“Such Persons”: Slavery and the Constitution

Only after a civil war of unparalleled bloodshed and three constitutional amendments could the Union be made more perfect by finally expunging slavery from the Constitution. But 80 years before being abolished slavery played a pivotal role at the Constitutional Convention. This lecture will examine slavery’s impact on the structure of the Constitution. We will explore the compromises and bargains that strengthened slavery, protected it from interference by the national government, and gave southerners extra political power in Congress and in the Electoral College. Hear about the moral, political, and economic issues that influenced delegates’ thinking, and ultimate acceptance of slavery in the Constitution. Learn why the great abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison called the Constitution “A Covenant with Death, and an Agreement in Hell.”

Baseball and Law

Baseball is a metaphor for life. A homeland for lovers of minutiae. An ongoing demonstration of picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and trying again. Paul Finkelman gives us another framework for Americans’ engagement with baseball: a sport that fosters both an understanding of the rule of law and a respect for the concepts, judges, and courts of our judicial system. Over time, baseball fans who have never heard of common-law adjudications or constitutional jurisprudence nevertheless have an appreciation for both. We’ll discuss the intertwining universes of law and baseball, and gain an appreciation for the civics principles embedded in the pragmatic world of baseball. We will learn why every little leaguer is a natural litigator, and how baseball and law have become two of America’s favorite pasttimes.

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Delve in to the legal and policy matters that flow from the Second Amendment. Paul Finkelman will discuss the historical and political context of the amendment. We’ll examine what right was explicitly enunciated, and what specific rights are not mentioned in the Amendment. Dr. Finkelman will trace the deep historical and constitutional trends in its interpretation — to help us make sense of related judicial opinions. As we explore the Second Amendment you’ll get a solid, factual understanding of its original framing, possible and reasonable policy approaches, and matters of ongoing contention.

A Railroad Lawyer’s Measured Path to Emancipation

Lincoln was a product of his time, from his support of railroads (as a key to national growth) to his understanding and application of Constitutional principles (as a lawyer representing corporate clients in areas where legal precedents were actively evolving). We’ll look at the methodical course President Lincoln, who was committed to preserving the Union and upholding the Constitution, took to emancipate slaves. Dr. Finkelman will talk about what aspects of slavery were federal versus state issues; and the key elements, including a valid Constitutional argument, that had to be in place before ending slavery. Learn how a trickle of escaped slaves gave rise to a legal theory justifying emancipation. Take a look at Lincoln’s long journey to Emancipation and get answers to the big questions about emancipations’ end to slavery.
 

U.S. Constitution, Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The Balance Between National Security and a Free Press: From the Pentagon Papers to Wikileaks and Snowden

There has long been a tension between the need for government to protect and defend the country and the First Amendment interest of the press in informing the citizenry what government is up to. Who makes the ultimate decision as to what can be published — the government or the press? How does the media decide what national security information it should publish? This talk will include the backstory of the Pentagon Papers case — the greatest First Amendment clash in our history — where the Nixon Administration tried to stop The New York Times from publishing documents about the Vietnam War. And more recently, could or should the government have stopped — or prosecuted — Wikileaks or the news publications which distributed the Julian Assange and Edward Snowden revelations which may have imperiled our national security?

New York Times v. Sullivan: Why U.S. Libel Law is Different from the Rest of the World’s

In 1964 the U.S. Supreme Court constitutionalized libel law in an Alabama case arising from the civil rights movement. In so doing, it set a very high standard for public officials and public figures to win defamation cases. Is the “actual malice” test too harsh? Why did the Court suddenly decide that libel is subject to the First Amendment? How can public — and private — figures win libel cases? And has this affected journalistic standards? This session will also discuss why American defamation law is different from every other country’s in the world, and whether our balance between an individual’s right to his reputation and the interests of free speech is fair.

