Fordham Law Professor Cheryl Bader comments on the latest developments in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial, including the approaches being used by the defense and prosecution. One of Combs’ accusers, being referred to by “Jane,” also took the stand Thursday. She testified about their relationship from 2021-2024, which included “freak offs” and drugs. “It shows that this was not a one-off incident. That this is how Combs operates,” said Cheryl Bader, an associate professor at Fordham University’s School of Law. “Jane” described feeling trapped. Saying other men were often in their sexual encounters, but she performed because she…
Author: Newsroom
LawFare published a podcast episode on the connection between technology and democratic backsliding and how the role technology has played a role in supporting or undermining democracy—recorded from a panel discussion that the Transatlantic AI and Law Institute convened on May 2, 2025, at Fordham Law School. Fordham Law Professors Chinmayi Sharma and Olivier Sylvain organized the event. Political scientists who study democratic backsliding—the slow erosion of a country’s institutions—have raised alarms about the state of democracy in the United States under the second Trump administration. At the same time, the administration has embraced technology—particularly AI—as a tool for implementing…
Harvey Weinstein, the former movie mogul, is on trial again in New York for sexual assault. His earlier conviction, overturned last year, was a key moment in the #MeToo movement. Fordham Law Professor Cheryl Bader spoke to The New York Times about how the #MeToo movement brought about “profound changes” in how cases of sexual assault were handled in the law and in culture. In the years since the accusations against Mr. Weinstein were first made public, the #MeToo movement brought about “profound changes” in how cases of sexual assault were handled in the law and in culture that won’t easily…
Fordham Law Professor Cheryl Bader comments on the latest developments in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial, which has now entered a fourth week with intense cross-examination. The fourth week of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial resumed in New York on Monday. One of his former assistants, testifying under the pseudonym “Mia,” was back on the stand, as the defense continued their aggressive cross-examination. … “I think ‘Mia’ did a good job of explaining how tough it is to feel trapped,” said Cheryl Bader, an associate professor at Fordham University’s School of Law. … “‘Mia’ was able to…
Fordham Law Professor Abner S. Greene wrote a guest blog for Reason on the constitutional separation-of-powers issues at the heart of current cases involving the scope of President Donald Trump’s executive powers. Read “Checking A Presidential Bully” on Reason.
A major, and controversial, Supreme Court ruling handed down Friday will affect more than 500,000 immigrants who currently live in the U.S. legally, including thousands in New York City. Fordham Law Professor Jennifer Gordon was interviewed by ABC7 Eyewitness News to discuss what this means for those under humanitarian parole. When they arrived, those migrants were granted temporary legal protection by the Biden administration, known as Humanitarian Parole, which allowed them to settle here and find work. All had local sponsorship. “The people in this program have been given status by the U.S. government,” said Jennifer Gordon, a professor at Fordham…
Fordham Law Professor Zephyr Teachout’s 2014 book, about corruption and foreign influence on officials, continues to be referenced following the news that President Donald Trump officially accepted a luxury jetliner as a gift from the Qatari government. When famed American revolutionary Benjamin Franklin departed his post as ambassador to court of King Louis XVI in 1785, the French sovereign bestowed upon Franklin a lavish gift: a diamond-encrusted snuff box featuring a portrait of the monarch. Though France was an ally of the then-fledgling United States, and military support from Versailles had been essential to the success of the American revolution…
Fordham Law Professor John Pfaff’s 2015 article, “The War on Drugs and Prison Growth: Limited Importance, and Limited Legislative Options,” was referenced in this article written by Charles Fain Lehman, in regards to the the Reagan-Bush-Clinton drug war. Some of the most aggressive criticisms of the Drug War’s implementation are unmerited. Most significantly, critics routinely charge the War on Drugs with being the major cause of America’s uniquely high incarceration rate. The U.S. prison population rose from less than 200,000 in 1970 to over 1.5 million at its peak in the late 2000s. Locking up “low-level, non-violent” drug offenders, it…
Fordham Law Professor Cheryl Bader comments on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial—which resumed Tuesday in New York City—and the testimony given by the rapper’s ex-assistant on the stand, in this National Desk article. Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial resumed Tuesday in New York City. The music mogul’s former assistant took the stand, sharing explosive testimony about threats, violence, and an ongoing power struggle. Capricorn Clark started her testimony, detailing an incident from 2004, when Combs brought up her former employment with Death Row Records, founded by his rival Suge Knight. “He told me that he didn’t…
Fordham Law Adjunct Professor Jerry Goldfeder, director of Fordham Law School’s Voting Rights and Democracy Project, joins 77 WABC Radio’s “The Rev and The Rabbi” to discuss the ranked choice voting system ahead of June’s primary elections in New York City. Listen to the segment, “Jerry Goldfeder” (air date May 25, 2025). Listen to the full episode of “The Rev and The Rabbi”.