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{{Short description|American law professor (born 1940)}}
{{Infobox person
|image         = John F. Banzhaf III.jpg
|imagesize     =
|caption       =
|birth_name    = John Francis Banzhaf III
|birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1940|7|2|mf=yes}}
|birth_place   = [[New York City]]
|known_for     = [[litigation]]
|education     = [[Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering|BSEE]], [[Juris Doctor|JD]]
|alma_mater    = [[Stuyvesant High School]]<br>[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]<br>[[Columbia University Law School]]
|employer      = [[George Washington University Law School]]
|occupation    = [[Professor]]
|website       = {{url|http://banzhaf.net}}
|footnotes     =
}}

'''John Francis Banzhaf III''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|æ|n|z|.|h|ɑː|f}};<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.gwu.edu/faculty/profile.aspx?id=1759 |title=GW Law Profiles - John F. Banzhaf III |accessdate=2008-08-02 |publisher= George Washington University Law School}}</ref> born July 2, 1940) is an American [[public interest]] lawyer, legal activist and law professor at [[George Washington University Law School]]. He is the founder of an [[tobacco control|antismoking]] advocacy group, [[Action on Smoking and Health]].<ref name=CB>{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Current Biography Yearbook | title = Banzhaf, John F(rancis), 3d | year = 1973 | publisher = H. W. Wilson | pages = 30–33 }}</ref> He is noted for his advocacy and use of lawsuits as a method to promote what he believes is the public interest.

==Life and education==
Banzhaf was born July 2, 1940, in [[New York City]]. He graduated at the age of 15 from Manhattan's [[Stuyvesant High School]], one of the three [[specialized high schools in New York City|academically elite high-schools]] of the [[New York City Public Schools|NYC Public School System]]. He went on to graduate from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] with a [[Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering]] and from [[Columbia Law School]] with a [[Juris Doctor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.gwu.edu/john-f-banzhaf-iii|title=John F. Banzhaf III - GW Law - The George Washington University|website=law.gwu.edu|accessdate=3 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.banzhaf.net|title=PROFESSOR JOHN F. BANZHAF III|website=banzhaf.net|access-date=3 July 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507022748/http://banzhaf.net/|archive-date=7 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.martindale.com/Search_Tools/Law_Schools/schl0273.aspx|title=THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL|website=martindale.com|publisher=[[Martindale-Hubbell]]|access-date=3 July 2016|quote=JOHN F. BANZHAF, (Law Professor), born 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, New York; 1966, District of Columbia. Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S.E.E., 1962); Columbia University (J.D., 1965). COURSES:Administrative Law, Law and the Disabled, Legal Activism, Torts.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528200940/http://www.martindale.com/Search_Tools/Law_Schools/schl0273.aspx|archive-date=28 May 2016}}</ref>

==Career==
Banzhaf filed a complaint with the Maryland's Attorney Grievance Commission against Prosecutor [[Marilyn Mosby]], the [[State's attorney]] of [[Baltimore]], saying she did not have [[probable cause]] to charge six officers in the [[Killing of Freddie Gray|death of Freddie Gray]], and also that she repeatedly withheld [[Evidence (law)|evidence]] from the officers' defense attorneys.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbal.com/article/173570/2/law-professor-files-complaint-against-mosby|title=Law Professor Files Complaint Against Mosby|website=wbal.com|accessdate=2 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/mosby-draws-criticism|title=Mosby draws criticism|first=Jeff|last=Abell|website=foxbaltimore.com|date=29 June 2016|accessdate=2 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/george-washington-law-professor-files-complaint-against-marilyn-mosby|title=George Washington law professor files complaint against Marilyn Mosby|date=30 June 2016|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2 July 2016|via=abc2news.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701140400/http://www.abc2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/george-washington-law-professor-files-complaint-against-marilyn-mosby|archive-date=1 July 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/freddie-gray/bs-md-ci-mosby-attorney-grievance-20160629-story.html|title=Activist law professor calls for Mosby disbarment over prosecution in Freddie Gray case|publisher=[[Baltimore Sun]]|accessdate=2 July 2016}}</ref> He compared her to [[Mike Nifong]] and his handling of the [[Duke lacrosse case]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/01/law-professor-goes-after-maryland-prosecutor-for-freddie-gray-case.html|title=Law professor goes after Maryland prosecutor for Freddie Gray case|website=[[Fox News]] |date=August 2016}}</ref>