Should Insulting Hate Speech be Unlawful: From the Westboro Baptist Church to Charlie Hebdo

Incitement, provocation, blasphemy, and insulting hate speech — the legal and ethical complexities of balancing free expression and the protection of groups, individuals and ideas. What are the borders between free speech and hate speech? Should there be laws restricting hate speech? What are the ethical considerations on whether to publish offensive words? Should religion be immune from sarcastic criticism? Using the tragedy where Charlie Hebdo cartoonists were killed in Paris for cartoons mocking the prophet Mohammed and insulting Muslims, and the recent US Supreme Court case allowing the Westboro Baptist Church to demonstrate against homosexuals at military funerals, we will explore whether provocative and injurious hate speech is — and should be — protected in the U.S. and abroad.

Invasion of Privacy and “The Right to be Let Alone”: What the Press Can Publish about Celebrities — and You

A Presidential candidate’s (Gary Hart) adulterous tryst; Arthur Ashe has AIDS; Rock Hudson is gay; Patricia Bowman is allegedly raped by William Kennedy Smith. More recently, the photo of Dominique Strauss-Kahn being surrounded by NYC policemen as he walks to a hearing after being charged with sexually assaulting a hotel maid. Can the press legally — and ethically — publish facts about the private lives of celebrities? Can — and should — the press write about the embarrassing private facts of regular individuals when something they do is vaguely newsworthy or somewhat interesting? Where is the balance between the public’s right to know and the individual’s right to be left alone? Should there ever be liability for publishing true facts under the First Amendment? How come the British and American tabloid press don’t get sued every day for publishing photos and intimate facts that are hardly of legitimate public concern? A tour of the tort of Invasion of Privacy.

A View from the Trenches: The Nitty-Gritty on Six Important New York Times Cases

George Freeman, who litigated New York Times cases for over 30 years, will discuss six of the most interesting and significant cases he handled:

• a diplomatically sensitive situation where its correspondent John Burns was arrested in China for spying, and the Times’ efforts to have him returned from Chinese custody
• a libel case brought by former Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler over an article he claimed implied he fixed a game
• a controversial article which named the woman allegedly raped by Ted Kennedy’s nephew William Kennedy Smith, and the Palm Beach County prosecutor’s attempt to hold the Times and two other media entities criminally responsible for violating a law prohibiting the publication of rape victims’ names
• the libel case brought by Presidential candidate John McCain’s alleged paramour about a heavily criticized article suggesting they were having an affair
• reporter Judy Miller’s effort to keep her source, VP Dick Cheney’s chief-of-staff Scooter Libby, confidential, and her refusal to testify in response to a subpoena, resulting in litigation with a US Special Prosecutor and ultimately an 85-day jail term
• a case where George represented all NY media in seeking TV camera coverage of the trial of Robert Chambers, the Central Park preppie rapist/murderer.

The Roman Legal and Political Legacy

Why is the Roman Republic so fundamental to modern notions of constitutional legitimacy and the rule of law today? In this lecture, Dr. Harl traces the evolution of Roman concepts of citizenship, civic responsibility, and the rights of citizens. The Romans were the first to devise rules to naturalize and assimilate new citizens. They balanced the needs for representing population and area in their legislative assemblies. They imposed term limits on office holding, and a strict sequence of offices. Above all, they demanded responsibility on the part of elected officials and citizens alike. What is most telling is why this constitutional and legal system failed to reform itself after 133 B.C. whereby the Roman Republic was replaced by a disguised autocracy. The lessons on why the Roman Republic ultimately failed resonate with lessons for all of us to this day.

Here are the slides (6mb file).

Conquerors and Slaves

How did the Roman Republic transform itself from a city-state defended by citizen soldiers engaged in subsistence farming into an imperial power based on the labor of millions of slaves? The Roman conquest of the Mediterranean world (200–31 B.C.) enslaved over 2 million people, and so transformed Italy and Sicily into slave societies. Slave labor led to rapid changes in legal, economic, and social life. Yet, Roman slavery differed markedly from modern practices of slavery. In some ways, enslavement was a means to assimilate conquered populations because upon manumission slaves obtained Roman citizenship, and their descendants passed into the body politic without legal disability or social stigma. In this lecture, Dr. Harl focuses on the similarities and differences between Roman slavery and modern slave systems, and how the institution of slavery shaped all aspects of Roman life.

