Sensenbrenner, Mukasey, Flynn among guests for Law School conference on post-9/11 national security and individual liberty issues

May 26, 2016

MILWAUKEE — U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Milwaukee Chief of Police Ed Flynn are among the featured guests for an upcoming conference, "National Security, Individual Liberty, and You," on Thursday, June 2, from 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Marquette University Law School's Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan St.

The terror attacks on September 11, 2001, led the U.S. government to enact new laws and take additional steps to protect national security. But has the government gone too far? The conference will address key questions presented by a post-9/11 world.

To what extent have national security interests appropriately required government surveillance or restrictions on individual liberty beyond the historical norm? How are national security tools being used locally? How has the law changed to address concerns about the bulk collection of metadata from Americans' phone calls? The conference will also consider the sorts of issues that arose in the recent legal battle over the FBI's attempt to force Apple to unlock an iPhone used by a San Bernardino terrorist.

Other speakers include:

  • Alex Abdo, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union Speech, Privacy and Technology Project
  • Stewart A. Baker, Steptoe & Johnson and former first Assistant Secretary for Policy, Department of Homeland Security
  • Steven M. Biskupic, Biskupic & Jacobs; Adjunct Professor, Marquette University Law School; and former U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • Mike Gousha, Distinguished Fellow in Law and Public Policy, Marquette University Law School
  • Janan Najeeb, President, Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition
  • Faiza Patel, Co-Director, Liberty and National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University School of Law
  • Pamela Pepper, U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Wisconsin

The conference is supported by Marquette Law School's Lubar Fund for Public Policy Research and is cosponsored by the Milwaukee Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society and the Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society.

Through public programming such as the Marquette Law School Poll, debates featuring candidates in significant political races, Gousha's "On the Issues" conversations with newsmakers, public lectures by leading scholars and conferences on significant issues of public importance, the Law School serves as the region's leading venue for serious civil discourse about law and public policy matters.

Attendance is complimentary but registration is required and available online. Members of the media who are interested in attending should contact Chris Jenkins in the Office of Marketing and Communication.