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--September 6 , 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.
President Bush has nominated Judge John Roberts to be the 17th chief justice of the United States to succeed the late Justice William H. Rehnquist. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to begin confirmation hearings this week on his appointment. “Time may tell whether John Roberts’ views on constitutional construction correspond with President Bush's selective views,” says Chicago-Kent dean Harold J. Krent. “The Constitution simply cannot be interpreted strictly without ignoring over 200 years of history. Our society has changed dramatically, and presidential actions, as well as Supreme Court decisions, have altered the framework within which the constitutional language need be understood. Bush’s call for strict construction of the Constitution instead may thinly veil his support for a particular conservative ideology.” Dean Krent, the author of Presidential Powers, is available for interviews.
Funeral services for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist will be held Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Rehnquist was appointed to the Court in 1972 by Richard M. Nixon and named chief justice by Ronald Reagan in 1986. Constitutional scholar and distinguished professor Sheldon H. Nahmod is available for interviews about the legacy of the Rehnquist Court.
Back to school. Chicago-Kent has experts available to discuss a variety of legal issues related to elementary and secondary education, including school disciplinary policies, the No Child Left Behind Act, prayer in schools, the Pledge of Allegiance controversies, contract disputes, the debate between supporters of evolution and intelligent design, and privacy issues.
New charities have been formed to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, and the IRS Monday announced an expedited review and approval process to help such charities obtain tax-exempt status. The agency took similar action following the September 11 tragedy. However, Professor Evelyn Brody says, “This means precious resources – time and money – will be devoted to administrative costs and the learning curve of well-wishers, with inevitable compliance problems down the road.” She is available to explain why she believes “this is exactly the opposite of what the IRS should do.” Professor Brody is a former attorney/advisor in the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Tax Policy. She currently is secretary of the ABA’s Taxation Section, an associate scholar with the Urban Institute's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, and a board member of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.
Potential donors to funds created to help victims of Hurricane Katrina should beware of online sites, unsolicited e-mails and Internet auctions set up to forward assistance to groups or individuals. “They may be phishing schemes or other sites designed to steal important financial information,” says Dean Harold J. Krent. Chicago-Kent Honors Scholars established a Web site designed to alert consumers to the dangers of online auction fraud. The site, “You Don’t Know Auctions” (www.youdontknowauctions.com), is an ongoing collaboration among Chicago-Kent, the City of Chicago and AT&T. Dean Krent is available to discuss the Web site project and issues related to online auction fraud and identity theft.
Options for J.D. students from Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans. Students who wish to visit at Chicago-Kent for the Fall 2005 semester must apply for admission. Applications are available through the admissions office or at http://www.kentlaw.edu/adm/katrina/visitor_app.html. Tuition is waived as long as the student has paid tuition to his or her home school. Chicago-Kent will also provide books for all visiting students from Tulane and Loyola for the fall 2005 semester. Students will also be permitted to visit for the spring 2006 semester in the event that Tulane and Loyola do not reopen for the spring semester. Administrators are available for interviews.
Did the Gulf Coast region ignore the lessons of “The Great Flood of 1927"? In April of 1927, torrential rains caused the Mississippi River to flood hundreds of towns between Cairo, Ill., and New Orleans. More than one million people were homeless and about a thousand people died. Distinguished professor Dan Tarlock is an internationally recognized expert in environmental law and the law of land and water use. Professor Tarlock has extensively studied floods and the Mississippi River. He has published a treatise, Law of Water Rights and Resources, and is the co-author of casebooks on water resource management, environmental law, land use, and environmental protection. Professor Tarlock is available for interviews.
Former Illinois Governor George Ryan will go on trial September 15 on corruption charges related to his years as Secretary of State. Chicago-Kent professors Douglas W. Godfrey and Richard S. Kling are available for interviews. Professor Godfrey is a former prosecutor in the Kings County District Attorney's office; Professor Kling is a criminal defense attorney who teaches evidence courses.
Chicago-Kent's Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic is seeking taxpayers who have disputes with the IRS. Those who meet certain income criteria may qualify for free assistance with their tax disputes, including collection matters, audits, appeals and litigation before the Internal Revenue Service, United States Tax Court, and United States District Court. Students work under the supervision of Professor Jonathan Decatorsmith. See the program Web site for more information. Professor Decatorsmith is available for interviews about the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic.
Cook County residents with domestic relations disputes, including legal separation, divorce, child support, child custody, visitation and guardianships, may qualify for representation through Chicago-Kent's Family Law Clinic. Clients will pay on a sliding scale fee basis, depending on their financial circumstances. Students will work under the supervision of Professor Ira C. Feldman. He is available for interviews about the program.
Downtown Campus Events:
September 8: “Pleading for the Future,” a theatrical stage production based on the 1924 trial, Illinois v. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, will be performed in the Gov. Richard B. Ogilvie Auditorium. The script was adapted by Chicago-Kent alumni Todd S. Parkhurst and Scott Petersen, and adjunct professor William M. Hannay from actual court proceedings. The production is augmented by actual crime scene photos and music of the era. The program, which begins at 5 p.m., is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the Chicago law firm of Holland & Knight, LLP and the Chicago-Kent Student Bar Association. For more information, call (312) 906-5149.
September 16: “Fundamentalist Religion and Democracy” is the topic of a lecture by Martin E. Marty, the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of the History of Modern Christianity at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The program, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 2 p.m. in the Event Room. It is sponsored by Chicago-Kent’s Institute for Law and the Humanities.
–DTC–
|
