Center for Terrorism Law Announces Legal Conference on State Open Government Law and Practice in a Post-9/11 World at National Press Club, Nov. 15-16

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) July 11, 2007

The Center for Terrorism Law, at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, announces a major national legal and policy conference slated for November 15-16, 2007, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. (529 14th Street N.W.), titled "State Open Government Law and Practice in a Post-9/11 World: Legal and Policy Analysis."

The conference will feature approximately 30 legal and policy subject matter experts, who will comment on the non-release provisions to open government laws enacted by various states since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The conference will also provide a first of its kind book detailing changes in State public information laws since the initiation of the War on Terror. In addition, as a point of comparison, the book will also contain similar legislation from four foreign nations plagued by international terrorism -- Israel, Colombia, France and the United Kingdom.

The conference is supported by a 2006 Congressionally-directed Homeland Defense and Civil Support Threat Information Collection grant, administered by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The Center for Terrorism Law is a non-profit, non-partisan academic research center dedicated to examining legal issues associated with terrorism and the War on Terror. A vital partner in this endeavor is the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press (RCFP). RCFP accepts no money from the federal grant or the Center for Terrorism Law for its participation.

The review of State laws will be developed in the following categories of concern:

• Critical Infrastructure -- Includes building/architectural plans; vulnerability assessments; energy/public utilities information; mass transit; telecommunications systems.
• Public Health -- Includes bioterrorism; medical/pharmaceutical/health/lab info; hazardous materials.
• First Response -- Includes emergency employee deployments; evacuation plans; emergency equipment holdings; tactical response/mitigation plans.
• Cyber Security -- Includes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps; personally identifiable information/identity theft; security investigations; security procedures/codes/surveillance/cyberterrorism.
• Political Structure -- Includes expanded executive powers; legislation proposed but not enacted; confidentiality based on federal regulations or federal programs; Homeland Security Commissions; closure of otherwise public meetings for security reasons.
• Terror Investigations -- Includes law enforcement investigations; expanded wiretapping powers; general criminal intelligence information.

"This conference will explore one of the most critical concerns raised in this post-9/11 age -- how to strike a balance between the public's long standing right to access public information and meetings vis a vis the need to keep the public safe from terrorist threats," Center for Terrorism Law Director Dr. Jeffrey Addicott said.

Addicott will also be releasing copies the 4th edition of his Terrorism Law: Materials, Cases, Comments (Tucson: Lawyers & Judges, 2007) at the conference. The book highlights some of the legal and policy challenges that confront the United States, and emphasizes the importance of developing capable military forces while promoting democracy as the long-term solution to terrorism.

It includes chapters on the Iraq war, Supreme Court decisions on detainees, interrogation techniques of the United States military, civil liberties and human rights, civil litigation, cyberterrorism, and bioterrorism. This new edition is designed to be used as a reference and text in this emerging area of the law. It includes many appendices containing important American and international documents pertaining to the War on Terror as well as discussion questions, citations of legal cases pertaining to terrorism, and bibliographic information for further reference.

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