March 15, 2007

International Human Rights Expert to Speak at Cooley

In an era of international security concerns, the Thomas M. Cooley Law School will explore the nation’s obligations in safeguarding international human rights at a March 23 community presentation featuring award-winning author and George Washington Law School law professor Dinah L. Shelton.

Sponsored by Cooley’s student chapter of Amnesty International, the event, which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Cooley Center, 300 S. Capitol Ave., is free and open to the public.

Shelton will discuss The International Human Rights Obligations of the United States. She will be joined by Cooley Law School Professors Brendan T. Beery and Paul J. Carrier. Berry will discuss the role of executive authority related to the detention of enemy combatants by the United States in Guantanamo Bay. Carrier will highlight an international relations case in connection with the country’s treatment of alleged terrorists.

“The issue of safeguarding an individual’s human rights is core to Cooley’s preparation of future attorneys,” Cooley President Don LeDuc said.

Professor Shelton joined the George Washington Law School faculty in 2004. Before her appointment, she served as professor of international law and director of the doctoral program in international human rights law at the University of Notre Dame Law School. She is also the author of two prize-winning books, Protecting Human Rights in the Americas and Remedies in International Human Rights Law. She has also authored many other articles and books on international law, human rights law, and international environmental law.

A member of the board of editors of the American Journal of International Law and a counsellor to the American Society of International Law, Professor Shelton also serves on the boards of many human rights and environmental organizations. From 1987 to 1989, she was the director of the Office of Staff Attorneys at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She has also served as a legal consultant to the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the World Health Organization, the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the Organization of American States.

Shelton will also be the speaker featured at an educational forum slated to precede the March 24 showing of Voice of Good Hope, the final play in Cooley’s Stages of the Law series. This forum will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Theater Gallery prior to the 8:00 p.m. performance at the BoarsHead Theater, Lansing.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country and includes the largest African-American and second-largest minority student enrollment.  Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs in Michigan's capital city in Lansing, in suburban Oakland County, and in downtown Grand Rapids.  Today, Cooley Law School has over 12,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and Master of Laws programs.  Additional information about Cooley can be found at www.cooley.edu.