==Contributions to law and public policy==

===Copyright of computer software===
Banzhaf got an early start in legal advocacy. While still a student in law school, he was assigned to research and draft a note for the [[Columbia Law Review]]<ref>Banzhaf, John. "Copyright Protection for Computer Programs." 64 Colum. L. Rev. 1274 (1964)</ref> on whether [[computer program]]s and other [[software]] could be protected under [[U.S. copyright law]]. The [[United States Patent Office]] had previously declined to grant any patents on software, and no [[computer program copyrights]] had ever been recognized. As part of his research, Banzhaf sought to register copyrights on two programs he had written: one in printed form, and the other recorded on magnetic tape. In 1964, the [[United States Copyright Office]] registered two copyrights of Banzhaf,<ref>"Computer Program Copyrighted for First Time; Columbia Law Student Gets Approval For Plans – Sees Wide Industry Impact." ''New York Times'': May 8, 1964. http://banzhaf.net/docs/NYTimesProgramCopyrighted{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> thereby recognizing for the first time the validity of this new form of legal protection.<ref>"The Law Professor Behind: ASH, SOUP, PUMP and CRASH." ''New York Times'': August 23, 1970. http://banzhaf.net/docs/NYTimesBehindASHSoup.pdf</ref>

One year later, he testified at a congressional hearing at which he urged, ultimately successfully, that the long-awaited revision of US copyright law should expressly recognize computer and [[data processing]] issues.<ref>Hearings on H.R. 4347, H.R. 5680, H.R. 6831 and H.R. 6835 before Subcomm. No. 3 of the House Comm. on the Judiciary, 89th Cong., 1st Sess. 1144-50 (statement and testimony of John F. Banzhaf III), 1898-99.</ref>

===Measuring the power of voting blocs in a committee===
{{Main|Banzhaf power index}}
{{See also|Shapley–Shubik power index|Shapley value|Cooperative game theory}}
Banzhaf studied the [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] Board's voting system, which allocated the total of 30 votes to its municipalities as follows:
* Hempstead #1: 9
* Hempstead #2: 9
* North Hempstead: 7
* Oyster Bay: 3
* Glen Cove: 1
* Long Beach: 1

A simple majority of 16 votes sufficed to win a vote.

In Banzhaf's notation, [Hempstead #1, Hempstead #2, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Glen Cove, Long Beach] are A-F in [16; 9, 9, 7, 3, 1, 1]

There are 32 winning coalitions, and 48 swing votes:

<u>AB</u> <u>AC</u> <u>BC</u> ABC <u>AB</u>D <u>AB</u>E <u>AB</u>F <u>AC</u>D <u>AC</u>E <u>AC</u>F <u>BC</u>D <u>BC</u>E <u>BC</u>F ABCD ABCE ABCF <u>AB</u>DE <u>AB</u>DF <u>AB</u>EF <u>AC</u>DE <u>AC</u>DF <u>AC</u>EF <u>BC</u>DE <u>BC</u>DF <u>BC</u>EF ABCDE ABCDF ABCEF <u>AB</u>DEF <u>AC</u>DEF <u>BC</u>DEF ABCDEF

Banzhaf proposed an index, now known as the "[[Banzhaf index]]", to measure the power of each municipality:
* Hempstead #1 = 1/3
* Hempstead #2 = 1/3
* North Hempstead = 1/3
* Oyster Bay = 0
* Glen Cove = 0
* Long Beach = 0