Here are the slides (6mb file).

Markets, Trade, and Money in the Mediterranean World

How have the seemingly timeless rhythms of economic activity shaped the Mediterranean world from Bronze Age to early modern age? The success of the ancient Mediterranean economy is currently the most hotly debated topic among scholars today. Trade in the Mediterranean world in Antiquity laid the foundations for the modern global economy, well seen in the role of seaborne commerce, the emergence of market economies based on demand and supply, the impact of changing technology, the invention and use of coins, credit and banking, and stimulus of cities as consumers, and government regulation. Many of these same rules still apply in today’s global economy, foremost efforts by governments to exploit and regulate the profits of trade, well seen in famous Roman Edict of Maximum Prices and Wages issued in 301. Dr. Harl will draw out the lessons and continuities between the ancient and modern economies.

Here are the slides (15mb file).

Turkish Coup, July 15–16, 2017: Causes and Consequences

Who were behind the abortive coup of July 15–16, 2016 that has allowed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to purge not only those allegedly responsible for the coup but dissidents of every stripe in Turkish society? The coup represents a climax in a power struggle over who will control the destiny of the Turkish Republic, long a staunch NATO ally and model of a successful, democratic Muslim nation state. Why are the rule of law and democratic institutions of Turkey are currently threatened by the purges that have followed the aftermath of the coup? This lecture traces the rise of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, first as Prime Minster and then as President, and the AKP (Justice and Development Party), which has dominated Turkish politics since 2002. Dr. Harl will also explain the pivotal role played by the followers of Fethullah Gülen, the religious leader in self imposed exile in Pennsylvania, in the initial alliance against secularist opposition parties. Since 2013, the bitter falling out between Erdoğan and Gülen has radicalized Turkish politics. The coup has offered Erdoğan a unique chance to win the power struggle, consolidate his position as a legal dictator, and impose his vision of a neo-Ottoman and pious Muslim nation on Turkey. The referendum for constitutional change, scheduled for April 16, 2017, will determine whether President Erdoğan can achieve his goal of replacing the secular republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923.

Here are the slides (38mb file).
 

Putin and the Biography of an Authoritarian

Vladimir Putin is one of the most consequential and controversial leaders in the world today, more intertwined with his country’s fate than almost any other ruler. He has confounded three American administrations — and could yet outlast a fourth — as paramount leader of Russia since 1999. Tapping into seven years of reporting for The New York Times in Russia and research for the biography The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin, (Vintage Paperback, 2016) Steven Lee Myers describes the experiences and ideas that shaped Putin as a young man, as an intelligence officer of the KGB and as a little-known bureaucrat who improbably made it to the top in Russia. After 16 years in power, he is seen by many inside Russia as the country’s savior — and to many outside as a destabilizing threat to the geopolitical order that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union a quarter century ago. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Vladimir Putin’s worldview and a deeper understanding of whether he poses a threat to American security.

The New Cold War

The potential sweeping changes caused by a warming planning are already being felt most acutely in the Arctic, where ways of life are changing, creating economic opportunities and environmental worries. The melting of the once-frozen expanse of the Arctic Ocean has set off a scramble for the region’s territorial waters, potential transit routes and natural resources. For decades since the height of the (old) Cold War, the region has been seen as a zone of peaceful scientific cooperation, but the melting of the top of the world has spurred new rivalries, especially over natural resources. Russia has begun to rebuild military bases that were closed in the 1990’s, while the United States has moved slowly to build the infrastructure necessary to cope with increased human activity above the Arctic Circle. Based on extensive reporting from five of the eight Arctic nations — Russia, Canada, the United States, Sweden and Greenland (part of Denmark), Steven Lee Myers discusses the region’s uncertain future. Join in and get an assessment of Russia’s Arctic military moves: a general flexing of power, or demonstration of unique Arctic skill sets?

