News of the Law School
Johnsen Testifies at 'Secret Law' Hearing
On April 30, Professor Dawn Johnsen testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution. The hearing addressed secret opinions, agency rules, and executive pronouncements that have the force of law.
Johnsen testified that the Bush Administration OLC has been "terribly wrong" to withhold the content of much of its legal advice to the president, especially when it advised that the executive branch could disregard federal laws. She pointed out that it was only because of leaks that the public learned — belatedly — about legal opinions on extreme methods of interrogation, the government's domestic surveillance program, and the use of secret prisons overseas to detain and interrogate suspected terrorists.
Read the story or read Johnsen's summary on the Slate legal blog.
Senator Lugar Serves as Graduation Speaker
U.S. Sen. Richard G. Lugar served as the keynote speaker during Indiana Law's Graduation Recognition Ceremony on May 3.
The School awarded 211 Doctor of Jurisprudence degrees and 69 Master's or Doctor of Juridical Science degrees to international students from more than 15 countries.
Lugar, a fifth-generation Hoosier, is the longest-serving senator in Indiana history. He was first elected to the Senate in 1976 and was most recently re-elected in 2006 with 87 percent of the vote. He is the Republican leader of the Foreign Relations Committee and a member and former chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
Interdisciplinary Experts Join Forces in Indiana Democracy Consortium
What does it take to build a vibrant and stable democracy in a nation lacking democratic traditions? Why do some democracies flourish and others fail? Through an initiative called the Indiana Democracy Consortium, Indiana University Bloomington experts are working across academic boundaries to answer those and similar questions that have grown in urgency since the end of the Cold War.
In the News
- Pat Baude, quoted in "Voter says he was banned from casting Democratic ballot," The Star Press, May 8, 2008
- Michael Grossberg, quoted in "Va. civil-rights case resonates today," Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 5, 2008
- Dan Conkle, quoted in "The issue of faith," Evansville Courier & Press, May 3, 2008
- Pat Baude, interviewed about "Operation Chaos" on WGCL, May 1, 2008
- Bill Henderson, quoted in "Sommer Barnard to take Taft name in law firm merger," Indianapolis Star, April 30, 2008
- Dan Conkle, quoted in "Voting case latest high-profile loss amid federal court tilt," Chicago Tribune and Herald-Times, April 30, 2008
- Pat Baude, interviewed about the legality of Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos," WFIU, April 23, 2008
Visit the In the News archive.