March, 09 2009, 12:08pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Daniel Schuman 202-580-6922 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
dschuman@constitutionproject.
A Discussion of National Security Courts, Preventive Detention, and President Obama's Executive Orders
Experts to Explore Legal and Constitutional Issues Raised by Executive Orders on Detention and Guantanamo at Georgetown University Law Center on March 20
WASHINGTON
WHAT: The
Constitution Project will co-host a panel of experts with a variety of
perspectives who will discuss the legal and constitutional issues raised by
President Obama's executive orders on detention and Guantanamo, including potential
proposals for the establishment of a national security court and a preventive
detention regime. Human Rights First and the Georgetown Center
on National Security and the Law will co-host the discussion, entitled "Bringing Detainees to Justice and Justice to Detainees: Remaining Questions about Detention and
Trials after the Executive Orders."
WHO:
- Moderator,
Stephen Vladeck, Associate Professor of Law, American University Washington
College of Law - David
Laufman, Attorney, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP; former Assistant
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia who has
prosecuted terrorism cases - Deborah
Pearlstein, Associate Research Scholar in Law and Public Affairs
Program, Woodrow Wilson School,
Princeton University - Gabor
Rona, International Legal Director, Human Rights First - Matthew
Waxman, Associate Professor of Law, Columbia Law School, former
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs under President
George W. Bush
WHEN: Friday,
March 20, 2009, from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Discussion from noon until 1:30
p.m. A light lunch will be served immediately following the discussion.
WHERE: Georgetown University
Law Center,
Hart Auditorium, 600 New Jersey
Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.
RSVP: The event is free. Members of media
RSVP to Daniel Schuman at dschuman@constitutionproject.org.
All others RSVP to RSVP@constitutionproject.org.
Please include your name, the number of attendees, and the words "National
Security Courts Panel Discussion."
Background: For
background information, please see the Constitution Project's report "A
Critique of National Security Courts," which was authored by Stephen
Vladeck. Contact our communications department to arrange interviews with our
in-house experts or to speak with the panelists.
The Constitution Project is a politically independent think tank established in 1997 to promote and defend constitutional safeguards. More information about the Constitution Project is available at https://constitutionproject.org/.
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"We must resist the U.S. becoming embroiled in another costly conflict abroad," said U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee.
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Progressives in the U.S. Congress on Sunday urged the Biden administration to resist calls for an attack on Iran following the country's
retaliation against Israel for the deadly bombing of Tehran's consulate in Syria earlier this month.
The hawkish rhetoric came from both sides of the political aisle in the U.S.—Israel's main ally and weapons supplier.
U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), one of Congress' most fervent supporters of Israel's war on Gaza, claimed Iran is "the single most destabilizing force in the Middle East" and "must be held accountable for the aggression it has long shown toward Israel not only directly but also indirectly through proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis."
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), directing her message at President Joe Biden, was more explicit in demanding an immediate military response from the U.S.
"We must move quickly and launch aggressive retaliatory strikes on Iran," Blackburn wrote on social media.
The number two Republican in the U.S. House, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.),
said Saturday that the chamber would "move from its previously announced legislative schedule next week to instead consider legislation that supports our ally Israel and holds Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable."
"The House of Representatives stands strongly with Israel, and there must be consequences for this unprovoked attack," Scalise added. "More details on the legislative items to be considered will be forthcoming."
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Iran's launch of hundreds of drones and missiles on Saturday marked its first direct assault on Israel, which has repeatedly engaged in covert attacks inside Iranian territory. On April 1, Israel bombed Iran's consulate in the Syrian capital, killing diplomats and a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander.
Iran said its retaliatory firing of missiles and drones—most of which were intercepted—was in line with international law. One person, a seven-year-old girl, was seriously injured in the attack.
Israeli officials immediately vowed revenge, a pledge that intensified global calls for restraint to prevent the regional war in the Middle East from spiraling further out of control.
As
The Intercept's Ken Klippenstein and Daniel Boguslaw noted Sunday, the conflict "now involves at least 16 different countries," including the U.S., which "flew aircraft and launched air defense missiles from at least eight countries, while Iran and its proxies fired weapons from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen."
U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), a vocal supporter of a cease-fire in Gaza, issued a statement Sunday condemning both Israel's attack on Iran's consulate and Tehran's response, which she said "threaten civilian lives and regional war."
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Bush urged the Biden administration to "take immediate steps, including at the U.N. Security Council and G7, to de-escalate and facilitate an immediate, lasting cease-fire in the region."
U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), the lone congressional no vote against the war in Afghanistan, similarly called on the Biden administration to "lead efforts toward de-escalation, diplomacy, and securing a permanent cease-fire in Gaza."
"We must resist the U.S. becoming embroiled in another costly conflict abroad, but rather lead toward peace and security in the region," Lee added.
Axiosreported Sunday that Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly that the U.S. would not "support any Israeli counterattack against Iran." An unnamed official told the outlet that "when Biden told Netanyahu that the U.S. will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran and will not support such operations, Netanyahu said he understood."
Echoing her progressive colleagues, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
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The protesters remained in the museum overnight on Saturday and ended their action on Sunday.
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Biden publicly reaffirmed "America's ironclad commitment to the security of Israel" but a White House official also confirmed to Reuters that during a call with Netanyahu, the president made clear the U.S. will not join any military offensives against Iran.
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Okail emphasized that "achieving those goals requires not only arresting the escalation of violence between Israel and Iran, but securing a cease-fire in Gaza that halts the killing of civilians, releases the hostages, allows vital humanitarian aid to actually reach those who need it, and lowers tensions in the region. The continued unconditional supply to the Netanyahu government of the arms it is using in Gaza undermines those objectives, as well as U.S. and international law."
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