For more information, please contact:
Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251
ADVISORY TO PRODUCERS, COLUMNISTS, AND ASSIGNMENT,
LEGAL, PLANNING, BOOK, MEDICAL, TECHNOLOGY, INTERNATIONAL,
BUSINESS, CITY DESK, FEATURES AND DAYBOOK EDITORS
CHICAGO–October 20, 2008–Chicago-Kent College of Law and Stuart School of Business have experts available to discuss current issues. To reach experts on IIT’s Downtown Campus, please call Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251. Press releases and earlier advisories are available on our Web site: www.kentlaw.edu/news/advisory.
Jury selection has begun in the retrial of music producer Phil Spector. Spector is on trial in Los Angeles for the 2003 murder of Lana Clarkson, an actress and nightclub hostess, at his home. He went on trial in 2007, but after a five-month trial, the jury was deadlocked 10-2 in favor of a guilty verdict. (Under California law, a unanimous verdict is necessary for conviction.) Spector became famous for his work with the Beatles, Tina Turner, Cher and "girl groups" of the 1960s. Potential jurors have completed questionnaires about their knowledge of the case and attorneys for both sides expect to have a 12-person jury seated by the end of the week. 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 Jury Process and several law review articles, including Juries, Justice and Multiculturalism. Professor Marder is available for comment. Professors and criminal defense attorneys Richard S. Kling and Daniel T. Coyne can also discuss the case, possible defense strategies and the impact of the outcome of the first trial on the current trial. Professor and former prosecutor Douglas Godfrey is likewise available for interviews.
November 4 is Election Day. Chicago-Kent and Stuart School of Business have experts available to discuss issues related to the economy, immigration, presidential power, foreign policy, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the environment.
The Iowa Electronic Markets (IEM) pick the Democrats to win the White House. Current projections in the winner-take-all market project an 87 to 13 victory margin. The IEM is an online futures market where shareholders can "invest" based on real-world events such as political outcomes. For the November election, there are two real-money futures markets in the IEM 2008 U.S. Presidential Election Markets. In the "Pres08_VS" market, payoffs will be based on the vote shares won by the two major-party candidates; in "Pres08_WTA," a winner-take-all market, payoffs will be determined by the popular vote plurality winner. The IEM also has markets for the congressional elections and the U.S. Senate race in Minnesota. Accounts can be opened for amounts between $5 and $500. Traders can then use funds in their accounts to buy and sell contracts. What is the IEM? Is it legal? How accurate has it been in predicting the outcomes of presidential elections? Professor Michael Gorham, director of the Stuart School’s Center for Financial Markets, is available for interviews. From 2002 to 2004, Professor Gorham served as the first director of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Market Oversight. The division of 100 economists, lawyers, futures-trading specialists and others was responsible for the designation of new exchanges, the review of new futures and options products, and the protection of markets from manipulation and customer abuse.
The Internet has revolutionized the ways in which candidates connect with potential voters. Candidates have created profiles on social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Eons, BlackPlanet.com, MiGente.com and GLEE to take their campaigns to where the potential voters are. Voters and supporters visit candidates' Web sites for news, information and to make contributions. Chicago-Kent professor Richard Warner is president of Standards Association for Elections Online (SAFE), a nonprofit organization that develops standards and practices for online campaign activity and endorses third-party monitors who certify campaign Web sites as abiding by SAFE standards. Professor Warner is available for interviews about campaign Web sites.
The First Amendment and the elections. Can voters wear campaign paraphernalia to the polls on election day? Are there rules governing workplace discussions about political campaigns? Can homeowner associations or landlords prohibit the display of campaign signage? Chicago-Kent experts are available for interviews.
What is a constitutional convention? In accordance with the state constitution, Illinois voters will be faced with a ballot referendum asking whether a constitutional convention should be called. Professor Mark D. Rosen, who teaches courses in state and local government and constitutional law, is available for interviews.
Approximately 70 judges are seeking to retain their seats on the Cook County Circuit Court bench. What do judicial evaluations mean? What are the criteria for evaluating judges? What is the difference between a rating of "highly qualified" and "well qualified"? Chicago-Kent professor and criminal defense attorney Daniel T. Coyne is president of the Chicago Council of Lawyers, which evaluates candidates for judicial office. Professor Coyne is available to discuss the organization’s evaluation process.
What will the results of the 2008 elections mean for labor relations in Illinois? Professor Martin H. Malin, director of Chicago-Kent’s Institute for Law and the Workplace, is available to discuss an upcoming discussion at Chicago-Kent's 24th annual Illinois Public Sector Labor Relations Law Program. (See below.)
Downtown Campus Events:
November 14: "The 2008 Elections: What the Results Mean for Labor Relations" is the topic of a keynote address by former Chicago Tribune editor James C. Warren at Chicago-Kent’s 24th annual Illinois Public Sector Labor Relations Law Program. Workshop panelists, including Chicago attorney James Baird of Seyfarth Shaw LLP; Jim Reed, director of government relations, Illinois Education Association; and Chicago attorney James A. Spizzo of Vedder Price, will analyze how the election results will impact public sector labor relations in Illinois. Chicago-Kent's 24th annual Illinois Public Sector Labor Relations Law Program is designed for lawyers whose practice involves labor law, local government law or school law. It is also for state and local government officials, public education officials, administrators and labor relations officers, union officials, business agents, uniserv directors, arbitrators and mediators. The one-day program is co-sponsored by Chicago-Kent’s Institute for Law and the Workplace, the Illinois Labor Relations Board and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. For more information and registration, call (312) 906-5090 or visit the Web site: http://www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle/.
November 19: "Wet with Blood." Chicago-Kent distinguished professor and author Lori B. Andrews and Russell Lewis, vice president and chief historian at the Chicago History Museum, will discuss the historical, scientific, ethical and legal issues involved in using President Abraham Lincoln’s DNA to authenticate the museum’s Lincoln artifacts. The museum’s collection includes a cloak, allegedly worn by Mary Todd Lincoln on the night the president was assassinated, that may contain Abraham Lincoln’s blood. Questions to be addressed include whether it is appropriate to perform genetic tests on Abraham Lincoln’s DNA that might reveal the presence of diseases or disorders and whether such tests would violate the privacy of existing descendants. This program, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 3 p.m. in the law school’s 10th floor event room. A reception will follow. "Wet with Blood" is the second in a series of programs sponsored by Chicago-Kent’s Institute for Law and the Humanities under the theme "Connecting to Chicago’s Cultural Institutions."
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