RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Clifford Winston, October 25, 2011, New York Times
Clifford Winston questions the educational barriers to entry for the legal profession. Winston argues that a deregulated law industry would create jobs, improve quality-control and transparency, and lower the price of both legal services and law school. Read More
BOOK
Clifford Winston, Robert W. Crandall and Vikram Maheshri, August 01, 2011
First Thing We Do, Let's Deregulate All the Lawyers provides a much-needed analysis of a profession whose services have long been seen as enormously expensive. Too little has been done to identify a large source of the costs to consumers and to explain that the system of regulation enables those costs to persist. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, June 11, 2010
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Washington, DC
With prosecutions under way stemming from a number of recent terrorist attacks and attempted attacks, the U.S. Department of Justice has had a number of high-profile counterterrorism successes of late. On June 11, Brookings hosted David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security at the Justice Department, for a discussion of the role of law enforcement as a counterterrorism tool. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes, March 24, 2010, The New Republic
Benjamin Wittes recounts his recent effort to mount a defense of Justice Department attorneys who faced intense criticism for having represented Guantánamo detainees. In the statement he circulated among former officials and legal experts, Wittes and the co-signatories called the attacks unfair to the individuals; said the defense of detainees is an important function in any set of detention policies; and argued that the Justice Department benefits from a diversity of experience and points of view. Read More
VIDEO
Benjamin Wittes, March 05, 2010
As the Obama administration reviews its decision to try 9/11 suspect Khalid Sheik Mohammed in civilian court, expert Ben Wittes looks at the thorny issues surrounding terrorism detentions and prosecutions, @Brookings.
VIDEO
Benjamin Wittes, November 18, 2009
The decision to prosecute alleged 9/11 master-mind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-conspirators in a civil trial in the Southern District of New York sparks debate on how to best try terrorism suspects. Benjamin Wittes offers his views on the significance of trying terror detainees in the U.S. civilian judicial system.
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2009-2010 term will consider major arguments on issues ranging from state’s rights and separation of powers to dog-fighting videos. On October 7, the Brookings Judicial Issues Forum hosted a panel discussion to preview the most anticipated and important cases. Read More
VIDEO
Benjamin Wittes, August 28, 2009
Attorney General Eric Holder appointed a special prosecutor to investigate CIA operatives’ alleged abuse of terrorism detainees. Benjamin Wittes says officials from both parties question the reach of the inquest, but that Holder has acted entirely appropriately.
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Washington, DC
President Obama recently announced that his administration will need at least six more months to devise a long-term plan for detainees in the military detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba who cannot be tried but are considered too dangerous for release. Brookings expert Benjamin Wittes joined Fred Barbash, senior editor at Politico, in a live web chat about the challenges the Obama administration faces in closing Guantánamo. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Russell Wheeler, July 2009, The Brookings Institution
The Obama administration announced plans to restructure how immigrants—most of whom have no criminal records—are detained. Immigration presents courts and administrative agencies tremendous challenges due to a lack of consensus and resources for total enforcement of laws governing entry to and status in the country. Russell Wheeler has explained why crafting better policies for institutions most responsible for enforcing the laws fairly should be part of the broader immigration reform effort. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
David A. Martin, March 10, 2009, The Brookings Institution, Georgetown University Law Center and the Hoover Institution
The federal government relied heavily on immigration laws in its immediate response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, largely because they were available, flexible, and could be directed toward targets deemed immediate and urgent. In a Brookings paper, David Martin suggests how to refine immigration law’s role in counterterrorism, which have clouded a traditional American stance of openness and welcome that has been valuable to diplomacy, business and the successful integration of immigrant populations. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes and Zaahira Wyne, December 16, 2008, The Brookings Institution
On January 22, 2009, President Obama signed an executive order to close down the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Benjamin Wittes and his colleagues identify and describe, in as much detail as the public record will permit, the current population of detainees at Guantánamo, what the government alleges about them and what they claim about their own affiliations and conduct. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes and Jack L. Goldsmith, December 08, 2008, Slate
The U.S. Congress has voted overwhelmingly to block the $80 million President Obama requested to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. On May 21, the president gave a national security address to discuss in greater detail his plan for closing Guantanamo. Brookings expert Ben Wittes offers a checklist of important decisions the president must make before he can shutter the detention camp. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carlos Pascual, December 02, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Carlos Pascual writes that President-elect Obama’s choice of a national security team reflects seriousness, pragmatism and bipartisanship. Pascual believes the selections indicate Obama will take a twenty-first-century view toward national security: energy, power, economics, human rights, terrorism and poverty must be part of the agenda. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Benjamin Wittes, November 21, 2008, The Washington Post
President-elect Obama has reiterated his campaign promise to close Guantanamo Bay. As Benjamin Wittes writes, the incoming administration must create a systematic and rigorous review of the detainee population, whose handling will require wrenching choices with no easy answers. Read More