Banzhaf argued that a voting arrangement that gives zero power to one sixth of the county's population is unfair, and sued the board. {{Citation needed|date=March 2008}}<ref>{{Citation
  | last = Banzhaf
  | first = John F.
  | author-link = John F. Banzhaf III
  | title = Weighted voting doesn't work: A mathematical analysis
  | journal = Rutgers Law Review
  | volume = 19
  | issue = 2
  | pages = 317–343
  | year = 1965
}}</ref> Today, the Banzhaf power index is an accepted way to measure voting power, along with the [[Shapley–Shubik power index]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Straffin, Philip D.|title=Game Theory and Strategy|url=https://archive.org/details/gametheorystrate0000stra|url-access=registration|series=New Mathematical Library|publisher=The Mathematical Association of America|date=5 September 1996|isbn=0-88385-637-9}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
  | last = Lehrer
  | first = Ehud
  | author-link = Ehud Lehrer
  | title = An axiomatization of the Banzhaf value
  | journal = International Journal of Game Theory
  | volume = 17
  | issue = 2
  | pages = 89–99
  | year = 1988
  | doi = 10.1007/BF01254541| s2cid = 189830513
 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation
  | last =Moulin
  | first =Herve
  | author-link =Herve Moulin
  | title =Axioms of Cooperative Decision Making
  | publisher =[[Cambridge University Press]]
  | year =1988
  | edition = 1st
  | location =Cambridge
  | isbn = 0-521-42458-5}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
  | last =Owen
  | first =Guillermo
  | author-link =Guillermo Owen
  | title =Game Theory
  | place=San Diego
  | publisher =[[Academic Press]]
  | year =1995
  | edition = 3rd
  | isbn = 0-12-531151-6| title-link =Game Theory
 }}</ref><ref>[[Steven Brams]], William F. Lucas and Philip D. Straffin, Jr., ''Modules in Applied Mathematics: Political and Related Models,'' vol. 2. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1983.

This volume has several essays discussing the Banzhaf index.</ref>

===Teaching===
Banzhaf has utilized a clinical-project format in some of his law classes, rather than a more traditional lecture and academic study format. Students are divided into teams and asked to work on some genuine consumer problems.<ref name=CB/>{{Rp|33}}

One of the students' high-profile projects was a suit against former Vice-President [[Spiro Agnew]] seeking to force him to repay the [[bribe]]s he accepted while [[Governor of Maryland]]. Agnew was ordered to repay the state the $147,500 in [[Bribery|kickbacks]], with interest of $101,235, for a total of $248,735. The project was started in 1976 by three students in Banzhaf's class on [[public interest]] law. The students recruited three [[Maryland]] residents to carry the suit.<ref>
{{cite news |first=Ben A. |last=Franklin |title=Court says Agnew took bribes; orders repayment |work=New York Times |date=1981-04-28 }}
</ref>

Another case that attracted much attention targeted the [[McDonald's]] restaurant chain. One of Banzhaf's students, James Pizzirusso, successfully sued McDonald's in 2001 for precooking their French fries in beef fat and not warning [[vegetarian]]s and beef-avoiders about it; in 2002 he won a [[class-action]] settlement of $12.5 million.<ref name=Brune/>

===Tobacco===
Much of Banzhaf's tobacco work has been done through the [[non-profit group]] [[Action on Smoking and Health (US)|Action on Smoking and Health]], which he founded in 1967.<ref name=CB/>

====Television advertising====
In late 1966, John Banzhaf asked a local television station, WCBS-TV, to provide air time for announcements against smoking. The station refused, so Banzhaf filed a complaint with the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) in 1967.<ref name=Mukherjee>[[Siddhartha Mukherjee]], ''[[The Emperor of All Maladies|The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer]]'', Fourth Estate, 2011, page 265-266.</ref> The FCC's fairness doctrine required broadcasters to provide free air&nbsp;time to opposing views of matters of public [[controversy]]. In his complaint, Banzhaf argued that tobacco [[advertisement]]s were broadcasting only pro-smoking messages; he argued that, as a public service, the broadcasters should be required to show an equal number of anti-smoking messages.<ref name=Mukherjee/>

On June 2, 1967, the FCC announced its decision that its [[fairness doctrine]] applied to the request for anti-smoking announcements. The FCC stated that the public should hear an anti-smoking viewpoint.<ref name=Sterling>Sterling, C. H., & Kittross, J. M. (1990). ''Stay Tuned: A concise history of American broadcasting'' (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.</ref> However, the FCC required only the ratio of one anti-smoking message for each four cigarette advertisements (not the one-to-one ratio suggested by Banzhaf).