Reporting War on Twitter or Facebook

What is it like to covering war in the era of forever war? Who are the Ernie Pyles of today’s media, the reporters who tell the stories of conflicts that are infinitely closer to our lives in the United States — and yet experienced by far fewer Americans than World War II, Korea and Vietnam? Media coverage of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was both instantaneous and distant, more and more like a video game, played by fewer and fewer players over many more years. The advent of the internet and later social media has fundamentally changed the way the media covers conflict. Steven Lee Myers will discuss the evolution of war reporting based on experience in five conflicts over the last two decades: Bosnia in 1996, Kosovo in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001, Chechnya from 2002–2006 and Iraq during the invasion in 2003 and again during the end of the American occupation from 2009 to 2011. Learn about the implications of contemporary social media streams of reporting on bedrock journalism: verifying truth and providing context, and the trade-offs that fast moving, multi-source reporting involve.

The World According To Donald Trump

Half a year into 2017, how is the new president beginning to address the myriad challenges facing the United States around the world — from the rise of China, the resurgence of Russia and the new Cold War, and the nihilistic threat from Islamic extremism? How has Donald Trump changed the direction set by President Obama, who viewed the world so dramatically different from President Bush? Is there a balance between the former’s retrenchment and the latter’s expansive view of American power? Are alliances like NATO obsolete, or more vital than ever? Is the old adage that partisanship stops at the American border still apply in the face of intractable conflicts and rising powers like China and Russia? Survey the terrain as the new American president seems to see it, and get a sense of key situations to watch to assess the president’s approach.
 

Creating Paintings from Photos Using Apple’s iPad Pro
Tom Grollman, M.D.

For most of us, taking photos is easier than ever thanks to the ubiquity of smartphone cameras. But not all of us have the artistic ability to create a beautiful painting from scratch. The latest digital technology, however, can change that.

The medium of digital art began to take off in the 1990s, with the advent of increasingly powerful computers along with the introduction of software such as Photoshop. Bert Monroy, a photorealistic artist who wrote the first book of instruction on Photoshop, began producing digital paintings over two decades ago using a computer, Adobe Photoshop, and a Wacom Tablet. He has noted that digital art has had slow acceptance from traditional artists, but that it has its own creative advantages. For instance, with digital media the creative process is not interrupted by the cleaning of brushes and other necessities associated with the use of traditional media such as oils, watercolors, etc., and can flow along at a much quicker pace.

With the introduction of Apple’s iPad in 2010, and other tablet devices later, this new form of art has really taken off. A few well-known artists, such as David Hockney, have recognized the advantages of digital art and jumped right in. In 2013, Manchester artist Kyle Lambert released a video showing his 200-plus-hour process of creating a realistic iPad painting of actor Morgan Freeman using his finger as a stylus.

Recently, the ease of creating digital paintings took a significant step forward with Apple’s release of the iPad Pro 12.9-inch tablet in late 2015, along with a specially designed stylus called the Apple Pencil, followed by the iPad Pro 9.7-inch in March of 2016.

My own passion over the last 15 years has been digital photography with post processing digital editing using Photoshop. About 12 years ago I jumped into digital painting, originally using a Mac computer with a Wacom tablet and Corel Painter software. I also played with the Wacom Cintiq for a while. Although I liked the ability to paint digitally directly on the image, I found the Cintiq to be exceedingly expensive and bulky. To me, the new iPad Pros’ very fast processors along with the pressure-sensitive Pencil and inexpensive-yet-powerful software apps have come together to make a wonderful vehicle for the production of digital paintings.

This presentation will give you a direct demonstration of how to create paintings from photos using the 12.9-inch iPad and Apple Pencil with the app ArtRage for iPad. I do not consider myself a naturally gifted artist, and I believe that with interest and some tenacity, anyone is capable of experiencing the joy of creating a beautiful painting.