Media Highlights

Should Straight Actors Play Gay Roles? A Star TV Writer Says No

The New York Times—February 24, 2021

Matt Coles: “It’s illegal under the Supreme Court’s new interpretation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

These Mothers Wanted to Care for Their Kids and Keep Their Jobs. Now They’re Suing After Being Fired

Time—March 3, 2021

The Center for WorkLife Law: “They have received seven times more calls than usual to their help line with questions and complaints about discrimination, but most mothers have no recourse.”

Concerns About Missing Work Factor Into Vaccine Hesitancy

Newsy—March 5, 2021

Dorit Reiss: “We should be rewarding them, not punishing them. Making them go to work or making them use sick leave if they have a side effect is, in a sense, punishment.”

‘It Really Is A Gag Order’: California May Limit Nondisclosure Agreements

NPR—March 6, 2021

Veena Dubal: “I’m hoping this lays the groundwork for similar bills in New York and in other states, and maybe even at the federal level.”

Letters to the Editor: Affordable housing is for the common good

San Francisco Chronicle—March 6, 2021

Shanin Specter: “These sites are a sensible short-term effort to protect unhoused folks who would otherwise be subject to dangerous and crowded conditions on sidewalks in the middle of a pandemic.”

Many Californians have just three days of paid leave. What if they get COVID-19?

Los Angeles Times—March 7, 2021

Liz Morris: “Folks living paycheck to paycheck can’t afford 10 days with no income. We’ve talked to workers fired for staying home to protect their co-workers.”

Allen v. Farrow Documentary Series, Episode 3 

HBO—March 8, 2021

John Myers: “If you look back from an historical point of view, there is clearly a bias against women who made allegations of rape and sexual abuse of children . . . .”

Can workers be forced to get the COVID-19 vaccine?

MSN—March 9, 2021

Dorit Reiss: “We also have to remember that those who are refusing the vaccine are not anti-vaccine activists; they are people who have been under enormous pressure for over a year, and they are just scared.”

If COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Are Coming, Can They Be Enforced? Legal Experts Say Maybe.

Atlanta Blackstar—March 10, 2021

Dorit Reiss: “Employers have a baseline duty to create a safe environment for their employees and patrons.”

Shasta County man has spent 7 years in jail despite not being convicted

Record Searchlight—March 11, 2021

George Bisharat: “[The case] is long for the defendant. It’s long for the county. It’s long for the relatives of the deceased … and it’s expensive.”

IBM’s Patent Income Slips as Companies Resist ‘Godfather’ Deals

Bloomberg—March 12, 2021

Robin Feldman: “IBM’s position as the largest aggregator of U.S. intellectual property is more akin to being a patent godfather.”

Community Stories

Student Homelessness Project Competes in Statewide Finals

A proposal for protecting the belongings and dignity of people who are homeless, developed by seven UC Law SF students, has reached the finals of a statewide contest.

Veena Dubal’s Gig Economy Work Earns UC Law SF Foundation Award

Professor Veena Dubal has won the UC Law SF Foundation Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship. The award from the Foundation Board of Trustees is given annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated scholarly excellence and promise.

Professor Manoj Viswanathan Honored with Rutter Award

Manoj Viswanathan, professor and co-director of UC Law SF’s Center on Tax Law, has been named the school’s 2020 Rutter Award recipient. Founded by law-guide publisher William Rutter in 1979, the award honors outstanding professors at California’s top law schools.

Scholarly Leadership

Chimène Keitner published “Cybercrime vs. Cyberwar: Paradigms for Addressing Malicious Cyber Activity,” National Security Law & Policy (2021) (with UC Law SF Alumna Mieke Eoyang).

Manoj Viswanathan presented “Implementing a (Modern) Progressive Consumption Tax” at the University of Kentucky Inframarginalism & Internet Conference.

Ben Depoorter published “The Economics of Copyright Exemptions: A Comparative Analysis,” in The Cambridge Handbook of Copyright Limitations and Exceptions, Balganesh, Wee Loon, and Sun (eds.), Cambridge University Press (2021).