The [[tobacco industry]] appealed against this decision, but it was upheld by the [[United States Court of Appeals]] and the [[United States Supreme Court]] declined to hear the case.<ref name=CB/>{{Rp|32}}<ref name=Brandt>
{{cite book | last = Brandt | first = Allan M. | title = The Cigarette Century: the Rise, Fall and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America | publisher = Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group | location = New York | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-0-465-07047-3 | url = https://archive.org/details/cigarettecentury00bran }}</ref>{{Rp|267–268}}<ref name=Kluger>
{{cite book | last = Kluger | first = Richard | author-link = Richard Kluger | title = ''Ashes to Ashes: American's Hundred-Year Cigarette War, the Public Health, and the Unabashed Triumph of Philip Morris'' | url = https://archive.org/details/ashesto_klu_1997_00_3999 | url-access = registration | publisher = Vintage Books | location = New York | year = 1997 | isbn = 978-0-375-70036-1 }}</ref>{{Rp|304–308}} "Various governmental and voluntary health organizations made extremely creative spots and provided them to stations."<ref name=Sterling/> In response, tobacco companies offered to stop all advertising on [[television]], if this coordinated action was granted immunity from [[antitrust]] laws; they further agreed to have [[warning labels]] on cigarette packages and advertising. Tobacco ads ceased to appear on television in the United States at the end of 1970 (on 1 January 1971<ref name=Mukherjee/>). Cigarette advertising shifted to print media. Consequently, anti-smoking announcements were no longer required to satisfy the FCC's fairness doctrine.<ref name=Brandt/>{{Rp|271–272}}<ref name=Kluger/>{{Rp|327–335}}

====Passive smoking====
In the late 1960s, Banzhaf and the [[Action on Smoking and Health (US)|Action on Smoking and Health]] worked against [[passive smoking]].<ref name=Brandt/>{{Rp|287–288}} In 1969, [[Ralph Nader]] had petitioned the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] to [[smoking ban|ban smoking]] on all flights, when Banzhaf petitioned the FAA to require separate smoking and nonsmoking sections on domestic flights. Nader's petition and Banzhaf's petition each failed to change FAA policies, because [[passive smoking]] had not yet been recognized as a serious health hazard.

In 1972, both Nader and Banzhaf filed petitions with the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]], which largely granted their petitions. However, many airlines failed fully to comply with the regulations. The Action on Smoking and Health sued the CAB in 1979, claiming that legally mandated enforcement was inadequate. When the [[Reagan administration]] came into office in 1981, it weakened enforcement of the previous CAB rules.<ref name=Kluger/>{{Rp|373–374}}

===Obesity===
{{See also|Obesity in the United States}}
In the early 2000s, Banzhaf has focused his efforts against [[obesity]], following the 2001 [[Surgeon General of the United States|Surgeon General]]'s report on obesity.<ref name=Hartford>
{{cite news |first=Rinker |last=Buck |title=George Washington University Professor Wages Legal War on 'Obesity Crisis' |work=[[Hartford Courant]] |issn=1047-4153 |date=2003-07-13 }}</ref> In particular, Banzhaf has criticized the contracts for soft-drink machines in schools and [[McDonald's]], alleging that both have helped to contribute to childhood obesity.

In 2003, Banzhaf began criticizing "pouring rights" contracts, which he called "Cokes for Kickbacks" contracts. Under these contracts with [[school district]]s, [[soft-drink]] companies place [[vending machines]] in schools; the districts receive a [[commission (remuneration)|commission]] on the sales. Banzhaf has written that such contracts have increased soft-drink consumption and thereby contributed to the epidemic of [[childhood obesity]].<ref name=Brune/><ref>
{{cite news |first=Ervin |last=Keith |title=School Board is warned against Coke contract |url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030702&slug=fatsuit02m |work=[[Seattle Times]] |issn=0745-9696 |date=2003-07-02 |accessdate=2008-08-10 }}
</ref>

In his advocacy against childhood obesity, Banzhaf has criticized [[McDonald's]]. In 2002, he filed a lawsuit claiming [[product liability]] against [[McDonald's]], claiming that false advertising by McDonald's contributes to [[childhood obesity]].<ref name=Brune/> Obesity and McDonald's were discussed in the 2004 film ''[[Super Size Me]]'' by [[Morgan Spurlock]], in which Banzhaf is repeatedly interviewed. In one scene, Spurlock and Banzhaf have a discussion while eating at McDonald's. In his 2005 book, Spurlock quoted Banzhaf explanation of why litigious campaigns have had more success than legislative campaigns:<ref name=Spurlock>
{{cite book | last = Spurlock | first = Morgan | author-link = Morgan Spurlock | title = Don't Eat This Book | publisher = G.P. Putnam's Sons | location = New York | year = 2005 | isbn = 0-399-15260-1 | url = https://archive.org/details/donteatthisbookf00spur_0 }}</ref>{{Rp|91}}

