For more information, please contact:
Gwen Osborne, director of public affairs, (312) 906-5251
ADVISORY TO PRODUCERS, COLUMNISTS, AND ASSIGNMENT, LEGAL, PLANNING, INTERNATIONAL, BUSINESS, ARTS, CITY DESK, FEATURES AND DAYBOOK EDITORS
CHICAGO–May 18, 2009–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, 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.
The Associated Press has reported that President Obama has narrowed his list of potential nominees to replace retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter to six people. Justice Souter, 69, was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. President Obama has said he would like to have the new justice seated by the beginning of the 2009-10 term on October 5. Chicago-Kent has experts available for interviews.
- Constitutional scholar and Distinguished Professor Sheldon H. Nahmod can discuss the legacy of Justice Souter, who, he says, "in many ways has been the conscience of the court."
- Professor Carolyn Shapiro is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School whose scholarly interests include the federal courts. Professor Shapiro clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer.
- Dean Harold J. Krent, the author of Presidential Powers (New York University Press 2005), can discuss the appointment process, separation of powers, and constitutional and judicial philosophies.
Vice President Joseph Biden will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo beginning the week of May 18. The White House has announced the vice president will meet with the political leadership in all three countries, as well as with U.S. officials and military personnel stationed in the region. Professor Henry H. Perritt, Jr., is available for interviews. Throughout his academic career, Professor Perritt has focused his efforts on political, social and economic issues in the Balkans. In 1998, Professor Perritt established Operation Kosovo, an initiative designed to help build a model democracy, rule of law and a market economy in the country. In April of 2004, he convened a symposium of international scholars and policymakers at Chicago-Kent to discuss final status negotiations mandated by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, which authorized U.N. intervention in Kosovo. Last year, Professor Perritt was instrumental in the establishment of a special graduate law study program at Chicago-Kent and American University in Kosovo. He is the author of Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside Story of an Insurgency (University of Illinois Press 2008) and The Road to Independence for Kosovo: A Chronicle of the Ahtisaari Plan (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming). Professor Perritt also has written a musical, "You Took Away My Flag: A Musical About Kosovo," scheduled to open June 12 in Chicago. (See below.)
Former Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson is scheduled to be arraigned May 18 for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Savio, who was divorced from Peterson, died in 2004 in what was first believed to be an accident. After the October 2007 disappearance of Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy, Savio's body was exhumed and Will County authorities held an inquest to re-examine the circumstances related to her death. In February 2008 an autopsy report ruled Savio's death a homicide. Professors and criminal defense attorneys Richard S. Kling and Daniel T. Coyne are available for interviews. Also available are Professor Douglas Wm. Godfrey, a former prosecutor with the Kings County (New York) District Attorney's Office, and David A. Erickson, a former prosecutor in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Currently a senior lecturer and director of Chicago-Kent's Program in Criminal Litigation, David Erickson has also served as a felony trial court judge, a supervising judge in the criminal courts and an Illinois Appellate Court judge.
The "Drew Peterson law"? The Illinois General Assembly last November passed a law that allows judges to admit hearsay evidence in first-degree murder trials where the defendant is accused by the prosecution of having prevented the speaker from appearing in court. Supporters of the so-called "Drew Peterson law" believe the law would have an impact on criminal cases filed against the former Bolingbrook officer related to the deaths or disappearance of his wives. But Chicago-Kent Dean Harold J. Krent says that, "in addition to the constitutional problem that Peterson would not be able to confront his accusers, retroactive application of the rule would be palpably unfair. There are a number of constitutional provisions preventing legislatures from attempting to punish individuals for past actions." Dean Krent can discuss why he believes Drew Peterson should be tried under the rules that existed at the time of Savio's death.
Downtown Campus Events
May 28: The People v. Drew Peterson. Chicago attorneys Greg Adamski and Karen Conti, hosts of WGN Radio's Legally Speaking, will present a mock trial of the closing arguments in the murder prosecution of Drew Peterson for the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. The program will begin at 6 p.m. in Chicago-Kent's Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Courtroom. It is free and open to the public and will be taped for broadcast on WGN Radio June 14 and June 21. Tickets are required and are available at www.wgnradio.com. Editors please note: Drew Peterson was indicted by a Will County grand jury last week on two counts of murder in connection with Savio's death. Peterson is scheduled to be arraigned May 18. However, this event is intended as an "education exposition based solely on the facts that have been publicly reported." For more information, visit the WGN Web site: www.wgnradio.com or call (312) 222-4700.
June 5: 28th annual Conference on Not-For-Profit Organizations. This one-day seminar is designed for experienced attorneys, accountants, not-for-profit executives and staff, and board members. The conference features a comprehensive program at a mid-to-advanced level of discussion on most current developments in taxation, legislation and regulation of nonprofits. Registration is required. To register or for more information, please call (312) 906-5090 or visit www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle.
June 12: "You Took Away My Flag: A Musical About Kosovo" by Chicago-Kent professor Henry H. Perritt, Jr., will premiere at the Strawdog Theatre, 3829 North Broadway in Chicago. The play is a story of the inter-ethnic relationship between an Albanian woman and a Serbian man, set to music against a backdrop of Kosovo's struggle for independence. Performances also are scheduled for June 13, 19 and 20. Tickets are available on the musical's Web page: www.youtookawaymyflag.com.
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