So Much For Free Speech

By Mary Kane 06/13/2008 12:13PM

A funny thing happened to University of Illinois law professor Robert Lawless on his way to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week. Lawless, an expert on credit and bankruptcy, was set to testify before the Committee on how the U.S. Supreme Court decisions affect people in their everyday lives. Lawless said he was looking forward to talking about how the high court's decisions in the financial services area sometimes take away state protections against deceptive lending practices. Lawless cited the way Jon Stewart once described a regulatory development - "Yes, it's boring. That's how they get away with it" - to explain how he hoped the hearing would shed light on seemingly arcane rulings that have major impacts on people's lives.