{{quote|The problem of passing litigation over the objections of a very powerful industry with a big pocketbook is exactly what we faced with Big Tobacco and smoking. ... I and every one of the attorneys and public&nbsp;health experts I'm working with would much rather see this go through legislation then {{sic}} litigation. Our motto is, "If the legislators don't legislate, then the litigators will litigate."}}

===Politics===
====Richard Nixon====
Banzhaf filed a motion requesting that the federal government appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the role of the White House in what became known as the [[Watergate scandal]]. [[American University]] history professor [[Allan Lichtman]] stated that Banzhaf "was the first to seriously raise the issue in a public way. He certainly put it in the minds of members of Congress and was a contributing factor," despite that the motion was denied, in establishing a path for the appointment of future special prosecutors, which then led to the resignation of [[Richard Nixon]].<ref>[https://www.gwhatchet.com/2014/08/21/forty-years-after-watergate-law-professor-reflects-on-his-role-in-nixons-resignation/ "Law professor reflects on his role in Nixon’s resignation", by Mary Ellen McIntire, ''The GW Hatchet'', August 21, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2021.]</ref>

====Spiro Agnew====
Following publication his memoir, ''Go Quietly'', former vice-president [[Spiro Agnew]] gave a rare television interview in 1980,<ref name=NYTobit>{{cite news |title=Spiro T. Agnew, Ex-Vice President, Dies at 77 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/18/us/spiro-t-agnew-ex-vice-president-dies-at-77.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 18, 1996 |access-date=February 10, 2021 |archive-date=August 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821165903/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/18/us/spiro-t-agnew-ex-vice-president-dies-at-77.html |url-status=live }}</ref> after which Banzhaf's students located three Maryland residents that sought to have Agnew repay the state $268,482, in repayment for [[kickbacks]] that  he was alleged to have received while in office. In 1981, a judge ruled that "Mr. Agnew had no lawful right to this money under any theory," and ordered restitution as $147,500 in bribes and $101,235 in interest.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/04/28/agnew-told-to-pay-state-248735-for-funds-he-accepted/1f336d8f-4a68-4191-8cd4-56ed640d021f/|title=Agnew Told to Pay State $248,735 for Funds He Accepted|last=Saperstein|first=Saundra|date=April 28, 1981|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=February 10, 2021 |language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=October 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018225621/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/04/28/agnew-told-to-pay-state-248735-for-funds-he-accepted/1f336d8f-4a68-4191-8cd4-56ed640d021f/|url-status=live}}</ref> After two unsuccessful appeals by Agnew, he finally paid the sum in 1983.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/05/us/agnew-gives-268482-check-to-maryland-in-graft-lawsuit.html |title=Agnew Gives $268,482 Check to Maryland in Graft Lawsuit |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=[[UPI]] |date=January 5, 1983 |access-date=February 10, 2021  |archive-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613001347/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/05/us/agnew-gives-268482-check-to-maryland-in-graft-lawsuit.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1989, Agnew applied unsuccessfully for this sum to be treated as tax-deductible.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clines |first=Francis X. |title=Spiro T. Agnew, Point Man for Nixon Who Resigned Vice Presidency, Dies at 77 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/19/us/spiro-t-agnew-point-man-for-nixon-who-resigned-vice-presidency-dies-at-77.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 19, 1996 |access-date=February 10, 2021 |archive-date=September 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907222950/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/19/us/spiro-t-agnew-point-man-for-nixon-who-resigned-vice-presidency-dies-at-77.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Donald Trump====
In December 2020, complaints written to Georgia state authorities by Banzhaf charged that, while [[President of the United States]], [[Donald J. Trump]] appeared to violate three Georgia penal codes during a leaked and subsequently widely publicized [[Trump–Raffensperger phone call|phone call]] of January 2, 2021 with Georgia [[Secretary of State]] [[Brad Raffensperger]]. Banzhaf cited Conspiracy to Commit Election Fraud (§ 21-2-603), Criminal Solicitation to Commit Election Fraud (§ 21-2-604), and Intentional Interference With Performance of Election Duties (§ 21-2-597) during the January 2, 2021 call; the complaints resulted in two criminal investigations by the [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton County]] [[district attorney]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/call-for-conspiracy-probe-over-trumps-georgia-phone-call "Lawyer calls for conspiracy investigation over Trump’s Georgia phone call", by Paul Bedard], ''[[Washington Examiner]]'', January 4, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.</ref>

