4LeBel

Paul LeBel : Paul LeBel

Paul LeBel : Paul LeBel Dean LeBel joined the University of North Dakota School of Law as Dean in May 2004. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Florida College of Law, and earned his B.A. in American Literature from George Washington University in 1971. He served in the United States Air Force from 1971 to 1975. His primary scholarly interest is in the field of tort and personal injury law, including products liability, workers’ compensation, and the relationship between tort law and the First Amendment. He has taught and written about law and American literature. Before coming to North Dakota, he had served as Dean and been on the faculty of the Florida State University College of Law. He was on the faculty of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary from 1982 to 1997 and the University of Alabama School of Law from 1978 to 1982. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Illinois and the University of Richmond.

Questions : Questions 1. How would you describe the main thesis of LeBel’s commentary? 2. How does LeBel describe the relationship between tort law and constitutional law? 3. What methodology does LeBel suggest be used to accommodate First Amendment interests in newsgathering? 4. On what basis does LeBel argue that the “process of acquiring” information should have the same constitutional protection as libel or the nonconsensual publication of private facts? 5. How would you describe LeBel’s understanding of the role of the press? 6. Discuss how LeBel applies his suggested “balancing” approach to a. misrepresentation b. trespass c. liability for source misconduct 7. Central to LeBel’s argument is the notion that some information is a matter of public interest. How might LeBel go about distinguishing information that is in the public interest from information that is merely interesting to the public? Should there be a constitutional difference?

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