SHB to Co-Host Holmes Debates

The Coolidge Auditorium in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., opens it doors on June 14 at 1 p.m. for the second annual Holmes Debates. Shook, Hardy & Bacon continues as the co-host with the Burton Foundation and the Law Library of Congress for this extraordinary forum focused on “The Just Pursuit of Terrorism.”

This year’s forum continues the original topic of “The Bounds of Post 9/11 Freedoms” selected in 2003 by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. William Cohen, the former Secretary of Defense, returns as moderator to facilitate three rounds of debates and an international discussion by representatives from Russia and France.

“The sponsorship of this forum aligns with issues of prominence at the forefront of concerns in both public and political arenas,” states John Murphy, Chairman of SHB. “Key issues are discussed in the Holmes Debates at a level of understanding and analysis learning unsurpassed in any other legal forum.”

“The last three years have been a tumultuous time in history. In the years following 9/11, our Constitution has been the focus of unparalleled scrutiny,” said William Burton, Chairman and Founder of the Burton Foundation. “With the law enforcement measures which are necessary to protect against terrorism and with the potential for infringements and abridgements, this is one of the most critical times in the history of the construction of our Constitution.”

Michael Fitts, famed Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, chairs this year’s program.

The three rounds of debates and speakers include:

  • In Round One, David Nahmias, Deputy Assistant Attorney, General Criminal Division, Department of Justice, and Kim Lane Scheppele, Professor of Law and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania Law School, will debate the topic of “The USA Patriot Act.”
  • Patrick Philbin, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and David Cole, Professor at Georgetown University Law Center, will debate in Round Two on “The Balance Between Individual Rights and National Security.”
  • In Round Three, the topic of “Enemy Combatants” will be debated by Dan Bryant, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, and Orin Gross, Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School.

Following the debates, a special discussion on international issues is scheduled including Evjeny Volkov, Consular, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Liaison Office, and M. Jean Pierre Picca, Senior Liaison, Legal Advisor of France.

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