EVENTS
 

National Security and Civil Rights Litigation Since 9/11 – Panel Discussion

On Friday, February 3, 2012, as part of a panel of legal experts, TCP’s Senior Counsel Sharon Bradford Franklin, will discuss the barriers and innovations related to civil rights litigation – including immunities, Bivens doctrine, and secrecy – since the 9/11 attacks. The panel is part of a conference hosted by The University of Texas School of Law.

TCP Counsel Moderates Panel on Transparency and Unclassified Information Labels

On January 20, 2012, the American University Washington College of Law will be hosting an all-day conference that will address the efforts of the Obama administration as it works to create a more transparent government. As part of the conference, TCP’s Senior Counsel Sharon Bradford Franklin will moderate a panel on “Controlled Unclassified Information.” The panel will begin at 2:15 p.m.

TCP Hosts a Tele-Debate: Are the President's recent recess appointments constitutional?

Wednesday January 18, 2012 at 2:15 to 3:15 PM (Eastern)  Call (888)327-8914 and enter the passcode 9667817

President Obama ignited a significant controversy when he used recess appointments on January 4, 2012, to name Richard Cordray to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and to fill three vacancies on the National Labor Relations Board.  Some Republican senators and others strongly objected, saying the Senate was in "pro forma" session so the recess appointment power could not apply.

Call in to hear Professors Peter M. Shane and Michael McConnell debate the issue. Professor Shane is a Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, and Professor McConnell is the Richard & Frances Mallery Professor and Director of Stanford Law School Constitutional Law Center.  

Note: The debate is limited to the first 75 participants who join the conversation. We hope you can join us.

2012 Constitutional Champions - Gala and Award Reception

Mark your calendars now for our 2012 Constitutional Champions Gala and Award Reception. The event will take place on March 29, 2012 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. We are excited to present The Constitution Project’s (TCP) annual awards to David Keene, former chairman of the American Conservative Union, and the Digital Due Process Coalition, a diverse coalition of technology companies, privacy advocates, and think tanks. Purchase your tickets online today to reserve your seat at this highly-anticipated event or contact Kelly Davies at 202-580-6942 or kdavies@constitutionproject.org to learn more about sponsorship opportunities and program advertising.

BRINGING PRIVACY LAWS INTO THE DIGITAL AGE

On October 27, 2011, TCP hosted a panel discussion and retro technology fair to discuss necessary reforms to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA).  Panelists Rep. Bob Barr, Gregory T. Nojeim, Hon. James Robertson, and William H. Taft IV called for reform to preserve personal privacy in the digital age.  TCP’s Liberty and Security Committee released a policy statement that also calls for reform and condemns warrantless surveillance technology. Missed the event? It’s not too late; watch the video and hear what the panelists had to say.

Beyond Guantanamo: The Rule of Law and Why it matters

On October 12, 2011, The Constitution Project hosted an event, Beyond Guantanamo:  The Rule of Law and Why it Matters, in Miami, FL.  Discussing TCP’s Task Force on Detainee Treatment’s examination of U.S. policies that govern the treatment of terrorism suspects from the Clinton to the Obama administrations were TCP’s Board of Directors Chair, Steve Hanlon ; TCP President, Virginia Sloan; and Staff Director of TCP’s Task Force on Detainee Treatment, Charlie Martel.

Constitution Day 2011 - Fifth Annual Constitutional Commentary Award Presentation and Discussion with the Authors

On September 15, 2011, The Constitution Project, the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, and Georgetown University Law Center recognized distinguished authors Jim and Nancy Petro and Brandon Garrett for their respective books, False Justice: Eight Myths that Convict the Innocent and Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong. Following the award presentation, Jeffrey Rosen hosted a discussion with the three authors. The event took place at the Gewirz Student Center at Georgetown University School of Law from 3:30-6:30 pm. See highlights from the event on Facebook or watch video from the event. The New York Times recommended the event as an excellent constitution day activity.

Detention of Terrorism Suspects: The Material Witness Statute, GTMO, and Future Policy

On May 17, 2011 TCP gathered a distinguished panel of experts to discuss U.S. detention policy for terrorism suspects at a videotaped event. The use of the material witness statute for preventive detention is the subject of a Supreme Court challenge this term in Ashcroft v. al-Kidd. Mr. al-Kidd's counsel, Lee Gelernt, discussed the case while panelists Hon. James Robertson, Suzanne E. Spaulding, Steve Vladeck, and Kenneth Wainstein provided a range of perspectives on U.S. policies and practices related to the detention of terrorism suspects.
 

Judge Patricia Wald honored with 2011 Constitutional Champion Award

On April 14, 2011 TCP honored Judge Patricia McGowan Wald with the 2011 Constitutional Champion Award. The event was held at the Jones Day law firm in Washington D.C. and the audience represented a Who’s Who of the legal, judicial, and policy communities. The program highlighted Judge Wald’s decades of public service including her work on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia—the first woman ever appointed to the bench—and her service on the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. Following TCP President Virginia Sloan’s opening remarks one of Judge Wald’s former clerks, Stanford Law Professor Lawrence C. Marshall, lauded her as an exceptional mentor and teacher. A commemorative video featuring Wald’s family, friends and colleagues, was also played. Judge Wald closed the program with an acceptance speech that brought the audience of nearly 300 to its feet. Guest Dan Froomkin, a reporter with the Huffington Post, showcased Judge Wald’s remarks in a piece on NiemanWatchdog.org.
 

Proper Reach of Material Support Laws Remains in Dispute

TCP and KARAMAH hosted a videotaped  panel lecture on February 24, 2011 entitled, Constitutional Pitfalls of Material Support Laws. Senior Counsel Sharon Bradford Franklin moderated the panel, which included David Cole, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center and co-chair of TCP’s Liberty and Security Committee; Kay Guinane, Program Manager, Charity and Security Network; and Dr. Azizah Y. al-Hibri, the Chair of KARAMAH and a member of the Liberty and Security Committee.  

TCP has long expressed concerns that U.S. material support laws sweep too broadly and threaten First Amendment rights and allow the government to designate groups as "foreign terrorist organizations” without providing evidence or a chance for the group to respond.

Event webcast by chapter

Future of Guantanamo Focus of NY Event

On February 24, 2011 TCP hosted a panel discussion in New York City on the future of the Guantanamo detention policies entitled Guantanamo Without End? The audience heard from a distinguished group of panelists that included: Steven A. Engel, a Partner at Dechert LLP and the former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel during the George W. Bush administration; Eugene R. Fidell, President, the National Institute of Military Justice; Jonathan Hafetz, Associate Professor of Law, Seton Hall University School of Law; Hon. James Robertson, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia (ret.); and Nancy Soderberg, former alternate representative to the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador.
 

Congressional Oversight without Partisan Battles Focus of Hill Briefing

On February 7, 2011 the Constitution Project and the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) co-hosted a staff briefing in the Capitol Visitors Center entitled Congressional Oversight:  What it Means and How to Make it Work.  The panelists were Mickey Edwards, former Member of Congress (R – OK) and Constitution Project Board Member; Morton Rosenberg, former Specialist in American Law at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and author of the Constitution Project’s congressional handbook When Congress Comes Calling:  A Primer on the Principles, Practices, and Pragmatics of Legislative Inquiry; and Stanley Brand, former General Counsel to the House of Representatives under Speaker Tip O’Neill, Jr.  They provided expert advice on how to conduct oversight that is productive, avoids partisan battles, and furthers Congress’s constitutional obligations.