National security issues and their interplay with the court systems, such as surveillance, detainment of alleged terrorists in Guantanamo, and extraordinary rendition victims, will be the subject of the Winthrop and Frances Lane Foundation Lecture on March 31 at the University of Nebraska College of Law.
Susan N. Herman, president of the American Civil Liberties Union and professor at Brooklyn Law School, will present "How the Bush/Obama War on Terror Threatens Ordinary Americans, Constitutional Rights, and Democracy" at noon in the Hamann Auditorium in Ross McCollum Hall. Her lecture is based on her book, "Taking Liberties: The War on Terror and the Erosion of American Democracy," to be published in September by Oxford University Press. The talk is free and open to the public.
Herman was elected president of the ACLU in October 2008 after having served on its board of directors, executive committee, and as general counsel. At Brooklyn Law School, she teaches courses in criminal law and procedure and constitutional law, as well as seminars on law and literature, and terrorism and civil liberties. She writes extensively on constitutional and criminal procedure topics for legal and non-legal publications, ranging from law reviews and books to popular press and on-line publications. In addition to her upcoming book, recent publications include two books, "Terrorism, Government and Law: National Authority and Local Autonomy in the War on Terror," editor and co-author with Paul Finkelman (Praeger Security International 2008); and "The Right to a Speedy and Public Trial" (Praeger 2006).
She has discussed constitutional law issues on PBS, CSPAN, NBC, MSNBC and on the "Today in New York" show, in addition to commenting for print media including Newsday and the New York Times. Herman has also participated in Supreme Court litigation, writing and collaborating on amicus curiae briefs for the ACLU on a range of constitutional criminal procedure issues.
The Winthrop and Frances Lane Foundation provides scholarships to students enrolled in the NU College of Law and Creighton Law School. The foundation also provides grants to support law faculty research and to underwrite the Lane Foundation Lecture.
Winthrop Lane was born in Omaha in 1889 and attended Harvard Law School. He was a partner in the firm of Rose, Wells, Martin & Lane, a predecessor to the present Baird Holm law firm in Omaha. Lane practiced in the areas of corporate and municipal bond law.
- Molly Brummond, College of Law