For more information, please contact:
Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251
ADVISORY TO PRODUCERS, COLUMNISTS, AND ASSIGNMENT, LEGAL, BUSINESS, INTERNATIONAL, POLITICAL, HIGHER EDUCATION, PLANNING, CITY DESK, FEATURES AND DAYBOOK EDITORS
CHICAGO–October 29, 2007–Chicago-Kent College of Law and Stuart School of Business have experts available to discuss current issues. To reach any of our experts, call Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, at (312) 906-5251. Press releases and earlier advisories are available on our Web site: www.kentlaw.edu/news/advisory.
Former Illinois governor George Ryan will begin serving his sentence in a federal prison November 7 unless the federal courts intervene. In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit last Thursday upheld a three-judge panel’s August 21 ruling and refused to rehear the case against Ryan and his co-defendant Larry Warner. On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, who presided over the criminal trial, set the date for both men to report to federal prisons. The Court of Appeals adjourned for the weekend without ruling on their motion to remain free on bond while their attorneys appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Chicago-Kent experts are available for interviews.
The Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. A federal judge has refused to issue a temporary restraining order that would have prevented students in Buffalo Grove High School from observing a moment of silence, in accordance with a new state law. Well-known atheist Rob Sherman and his daughter last week filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law, which requires teachers to provide time for "silent prayer or for silent reflection on the anticipated activities of the day." While the judge expressed concerns about the state law, he did not prevent the school from implementing its 15-second policy this week. The next hearing in the case will be held November 14. Constitutional scholar and Distinguished Professor Sheldon H. Nahmod is available for interviews about the lawsuit and about the separation of church and state. Also available are school law experts and adjunct professors William Kling and Nancy Hablutzel.
Free trade agreements. Results of a recent Wall Street Journal and NBC News poll find that six in 10 Republican voters believe that free trade has been bad for the U.S. economy. Speaking in support of the administration’s pending trade agreements with Peru, Panama, Colombia and South Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she is "concerned about maintaining a bipartisan consensus for free trade." Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton says current U.S. free trade agreements should be re-evaluated every three to five years. Chicago-Kent professor Sungjoon Cho teaches courses in international law, international trade law, international business transactions and comparative law. Professor Cho represented South Korea in negotiations with the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He is available for interviews about the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) and about a November 8 program at Chicago-Kent that examines the agreement. (See below.)
November 11 is Veterans Day. Professor Michael I. Spak, an expert on military law, is available for interviews about veterans affairs. Professor Spak served on active duty with the U.S. Army in the Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1963 to 1969 and has remained in the U.S. Army Reserve. As Colonel Spak, he is currently liaison officer of the Judge Advocate General's School in Charlottesville, Va. He is author of Cases and Materials on Military Law and Military Justice and a co-author of Servicemember's Legal Guide: Everything You and Your Family Need to Know About the Law.
During the summer and fall of 1692, 19 men and women accused of witchcraft were hanged in Salem, Mass. Another accused man was pressed to death when he refused to enter a plea. Approximately 200 people were imprisoned. Most of the accused were denied legal counsel and/or trials. Judges could overturn jury verdicts. Experts are available to discuss legal issues related to the Salem witchcraft trials.
"The Crucible," Arthur Miller’s 1952 play about the Salem witchcraft trials, has been chosen as the fall 2007 book in the city's "One Book, One Chicago" program. There has been a variety of activities examining the play’s themes of political persecution, mass hysteria and what it means to be an "American" -- and, conversely, "un-American." Miller’s Tony Award-winning drama was written when McCarthyism was widespread in America. In selecting "The Crucible," Mayor Daley said its themes resonate in post-9/11 America when immigrants, Muslims and Arabs "are being looked at in a much different way." Chicago-Kent students and faculty have formed on- and off-campus discussion groups that will meet within the next two weeks to look at the play from a variety of perspectives. Experts are available to discuss issues related to "The Crucible," the "War on Terror," McCarthyism and civil liberties. Administrators are also available to discuss Chicago-Kent’s discussion groups.
Downtown Campus Events:
October 31: Georgetown University Law Center professor Peter Edelman will address the topic "From Poverty to Prosperity: A National Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half." A member of the Georgetown faculty since 1982, Professor Edelman has served in all three branches of government. He has served in the Clinton administration in the Department of Health and Human Services, as a legislative assistant to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg and to Henry J. Friendly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Professor Edelman is chair of the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission and currently is board president of the New Israel Fund. The program, which begins at 3 p.m., will be held in the Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Courtroom. It is co-sponsored by Chicago-Kent’s Institute for Law and Humanities and the student chapter of the American Constitution Society. For more information, call (312) 906-5192.
November 8: "KORUS FTA, Who Is It For? Prosperity Through Trade with Korea " is a one-day conference that will explore key strategies for American businesses seeking to take advantage of opportunities in the burgeoning South Korean market under the proposed Korea-U.S. (KORUS) Free Trade Agreement. Chicago-Kent professor Sungjoon Cho will provide an analytical overview of the agreement. Wendy Cutler, assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan, Korea and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Affairs and chief U.S. negotiator for KORUS FTA, will deliver the luncheon address. Business leaders from Hyundai, Eli Lilly and others will share their success stories. This program is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Korea, U.S. Korea Business Council, World Trade Center in Illinois, and KOTRA Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. The conference will held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Governor Richard B. Ogilvie Auditorium. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, or for more information, please contact Lois Ahn by phone at (312) 822-9485, ext. 131; by fax at (312) 822-9389; or via e-mail at oliver0324@msn.com.
November 14: "Dogfighting in Chicago." Sgt. Eldon Urbikas and Officer Thomas Barker of the Chicago Police Department’s Animal Crimes Unit will address Chicago-Kent’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. They will talk about their unit and the issue of dogfighting in Chicago. So far this year, the Animal Crimes Unit has logged more than 40 arrests related to alleged dogfighting operations and animal abuse. During the same period, the unit also recovered more than 120 dogs that were allegedly abused. The department’s proactive stance against animal cruelty has made it a leader among other law enforcement agencies and earned it a 2007 Humane Law Enforcement Award from the Humane Society of the United States and the National District Attorneys Association. The program is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. For more information, please contact Heather Owen, (773) 203-9364, or Juli Gilliam, (248) 210-7915.
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