One of the lawyers who represented Brandon Mayfield in his successful challenge to the USA Patriot Act will speak at the law school Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. in Room 110.
Elden Rosenthal will give an hour-long presentation on the ramifications of the Mayfield case on civil liberties, executive power, and the war on terrorism.
Mayfield, a Portland lawyer and a Muslim, was arrested after a falsely identified fingerprint linked him to terrorist bombings in Madrid, Spain in 2004. The FBI searched and bugged Mayfield’s home and office under provisions of the USA Patriot Act.
In September, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken ruled those provisions of the act violate the constitution’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Rosenthal was co-counsel to Mayfield, who was awarded $2 million and an apology from the federal government. The Bush administration filed an appeal Oct. 9 in the case.
“Our nation has a cherished history of judicial independence, and of adherence to the Bill of Rights,” Rosenthal said in a press release. “Judge Aiken, in striking down the challenged provisions of the Patriot Act, has upheld both the tradition of judicial independence, and our nation’s most cherished principle of the right to be secure in one’s own home.”
University Professor Garrett Epps will host a question and answer session with the audience after the presentation.
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