Flint Water: Author Describes a Clear Crisis and Unclear Answers on Accountability

Anna Clark admits there are thing she wishes she could have probed in greater depth for her critically-praised 2018 book, The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy. At the top of that list is the broad question of accountability for the actions that led to a nightmare crisis of lead contamination in water in the city near Detroit.

At the conclusion of an “On the Issues with Mike Gousha” program Wednesday at Marquette Law School, Clark said, “There are lot of unanswered questions.” Investigations of Flint’s water problem are continuing, she said, and she had to stop work on the book at some point.

“If I had more time and more space, I would love to devote it to following a little more what this accountability question looks like,” Clark said. She said that her concern apples not only to Flint but also more broadly to questions of who and what to hold accountable when major environmental harm is uncovered anywhere.  

Continue ReadingFlint Water: Author Describes a Clear Crisis and Unclear Answers on Accountability

Interview with an Esquire

 My father, John Van Lieshout, got his J.D. from Marquette University Law School in 1981. He currently practices law at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren here in Milwaukee. Since it’s been thirty-eight years since he walked these hallowed halls as a student, I interviewed him to get the scoop on what law Sensenbrenner Hallschool was like for him. I knew that there would be differences big and small, but I am happy to report that just as he reports feeling great affection for law both in its nature and because of the connections he made, I feel like coming to Marquette was one of the best choices of my life. I hope you enjoy his fond recollections of his time at MULS, whether you are a current student or a former one, and if you are a member of the graduating class of 1981, please feel free to reach out! 

 “The law school used to be six or seven classrooms and a hallway, to put it simply. You saw everyone in that hallway. At that time, there were more women than men, and most of the women did not come directly from undergrad. Many of them had been teachers before deciding to study law. We had contracts, torts, and property both semester one and two. We kept the same sections and the same professors through both semesters, which made the transition much easier. Unlike at Eckstein Hall, our lockers were two feet long and two feet deep; they basically only fit textbooks. There was not room for a winter coat or boots. 

Continue ReadingInterview with an Esquire

Crypto Liability v. Popularity

BitcoinSince 2014 the government has engaged in several prosecutions of Bitcoin exchanging institutions and managers.  Of the charges typically brought in these cases, one relates to the legal requirements surrounding any transactions greater than $10,000, whether involving Bitcoin or not.  In order to conduct such transactions, among other things, the managing institution likely has to be licensed in some fashion under state law, the customer’s identity must be known, and the institution has to report the transaction. These requirements have been imposed with strict liability.  According to the Department of Justice and many federal judges, Bitcoin is subject to these requirements.

The opposing view is that Bitcoin is not a currency and therefore not contemplated by these regulations.  That question, after four years in the courts, seems to remain up in the air. 

Continue ReadingCrypto Liability v. Popularity