Executive powers examined by Yale law dean, congressman in Kastenmeier Lecture

Legislative oversight of executive powers — especially during times of national emergency — will be examined by two noted experts in the 2007 Kastenmeier Lecture on Friday, Nov. 30, at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh and U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., will discuss "The National Security Constitution in a Time of Terror," during the lecture, which will be held at 4 p.m. in Room 2260 at the Law School.

They will analyze the dynamic between the executive branch and Congress in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and its influence on the Constitution and the rights of all Americans.

Koh is a leading expert on international law and a prominent advocate of human and civil rights who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and testified before Congress more than 20 times. He also authored "The National Security Constitution," which won the American Political Science Association’s award for the best book on the American presidency.

Petri, who represents Wisconsin’s 6th District, has served 15 terms in Congress. Norm Ornstein, a prominent political scholar and expert on Congress has called Petri "one of the most thoughtful members of Congress, filled with lots of ideas about how to make government better," while senior Washington Post columnist David Broder has called him "a notably independent, creative legislator."

Tickets are not required, but those interested in attending are asked to register by contacting Lynn Thompson at (608) 262-4915 or at lfthomp1@wisc.edu.

The lecture is supported by a fund established to recognize Robert W. Kastenmeier, a UW Law School graduate who served in Congress from 1958-1990. The Kastenmeier Fund was created to foster scholarship in the fields of intellectual property, corrections, administration of justice and civil liberties.