Jeff Galen - Center for Terrorism Law Announces Legal Conference on State Open Government Law and Practice

Center for Terrorism Law Announces Legal Conference on State Open Government
Law and Practice in a Post-9/11 World at National Press Club, Nov. 15-16

- The Center for Terrorism Law, at St. Mary's University School of Law in
San Antonio, announces a major national legal and policy conference slated
for November 15-16, 2007, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
(529 14th Street N.W.), titled "State Open Government Law and Practice in a
Post-9/11 World: Legal and Policy Analysis."

 The conference will feature approximately 30 legal and policy subject
matter experts, who will comment on the non-release provisions to open
government laws enacted by various states since the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks. The conference will also provide a first of its kind book
detailing changes in State public information laws since the initiation of
the War on Terror. In addition, as a point of comparison, the book will also
contain similar legislation from four foreign nations plagued by
international terrorism -- Israel, Colombia, France and the United Kingdom.

 The conference is supported by a 2006 Congressionally-directed Homeland
Defense and Civil Support Threat Information Collection grant, administered
by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The Center for Terrorism Law is a
non-profit, non-partisan academic research center dedicated to examining
legal issues associated with terrorism and the War on Terror. A vital
partner in this endeavor is the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the
Press (RCFP). RCFP accepts no money from the federal grant or the Center for
Terrorism Law for its participation.

 The review of State laws will be developed in the following categories of
concern:

- Critical Infrastructure -- Includes building/architectural plans;
vulnerability assessments; energy/public utilities information; mass
transit; telecommunications systems.

- Public Health -- Includes bioterrorism; medical/pharmaceutical/health/lab
info; hazardous materials.

- First Response -- Includes emergency employee deployments; evacuation
plans; emergency equipment holdings; tactical response/mitigation plans.

- Cyber Security -- Includes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps;
personally identifiable information/identity theft; security investigations;
security procedures/codes/surveillance/cyberterrorism.

- Political Structure -- Includes expanded executive powers; legislation
proposed but not enacted; confidentiality based on federal regulations or
federal programs; Homeland Security Commissions; closure of otherwise public
meetings for security reasons.

- Terror Investigations -- Includes law enforcement investigations; expanded
wiretapping powers; general criminal intelligence information.

 "This conference will explore one of the most critical concerns raised in
this post-9/11 age -- how to strike a balance between the public's long
standing right to access public information and meetings vis a vis the need
to keep the public safe from terrorist threats," Center for Terrorism Law
Director Dr. Jeffrey Addicott said.

 Addicott will also be releasing copies the 4th edition of his Terrorism
Law: Materials, Cases, Comments (Tucson: Lawyers & Judges, 2007) at the
conference. The book highlights some of the legal and policy challenges that
confront the United States, and emphasizes the importance of developing
capable military forces while promoting democracy as the long-term solution
to terrorism.

 It includes chapters on the Iraq war, Supreme Court decisions on detainees,
interrogation techniques of the United States military, civil liberties and
human rights, civil litigation, cyberterrorism, and bioterrorism. This new
edition is designed to be used as a reference and text in this emerging area
of the law. It includes many appendices containing important American and
international documents pertaining to the War on Terror as well as
discussion questions, citations of legal cases pertaining to terrorism, and
bibliographic information for further reference.

Jeff Galen
Received on Wed Sep 12 2007 - 10:00:48 EDT