==Criticisms==
Banzhaf's advocacy has drawn criticism. In 2006, [[Ezra Levant]] wrote in the ''[[National Post]]'', "Banzhaf was the health-law strategist who destroyed the concept of personal responsibility when it came to smoking."<ref>
{{cite news |first=Ezra |last=Levant |title=The killjoys' next target |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=585ffc2c-18ca-4135-b94a-e69a726c8408 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129144419/http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=585ffc2c-18ca-4135-b94a-e69a726c8408 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-29 |work=National Post |issn=1486-8008 |date=2006-01-06 |accessdate=2008-08-10 }}</ref>
Addressing the charge that his legal campaigns and victories have reduced personal responsibility, according to the ''[[Hartford Courant]]'', Banzhaf replied with a rhetorical question:<ref name=Hartford/>

{{quote|Is there a sudden loss of personal responsibility? No—because we would see it in other areas: sudden increases in drunkenness, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse deaths. Clearly there is no decline in personal responsibility.}}

Banzhaf was criticized<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/campaign-against-catholic-university/2011/11/03/gIQAqszLqM_story.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | first=Charles | last=Krauthammer | date=2011-11-05 | title=Campaign against Catholic University}}</ref> for his 2011 lawsuits and Human Rights charges against the [[Catholic University of America]]. The first was a gender-discrimination lawsuit in response to President [[John H. Garvey]]'s decision to implement same sex dorms on campus. Later in 2011, Banzhaf filed a complaint with the DC Office of Human Rights claiming [[Muslim]] students were being discriminated against because of lack of adequate prayer space. According to Banzhaf, the charge came as a response to a 2010 article in CUA's student newspaper about Muslim students at CUA, in which no complaints were made.  

Adrian Brune wrote in ''[[American Lawyer]]'' (2005) that Banzhaf had had conflicts with the [[Frontiers of Freedom Institute]],<ref name=Brune>{{cite journal | last = Brune | first = Adrian |date=July 2005 | title = Class Action: A litigious law professor preps for fight over soda sales at schools | journal = [[American Lawyer]] | volume = 27 | issue = 7 | pages = 33–34 | issn = 0162-3397 }}</ref>
which operated a web site, banzhafwatch.com,<ref name=Brune/> with the slogan "Keeping an eye on the man who wants to sue America", until mid-2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://banzhafwatch.com/ |accessdate=July 28, 2016 |title=archive of banzhafwatch.com (April 2006) |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |work=[[Wayback Machine]] |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060402185616/http://banzhafwatch.com/ |archive-date=April 2, 2006 }}</ref> ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'', a [[libertarian]] magazine published a critical article by Charles Paul Freund in 2002.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Freund | first = Charles Paul |date=December 2002 | title = Stuffed Face: One man's war on pleasure | journal = [[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] | pages = 12–13 | issn = 0048-6906 | url = http://www.reason.com/news/show/28596.html }}</ref> Writer [[Richard Kluger]] criticized Banzhaf's leadership of the [[Action on Smoking and Health (US)|Action on Smoking and Health]].<ref name=Kluger/>{{Rp|310,506}}

==See also==
* [[Potty parity]]

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
* [http://www.cs.unc.edu/~livingst/Banzhaf/ Banzhaf Power Index] Includes power index estimates for the 1990s U.S. Electoral College.
* [http://www.warwick.ac.uk/~ecaae/ Computer Algorithms for Voting Power Analysis] Web-based algorithms for voting power analysis
* {{C-SPAN|1008}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Law|United States}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banzhaf III, John F.}}
[[Category:American legal scholars]]
[[Category:Anti-smoking activists]]
[[Category:Voting theorists]]
[[Category:Game theorists]]
[[Category:George Washington University Law School faculty]]
[[Category:MIT School of Engineering alumni]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Stuyvesant High School alumni]]
[[Category:Columbia Law School alumni]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American health activists]]