suleiman died in Cleveland, Ohio on July 19, 2012…

Benjamin G. Davis, Associate Professor of Law, University of Toldo College of Law This week a Gitmo detainee – Mr. Al-Nashiri – has his military commission continuing with new motions being argued after all his prior  motions were argued and essentially rejected by the military judge (a review…

By Marjorie Cohn The issue of immigration has been tossed about like a political football for some time. Democrats argue that migrants who have spent many years in the United States should be permitted to apply for lawful status. Republicans criticize these proposals…

Benjamin G. Davis, Associate Professor of Law, University of Toledo College of Law As I frequently do Sunday’s mornings in Toledo, picked up the Sunday Toledo Blade at the 7/11 (Comenatchi? (Hi!) Paloatchi (Hi back at you!) Gorum! Gorum! (Hot! Hot!) Rodje! (Sunny!) Tanda! (Cool in here!) being…

Benjamin G. Davis, Associate Professor of Law, University of Toledo, College of Law (Update 7/15:  Today on Up Ed Conard formerly of Bain Capital was on and his take on the 1999-2002 point was that after Romney left in February 1999 a negotiation began as to the compensation…