PAST EVENT
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
The incoming administration has indicated that one of its first priorities will be to close Guantanamo Bay. The Scouting Report continued its weekly web chat with Brookings expert Benjamin Wittes, who answered questions about how President Obama can put a legal framework in place to end the clash over detainee rights. Politico's David Mark moderated.
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RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Justin Florence and Matthew Gerke, November 17, 2008, The Brookings Institution, Georgetown University Law Center and the Hoover Institution
America’s civil litigation system begins to break down when a lawsuit requires the disclosure of secret information that could threaten the security of the nation. As a result, Congress should act now to provide federal courts with clear guidance for civil cases in which they must balance the competing demands of open justice and state secrecy, writes Justin Florence and Matthew Gerke. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes, November 14, 2008, CBS Evening News
In an interview with CBS News, Benjamin Wittes discusses three possible ways the Obama administration could close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Russell Wheeler, October 21, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Brookings expert Russell Wheeler offers clues to how a President McCain or Obama might affect the composition of the United States Supreme Court as well as the courts of appeals. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ron Haskins and Laurence Steinberg, Fall 2008, The Future of Children
Ron Haskins and Laurence Steinberg, in this companion to the new edition of The Future of Children devoted to juvenile justice, examine the problem of youth confinement in correctional facilities, including adult jails and prisons. They pay special attention to why harsh punishment of adolescents is not only often unjust but also counterproductive and make recommendations for more appropriate and cost-effective responses to youth crime. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
After a decade of declining juvenile crime rates, the forces that fueled the “get-tough” reforms of the 1990s have waned, as has enthusiasm for the reforms that eroded the boundaries between juvenile and criminal court, exposing juvenile offenders to harsh punishments. The antisocial acts that bring young people into contact with the justice system are often accompanied by other problems, most of which the justice system alone is ill-equipped to address. A slate of panelists, will discuss reforming juvenile justice to reflect these differences between adolescent and adult offenders. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, October 06, 2008
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
The constitutionality of a key Voting Rights Act provision, the FCC’s ban on broadcasting “dirty words" and many other cases are on the docket for the U.S. Supreme Court's 2008-09 term. The Brookings Judicial Issues Forum hosted a panel discussion with leading legal scholars and practitioners who offered their insights on the upcoming court term and discussed some of the biggest cases the justices will hear. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Russell Wheeler, September 09, 2008, The Miami Herald
Hot-button social topics often dominate voters' views of where presidential candidates stand on judicial appointments. Plus, as in much of U.S. politics, the process of getting judges on the bench has become cantankerous and divided. Russell Wheeler says that the next president should try to work with the Senate to restore civility. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, September 04, 2008
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
The next U.S. president may well have to reconfigure both the Supreme Court and the U.S. courts of appeals. On September 4, the Brookings Judicial Issues Forum hosted a discussion of how John McCain or Barack Obama might approach this opportunity differently and how they might address the challenges associated with appointing judges and shaping courts. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Washington, DC
Turkey’s Constitutional Court recently struck down an attempt to outlaw the Justice and Development Party (AKP). This court case had been described by international media as a battle between the secular and devout sides of Turkey’s national “soul.”The Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings hosted three of Turkey’s most astute political observers for a discussion of the court ruling and its implications. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Matthew C. Waxman, July 24, 2008, The Brookings Institution, Georgetown University Law Center and the Hoover Institution
Matthew Waxman examines the questions underlying the discussion of administrative detention, the possible need for new laws in combating terrorism, and how to make and review detention decisions for whom to detain. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Stuart Taylor, Jr. and Russell Wheeler, July 08, 2008, NewTalk
Russell Wheeler and Stuart Taylor engage in a NewTalk discussion on whether it's possible for judges to apply the law in court cases without making or affecting social policy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes, Andrew McCarthy and Josh Patashnik, July 03, 2008, The New Republic
Benjamin Wittes discusses recent legal developments in the war on terror with Josh Patashnik of The New Republic and Andrew McCarthy, director of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Read More
VIDEO
Benjamin Wittes, Stuart Taylor, Jr., Miguel A. Estrada and Randolph D. Moss, June 27, 2008
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia’s 32-year-old ban on handguns; ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute someone who rapes a child; and backed Guantánamo detainees' habeas corpus rights. At a Judicial Issues Forum briefing on these rulings and other developments of the 2007-08 term, Benjamin Wittes and Stuart Taylor, Jr. were among the analysts who discussed the ramifications of these landmark decisions. Miguel Estrada of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; and Randolph Moss of WilmerHale also participated.
PAST EVENT
Friday, June 27, 2008
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
In June 2008, the Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia’s 32-year-old ban on handguns and ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute someone who rapes a child. The Court also ruled in favor of Guantánamo detainees' habeas corpus rights. On June 27, Brookings Fellow Benjamin Wittes moderated a briefing on these rulings and other developments of the 2007-08 term. Read More