For more information, please contact:
Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251
ADVISORY TO PRODUCERS, COLUMNISTS AND ASSIGNMENT, LEGAL, PLANNING, BUSINESS, AND DAYBOOK EDITORS
CHICAGO--June 13, 2005--Chicago-Kent College of Law, the Stuart Graduate School of
Business and the Center for Financial Markets have experts available to discuss current issues.
To reach any of our experts, call Gwen Osborne, director
of public affairs, at (312) 906-5251. Copies of press releases and earlier advisories are available
on our Web site: http://www.kentlaw.edu/news/advisory.
A jury has acquitted singer Michael Jackson on charges of child molestation, conspiracy
and illegal use of alcohol with a minor. Chicago-Kent professors Douglas
W. Godfrey and Richard S. Kling are available
to discuss the trial. Professor Godfrey is a former prosecutor in the Kings County District Attorney's
office, where he served in the sex crimes and homicide bureaus. Professor Kling is a criminal defense
attorney who teaches evidence and forensic science courses.
Jury bias: In two 6-3 rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the convictions of two
black inmates in California and Texas who challenged their murder convictions on the grounds that
prosecutors unfairly stacked their juries with whites. In his concurring opinion, Justice Stephen
Breyer quoted from Justice John Paul Stevens’ Foreword in the symposium issue of the Chicago-Kent
Law Review. Professor Nancy S. Marder, who
teaches a course on juries, judges and trials, has written extensively about the American jury system.
Professor Marder is the author of a new book called Jury Process.
Her recent law review articles include Juries, Justice and Multiculturalism and Juries
and Technology: Equipping Jurors for the Twenty-First Century. Professor Marder is available
for interviews about the jury system.
The U.S. Supreme Court still has rulings on public displays of the Ten Commandments, file-sharing,
and whistle-blowing to hand down before the term ends. Professor Sheldon
H. Nahmod is available for interviews about key decisions and themes of the 2004-05 term.
Illinois residents can now sell their concert and sports tickets in online auctions, for
more than face value, as a result of a new law signed Monday by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Under the
old law, it was illegal for people to sell their tickets for more than face value. Ticket brokers
say the new law places them at a disadvantage because private sellers are not subject to the amusement
tax levied on events held in Chicago. Each year, Internet auction fraud costs American consumers
approximately $5 million. The most prevalent complaints involve identity theft, misrepresented merchandise
or undelivered goods. How can consumers protect themselves? Students in the Honors Scholars Program
at Chicago-Kent College of Law collaborated with the City of Chicago Department of Consumer Services
and AT&T to create “You Don't Know Auctions!”, an interactive Internet game to educate
the public about online auctions and to caution them about the dangers of auction fraud. The Web
address for the game is www.youdontknowauctions.com.
Dean Harold J. Krent is available for interviews about
auction fraud and the “You Don’t Know Auctions!” site.
The racially motivated murder of Emmett Till in 1955 was a major event in the Civil Rights era.
Earlier this month, the FBI and Mississippi prosecutors exhumed Till's body from a suburban Chicago
cemetery to look for clues in his murder and determine whether additional charges are warranted.
Two men were tried and acquitted for Till’s murder in 1955. The men, who are both deceased,
later confessed to the crime in an interview with a Look Magazine
reporter. Preliminary autopsy reports indicate that examiners have found bullet fragments. They
are awaiting the results of DNA tests. Professor Richard S.
Kling, a criminal defense attorney who teaches forensic evidence courses, is available for
interviews. Professor Lori B. Andrews of IIT's Institute
for Law, Science and Technology, who advised the Chicago Historical Society on ethical issues regarding
the testing of Abraham Lincoln's DNA, is also available.
June 30 is the deadline for the National Basketball Association and its players’ union
to come to terms to avert a lockout. Sports attorney and adjunct professor Eldon
L. Ham, author of Play Masters: From Sellouts to Lockouts: An Unauthorized
History of the NBA, is available for interviews.
Chicago-Kent's Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars program (PLUS). More than two dozen undergraduate
students interested in careers in law are participating in a special four-week session during the
month of June. The program, funded by a grant from the Law School Admission Council to increase
diversity, is geared toward students from underrepresented groups. Near the end of the program,
the students will participate in a mock trial and complete a one-day "internship" in a
legal setting. Students and administrators are available for interviews.
Downtown Campus Events:
June 17: Effective Transactional Writing. Chicago-Kent College of Law will present a day-long,
interactive seminar to help lawyers write more effectively. Participants will learn how to use “plain
English” to make documents less ambiguous and more concise and straightforward. The small-group,
hands-on training includes audience analysis tips and writing and editing tools. For more information,
call (312) 906-5090 or visit the Web site: www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle/.
June 18: Stuart Graduate School of Business Commencement. Robert M. Janowiak, executive
director of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association, will deliver the
commencement address. Commencement exercises begin at 11 a.m. and will be held on the IIT Main Campus
in the Hermann Union Building (HUB), 3241 S. Federal Street, in Chicago.
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