Top National Security Experts to Consider “9/11 and the Law, Ten Years After” at Feb. 3 and 4 Conference Hosted by Rutgers Law School–Newark

The attacks on 9/11, and the nation’s response to them, have challenged both the structure and the substance of the law governing national security. Presidential power has been asserted to an unprecedented degree. The Supreme Court has abandoned its customary deference to the other branches where national security is concerned. Congress has been criticized for failing both to exercise oversight of executive power and to streamline that oversight.

On February 3 and 4, 2011, a conference hosted by Rutgers School of Law–Newark and sponsored by the Rutgers Law Review will highlight the unsettled foundations and uncertain outcomes of the 10-year struggle against Al Qaeda, and will point the way toward the emergence of a rule of law adapted to the new reality.

Confirmed speakers include former Gov. Tom Kean, chair of the 9/11 Commission; Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and Thomas J. O’Reilly, director of the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (NSI) Program Management Office, U.S. Department of Justice. Invited speakers include Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Please visit: http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~review/9-11andthelaw.php for full conference details.

Among the issues to be discussed are:

  • Where does civilian authority end and military authority begin and vice versa
  • Under what circumstances and authorities may the government engage in targeted killing
  • What are the ramifications of the struggle against transnational terrorism for the law of war
  • What is the scope of the state secrets privilege

Admission to the conference is open to the public. There is a $50 registration fee, which includes conference materials and breakfast and lunch both days. For those seeking CLE credit, the registration fee is $250, which includes CLE credits, conference materials, and breakfast and lunch both days.

Pre-registration is required at http://law.newark.rutgers.edu/911law.

What:   “Unsettled Foundations, Uncertain Results: 9/11 and the Law, Ten Years After”

Who:     Confirmed speakers include Gov. Tom Kean, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and U.S. Department of Justice NSI Program director Thomas O’Reilly

When:   9 am – 5 pm, Thursday, February 3, 2011; 9 am – 2 pm, Friday, February 4, 2011

Where:  February 3, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102;  February 4, Rutgers School of Law–Newark