Today Posts

The following op-ed was published in the Boston Globe on October 18, 2006: Before enacting the "Detainee Bill" (otherwise known as the Military Commissions Act) two weeks ago, Congress should have spent more time learning from the Israeli experience.

The following op-ed was published in the LA Times on October 17, 2006: Several years ago, I provoked a storm of controversy by advocating "torture warrants" as a way of creating accountability for the use of torture in terrorism cases.

Autumn brings new patterns of light and shadow, both natural and artificial, to Holmes Field and the quadrangle. The great library is now open most nights until the wee hours.

The Harvard Law School faculty unanimously adopted a reform of the required first-year curriculum yesterday, after a three-year process of study and consultation with legal academics, faculty from other professional schools, and practicing lawyers.

Professor Jody Freeman LL.M. '91 S.J.D. '95 joined the faculty last year and became director of the Environmental Law Program. One year in, Freeman discusses her work and goals for the program with Harvard Law Today.

HLS students recently teamed up with Robert Greenwald, a clinical instructor at the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center’s Health Law Clinic, to lead a two-day policy session for members of the Great Lakes AIDS Policy Consortium.

Renowned constitutional law Professor Bruce Ackerman delivers the 2006 Harvard Law School Oliver Wendell Holmes Lecture. In his three-part series, entitled "The Living Constitution," which began on Tuesday, October 3, and will continue through Thursday, October 5, professor Ackerman will examine various aspects of the US constitution.

Led by Professor Martha Minow, more than 600 law professors nationwide have signed a letter urging Congress to reject pending legislation for trials of terror suspects in military tribunals. The legislation would also eliminate most judicial review of the conditions of detention for individuals labeled by the executive as enemy combatants.

Seven students from the Housing Clinic of the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School recently helped unrepresented low-income tenants facing eviction in Boston Housing Court, giving them 'game-day' advice through the Boston Bar Association's Lawyer for the Day Program. The HLS students worked alongside pro bono attorneys from Ropes and Gray LLP.

International law professor David Kennedy was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam era, but during his early years teaching at Harvard Law School he realized it was time to rethink his position on the valid use of military force.

At a recent CA Inc. shareholder's meeting, 41 percent voted in support of a bylaw amendment proposed by professor Lucian Bebchuk, which was designed to regulate the board's use of "poison pills".

Aharon Barak, retired president of the Supreme Court of Israel, will address the HLS community today as he receives the 2006 Gruber Justice Prize, an award recognizing individuals who have furthered the cause of justice through the legal system.

Earlier today, Dean Elena Kagan delivered her fourth "State of the School" speech to students and other members of the Harvard Law community who assembled in the Ames Courtroom.

The Knight-Batten Foundation awarded the Grand Prize for Innovations in Journalism to the Berkman Center for Internet and Society's Global Voices Online. The award, administered by J lab: The Institute for Interative Journalism at the University of Maryland, spotlights the creative use of new information, ideas and technologies that involve citizens in public issues.

A United Nations ad hoc committee has recently adopted the first treaty draft of the 21st century that recognizes the rights of disabled persons. Working in conjunction with international human rights experts, HLS Vice Dean Bill Alford, Professor Ryan Goodman, and visiting professors Michael Stein and Gerard Quinn, were instrumental in drafting this new convention -- a milestone in adequately recognizing the needs of the disabled worldwide.

The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau recently hosted a clinic to help low-income tenants facing eviction for nonpayment of rent. Held at the HLS Legal Services Center in Jamaica Plain, and modeled after those previoulsy organized by the HLAB, the clinic served 16 families from around the Boston area.

A blue-ribbon committee of business leaders and academic experts-including three HLS faculty members-will consider changes in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other laws, with the goal of boosting the competitiveness of American financial markets.

The Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School announces "CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion," the first class at Harvard University to be offered through Second Life, a 3-D virtual environment.

On Tuesday, September 12, three of the nation's leading constitutional law scholars will come together to discuss whether the United States is striking the right balance between civil liberties and national security in fighting the war on terrorism. Professors Charles Fried and Laurence Tribe, and Professor Steven Calabresi of Northwestern University's School of Law will speak at the panel discussion titled, "Freedom and Security Five Years After 9/11?"

Professor Lucian Bebchuk testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, September 6, during a hearing on executive compensation.