Events

SUING THE MESSENGER: The Misuse of Law to Suppress Free Speech Regarding Terrorism, Radical Islam and Related Topics.

Date/Time: Thursday, February 24, 2011; 2-3:30 pm

Place: Philadelphia, PA

Reed Smith LLP
2500 One Liberty Place
1650 Market Street

Registration: Please register in advance by emailing Adam Turner (turner@meforum.org). Seating is very limited and will be on a first-come basis.

Additional Information for Attorneys: This CLE has been approved for one point five (1.5) substantive CLE credits from Pennsylvania. New York's Approved Jurisdiction policy would also apply.

Admission Fee and Waiver: $20. Attorneys unable to afford the entry fee may request a waiver by emailing (turner@meforum.org) at least three days prior to the actual course presentation. The request must include the attorney's place of employment (if working); yearly salary (if applicable); and a phone number at which the attorney may be contacted. A decision will be made at least 1 day prior to the event.

Course description - This 1.5 hour course examines the misuse of law to suppress the free speech rights of authors and researchers commenting on terrorism, radical Islam and related issues.

Public discourse on these issues has long been hampered by physical intimidation such as the gruesome murder of Theo van Gogh and the Mohammad Cartoons riots. But over the last decade, a more subtle challenge has emerged in the form of predatory lawsuits. These suits seek less to win than to wear down researchers and analysts who, even when they prevail, pay heavily in time and money.

Relying largely on legal case studies, the course will establish the threat, document its manifestations across the globe and discuss ways to meet it. While the primary focus will be on manipulation of US libel law to stifle debate, attention will also be brought upon efforts to conscript Canadian, European and even International law in the service of suppression.

Part I will define the problem and illustrate the emergence of predatory suits as a strategy. Part II will offer an overview of US libel law and then describe how it is being misused to stifle fair discussion of terror financing and related issues. Part III focuses on Britain's plaintiff friendly libel laws and the various ways they have been used to chill both UK and US authors. Part IV examines the emergence of Canadian administrative tribunals as instruments of censorship. Part V analyzes challenges to free speech posed by Europe's hate speech laws. Part VI examines the cynical manipulation of international human rights laws to suppress open dialogue through such mechanisms as UN resolutions prohibiting blasphemy. The final two sections survey the overall success of campaigns to inhibit debate on radical Islam and the response of governments, entities and individuals dedicated to defending free speech rights.

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THE RISE OF LAWFARE, THE POLITICIZATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND CHALLENGES TO U.S. SOVEREIGNTY

Date/Time: Sunday, January 16, 2011; 10:30 am - 1:30 pm (PDT); 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm (EDT)

Streamed live on the Internet and then archived. Log in from anywhere in the world and listen at any time at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/WesternWordRadio

FEATURING: A panel of experts drawn from around the world:

Harry Reicher (University of Pennsylvania Law School), Tung Yin (Lewis & Clark Law School),
Amos Guiora (Utah University School of Law), Anne Bayefsky (Eye on the U.N.),
Anne Herzberg (NGO Monitor), Nitsana Darshan Leitner (Shurat Ha Din, Israel Law Center), Jeremy Rabkin (George Mason School of Law), Daniel Huff (The Legal Project/ Middle East Forum), Donald Kochan (Chapman University Law School), John Eastman (Chapman University). Laurie Blank (Emory university), Eugene Kontorovich (Northwestern University School of Law)

Moderated by Avi Davis

Lawfare represents one of the key means used by groups and individuals hostile to the United States to undermine U.S.sovereignty and weaken its national security. This conference is designed to address the threats that lawfare represents to western democracies and offer ways in which those threats can be addressed.

Presented by the American Freedom Alliance in cooperation with:

· The Legal Project of the Middle East Forum

· Eye on the U.N.

· NGO Monitor

· Shurat HaDin ( Israel Law Center)

Contact AFA for further information at (310) 444 3085; (310) 444 3085; (310) 444 3085; (310) 444 3085 or access AFA website www.americanfreedomalliance.org

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SUING THE MESSENGER: The Misuse of Law to Suppress Free Speech Regarding Terrorism, Radical Islam and Related Topics.

Date/Time: Monday, November 22, 2010; 2-3:30 pm

Place: Philadelphia, PA

Jenkins Law Library

833 Chestnut St # 1220
Philadelphia, PA 19107-4429

Registration: Please register in advance by emailing Adam Turner (turner@meforum.org). Seating is very limited and will be on a first-come basis.

Additional Information for Attorneys: LP has approval for one point five (1.5) substantive CLE credit from Pennsylvania. New York's Approved Jurisdiction policy would also apply.

Admission Fee and Waiver: $20. Attorneys unable to afford the entry fee may request a waiver by emailing (turner@meforum.org) at least three days prior to the actual course presentation. The request must include the attorney's place of employment (if working); yearly salary (if applicable); and a phone number at which the attorney may be contacted. A decision will be made at least 1 day prior to the event.

Course description - This 1.5 hour course examines the misuse of law to suppress the free speech rights of authors and researchers commenting on terrorism, radical Islam and related issues.

Public discourse on these issues has long been hampered by physical intimidation such as the gruesome murder of Theo van Gogh and the Mohammad Cartoons riots. But over the last decade, a more subtle challenge has emerged in the form of predatory lawsuits. These suits seek less to win than to wear down researchers and analysts who, even when they prevail, pay heavily in time and money.

Relying largely on legal case studies, the course will establish the threat, document its manifestations across the globe and discuss ways to meet it. While the primary focus will be on manipulation of US libel law to stifle debate, attention will also be brought upon efforts to conscript Canadian, European and even International law in the service of suppression.

Part I will define the problem and illustrate the emergence of predatory suits as a strategy. Part II will offer an overview of US libel law and then describe how it is being misused to stifle fair discussion of terror financing and related issues. Part III focuses on Britain's plaintiff friendly libel laws and the various ways they have been used to chill both UK and US authors. Part IV examines the emergence of Canadian administrative tribunals as instruments of censorship. Part V analyzes challenges to free speech posed by Europe's hate speech laws. Part VI examines the cynical manipulation of international human rights laws to suppress open dialogue through such mechanisms as UN resolutions prohibiting blasphemy. The final two sections survey the overall success of campaigns to inhibit debate on radical Islam and the response of governments, entities and individuals dedicated to defending free speech rights.

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SHARIA vs. THE CONSTITUTION

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

2:30-3:30 PM

Congressional Meeting Room North

The Capitol Visitor Center

Washington, DC

FEATURING:

Introductory Remarks – Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-5)

Moderator - Frank Gaffney, President, Center for Security Policy, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy (Acting)

Importing Foreign Standards: The Role of Article VI - David Yerushami, General Counsel, Center for Security Policy

Matters Criminal and Civil: Sharia vs. The 4th & 7th Amendments - Andrew Cochran, Editor, The 7th Amendment Advocate, Founder, The Counterterrorism Blog

Clear & Present Danger: The Threat to 1st Amendment Rights – Daniel Huff, Director, The Legal Project at the Middle East Forum, Former Counsel, Senate Judiciary Committee

The Center for Security Policy, The 7th Amendment Advocate and The Legal Project Present a Panel Discussion: