| I am pleased to announce that on October 10, 2003, the North Carolina Law Review will be hosting a symposium entitled "Law, Loyalty, and Treason." Legal scholars and historians from across the country will gather to address questions of how law does and should (or should not) regulate and enforce expectations of national loyalty. Legal academics include George Fletcher, David Cole, Gabriel "Jack" Chin, Bob Turner, John Barrett, Elizabeth Hillman, Bob Strassfeld, Marion Crain, Bobby Chesney, and yours truly. Historians include Ellen Schrecker, Michael Parrish, and Kathleen Kennedy.
My contribution will be a paper about a little-known treason prosecution from 1944, in which the government charged three Japanese American sisters with treason for assisting a couple of German POWs to escape from their POW camp. The sisters were convicted of conspiracy to commit treason and sent off to federal prison for a couple of years. The trial was grossly unfair, and its unfairnesses will tell us a good deal about the dangers of using the criminal law to enforce understandings of national identity. A highlight of the symposium will be the lunchtime keynote by U.S. Circuit Judge Michael Chertoff. Chertoff was the Chief of the Justice Department's Criminal Division from early 2001 until just a month or so ago, and spearheaded the government's domestic law enforcement efforts in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11. His talk promises to be fascinating. Y'all come on and join us now, y'hear? -- Posted by Eric Muller to The Volokh Conspiracy at 8/28/2003 09:28:02 AM Powered by Blogger Pro |
