9/7/2004

Contact: Jennifer Colaner, School of Law, (785) 864-4531

Author of Patriot Act to lead continuing education forum on terrorism, law at KU

LAWRENCE -- One of the authors of the Patriot Act will lead a forum on the war on terror and its effect on the law in the United States Sept. 10 and 11 at the University of Kansas School of Law.

Viet Dinh, a professor at Georgetown University School of Law and the U.S. assistant attorney general for legal policy from 2001 to 2003, will lead several sessions of the forum, "'The New Normal': The Law and the War on Terror Three Years After Sept. 11."

The forum is open to the public. Lawyers in Kansas and Missouri also can earn Kansas Continuing Legal Education credits by attending the sessions.

In his Justice Department position, Dinh played a key role in implementing the USA Patriot Act and revising the Attorney Generalÿs Guidelines, which govern federal law enforcement activities and national security investigations.

As the official responsible for developing and coordinating federal legal policy, Dinh also contributed to such policy initiatives as drug demand reduction, ban on racial profiling, child protection, combating human trafficking, DNA testing, reduction of gun violence, and civil and criminal justice reforms.

Dinh also represented the Department of Justice in selecting and confirming federal judges, contributing to the appointment of 100 district judges and 23 appellate judges during his tenure. He specializes in constitutional law, corporations law, and the law and economics of development.

For more information, call Todd Rogers, (785) 864-9257. Participants seeking CLE credit can register upon arrival.

The forum schedule includes:

Friday, Sept. 10, 3-5 p.m.
Room 104, Green Hall, School of Law
Approved for 2.0 hours of Kansas CLE credit

Sessions:
-- The Bush Administration's Response to International Terrorism, with Professor Dinh

-- Detainee Interrogations in the War on Terror/The Legal Obligations and the Administration's Response, with David Gottlieb, professor of law

Topics include:
-- The U.S. Policy in Afghanistan and Iraq on Applicability of the Geneva Conventions

-- The U.S. Policy on Torture and Cruel and Inhumane Punishment, Including Redefining Torture

-- Lessons From Abroad: Responses in Turkey and Western Europe to Global Terrorism

Friday, Sept. 10, 7:30-9 p.m.
Dole Institute of Politics, West Campus
Approved for 1.5 hours of Kansas CLE credit

-- Lecture regarding the impact of the Patriot Act by Dinh, followed by question-and-answer period.

Saturday, Sept. 11, 1-4 p.m.
Dole Institute of Politics, West Campus
Approved for 3.0 hours of Kansas CLE credit and 3.0 hours of Missouri CLE credit

Sessions on legal developments and the war on terror, including:

-- Discussion of the three terrorism cases decided in June by the United States Supreme Court, led by Stephen McAllister, dean of the School of Law, and Jean Phillips, professor of law.

-- The War on Terror on the Domestic Front: Overview of the Patriot Act, led by Phillips.

-- Discussion of the recent cases concerning the prohibition of "material support of terrorism" and the implications of the law, led by Tom Stacy, professor of law.