For more information, please contact:
Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251
ADVISORY TO PRODUCERS, COLUMNISTS, AND ASSIGNMENT, LEGAL, BUSINESS, POLITICAL, IMMIGRATION, INTERNATIONAL, PLANNING, CITY DESK, FEATURES AND DAYBOOK EDITORS
CHICAGO–December 9, 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.
Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested today on federal corruption charges. The criminal complaint, released by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, alleges that the governor and Harris conspired to "sell" the U.S. Senate appointment for a successor to President-elect Barack Obama, "engaged in ‘pay-to-play’ schemes," and threatened to withhold state assistance to the Tribune Company for Wrigley Field unless certain Chicago Tribune editorial writers were fired. After a hearing in federal court, the governor and his aide were released on their own recognizance after each posted a $4,500 bond. Chicago-Kent professors and criminal defense attorneys Richard Kling and Daniel Coyne are available for interviews about the allegations against Blagojevich and Harris. Also available is Professor Douglas Godfrey, a former prosecutor with the Kings County (New York) District Attorney's Office.
The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives Gov. Rod Blagojevich the power to appoint a temporary successor to President-elect Obama "until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct." Constitutional scholar and Chicago-Kent Dean Harold J. Krent is available for interviews about the 17th Amendment and calls for a special election to fill the Obama vacancy.
The Illinois Constitution sets out rules covering gubernatorial succession if the governor is "unable to serve because of death, conviction on impeachment, failure to qualify, resignation or other disability" and "whenever the Governor determines that he may be seriously impeded in the exercise of his powers." Professor Mark D. Rosen, an expert in state and local law, is available for interviews about provisions in the Illinois Constitution related to succession of the governor. He is also available to talk about the new Illinois ethics bill that takes effect in January.
The Richard Nixon Library and Museum last week released nearly 200 hours of White House tapes, consisting of approximately 1,400 conversations recorded by the former president during November and December of 1972. The library also made public approximately 90,000 pages of "textual material," much of it "previously classified" and related to Watergate, from the files of Charles Colson, J. Fred Buzhardt, H.R. Haldeman, Patrick Buchanan and John Dean. There is also information from the Jeb Stuart McGruder papers related to his service with the Committee to Re-Elect the President. Also last week, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum posted recordings of former president Johnson’s telephone conversations between May 1968 and January 1969 as part of its celebration of the 100th observance of his birth. Johnson accused Nixon of trying to subvert the peace process by encouraging the South Vietnamese government to wait until after the 1968 presidential election to join the talks. Chicago-Kent Dean Harold J. Krent, the author of Presidential Powers, is available to compare how Nixon and Johnson used the power of the president’s office.
The Burger Court. The newly released Nixon tapes include candid conversations between the president and Chief Justice Warren Burger about a variety of issues--including some pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Constitutional scholar and Distinguished Professor Sheldon H. Nahmod is available for interviews about the legacy of the Burger Court.
"If the president does it, it is not illegal," said former President Nixon during his 1977 television interview with David Frost. The series of four television interviews provided the inspiration for "Frost/Nixon," a play that has been adapted for film by director Ron Howard and released last weekend. In 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a unanimous 8-0 decision, rejected Nixon’s claim of executive privilege regarding release of the tapes. (Nixon-appointee William Rehnquist recused himself.) The justices held that "...no person, not even the President of the United States, is completely above law..." Dean Harold J. Krent and Professor Sheldon H. Nahmod are available to discuss United States v. Nixon. Editors please note: Neither expert is available for interviews about the film.
President-elect Barack Obama’s nomination of Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) as secretary of state could hit a snag because the U.S. Constitution prohibits a member of Congress from moving to a new position within the federal government if, during the Congress member’s term, the salary for that position was raised. During Sen. Clinton’s term in the Senate, the salaries for cabinet members were raised from $186,600 to $191,300, theoretically preventing her from assuming a cabinet position until her term expires in 2013. Presidents have sought to circumvent this rule by employing the so-called "Saxbe fix," which rolls back the salary of the position at issue to whatever it was before the appointee-designate joined Congress. Used by President Nixon to appoint Ohio senator William Saxbe to serve as attorney general, the method was first employed nearly a century ago by President William Howard Taft to appoint Philander C. Knox as secretary of state. Dean Harold J. Krent is available for interviews about the "Saxbe fix" and the separation of powers.
A federal court judge has blocked the suspensions of five NFL players for violating the league’s anti-doping policy until he can study the matter further. Minnesota Vikings players Kevin Williams and Pat Williams and New Orleans Saints players Deuce McAllister, Will Smith and Charles Grant will be allowed to practice and play with their teams. The players each admittedly took a weight-loss supplement called StarCaps, which contains Bumetanide, a substance banned by the NFL because it can mask steroid use. Bumetanide is not listed as an ingredient in StarCaps, and the players say the league has known about its use in the supplement since 2006 and did not warn players. Sports attorney and adjunct professor Eldon L. Ham says, "Administrative decisions from private associations like the NFL are given great weight, as are labor appeals and the suspension decision, which this case seeks to overturn. But the NFL is still bound by principles of fairness, a brand of ‘private sector due process’ that mandates reasonable and fair behavior. It's an uphill battle, but these players have a valid chance at victory." Professor Ham is available for interviews.
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday refused to consider Donofrio v. Wells, a continuation of a New Jersey case that challenged President-elect Obama’s U.S. citizenship. Professor Matthew I. Bernstein, who practices and teaches immigration and nationality law, is available for interviews. Also available is Dean Harold J. Krent, a constitutional scholar who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. Dean Krent can discuss the constitutional requirements for the presidency.
Chicago-Kent’s Immigration Law Clinic is seeking those who need legal assistance with immigration, asylum and nationality matters. The clinic is supervised by Professor Matthew I. Bernstein, whose practice includes advising corporations, nonprofit organizations and individuals in all areas of immigration law, including professionals; aliens of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts and business; individuals seeking immigration benefits for family members; and individuals threatened with removal from the United States by the government. Professor Bernstein is available for interviews about the Immigration Law Clinic. He is also available to speak with organizations about immigration issues.
Downtown Campus Events:
December 11: 2008 Chicago-Kent Alumni Awards and Recognition Luncheon. Sportscaster and alumnus Bruce Wolf ’81 will serve as master of ceremonies as Chicago-Kent College of Law honors six law school alumni for their professional service and achievement. Dina Merrell ’95, associate director of the Chicago Bar Foundation, and Mary Anne Smith ’77, vice president and general counsel of Illinois Institute of Technology, will receive Distinguished Service Awards. Bruce Kohen ’79, managing partner at Anesi Ozmon Rodin Novak & Kohen Ltd., and Michael Marick ’82, partner at Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP, will receive Professional Achievement Awards. Mark Cumba ’98, associate at Wilson Petty Kosmo & Turner LLP, and Margaret Firnstein ’99, associate at SmithAmundsen LLC, will receive Young Alumni Awards. The law firm of Franczek, Radelet & Rose PC will receive the first Chicago-Kent College of Law Institutional Partner Award for its significant impact on the law school and the lives of alumni and students by furthering the growth and development of Chicago-Kent. Dozens of volunteers who have given their time to support law school endeavors during the past two years will also be recognized at the event. The event will be held at the Standard Club, 320 South Plymouth Court, in Chicago. The reception will begin at 11:30 a.m.; the luncheon will begin at noon. To register or for more information, please call (312) 906-5245 or visit www.kentlaw.edu/depts/alums/lunch/ on the Web.
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