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PRESS RELEASE
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Harold H. Bruff wins 2008 Chicago-Kent College of Law/Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize
University of Colorado scholar honored for Bad Advice: The President's Lawyers in the War on Terrorism
Professor Harold H. Bruff of the University of Colorado School of Law is the winner of the 2008 Chicago-Kent College of Law/Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize. The prize was established last year by Chicago-Kent alumnus Roy C. Palmer and his wife, Susan M. Palmer, to honor an exemplary work of scholarship exploring the tension between civil liberties and national security in contemporary American society. The winning author, whose work will be published in May 2009 by the University Press of Kansas, will present his work at Chicago-Kent during the coming year.
Bad Advice: The President's Lawyers in the War on Terrorism presents a political and historical analysis of the complex relationship between American presidents and their legal advisors – particularly in times of crisis. The book examines President George W. Bush’s unprecedented claims of unilateral executive power in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks through a discussion of the administration’s authorization of warrantless surveillance by the National Security Agency, the detention and trials of "enemy combatants," and the methods of interrogation used on detainees. The author asserts that strong interpretation of the constitutional separation of powers by presidential legal advisors could lessen the tensions between national security interests and the rule of law.
Harold H. Bruff is the Charles Inglis Thomson Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law, where he has taught since 1996. His research and teaching interests include constitutional and administrative law. He has co-authored two casebooks on the administrative process and separation of powers, and has written numerous law review articles. He was dean of the law school from 1996 to 2003. He also has been a member of the law faculties of Arizona State University, the University of Texas, and George Washington University.
A native of Colorado, Professor Bruff received his B.A. in American history and literature from Williams College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was editor of the Harvard Law Review. After graduation, he enlisted as a lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in the San Francisco District, serving as an assistant district legal officer.
From 1979 to 1981, Professor Bruff served as senior attorney and advisor for the Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice. In this position, he advised the Justice Department, the White House, and executive agencies on issues of constitutional and administrative law. He also served as consultant to the chairman of the President's Commission on the accident at Three Mile Island. He has testified before Congress on numerous occasions in his areas of expertise.
Roy Palmer, a lawyer and real estate developer, is a 1962 honors graduate of Chicago-Kent and a member of its board of overseers. He and his wife, Susan, active in numerous civic, social and philanthropic organizations, are the recipients of the 1997 Outstanding Individual Philanthropist Award of the National Society of Fundraising Executives. In 2006, the Palmers pledged a $1 million gift to the law school.
The $10,000 Chicago-Kent College of Law/Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize is designed to encourage and reward public debate among scholars on current issues affecting the rights of individuals and the responsibilities of governments throughout the world. The first prize was awarded to constitutional scholars David D. Cole and Jules L. Lobel for their book Less Safe, Less Free: Why America is Losing the War on Terror (The New Press).
Visit www.kentlaw.edu/palmerprize for more information about the Chicago-Kent College of Law/Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize.
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