Welcome to Law and Disorder Radio
Law and Disorder is a weekly independent civil liberties radio program airing on more than 150 stations and on Apple podcast. Law and Disorder provides timely legal perspectives on issues concerning civil liberties, privacy, right to dissent and practices of torture exercised by the US government and private corporations.
Law and Disorder March 13, 2017
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Hosts Mourn The Passing Of Friend And Colleague Lynne Stewart
Attorneys Heidi Boghosian and Michael Smith remember the courageous people’s lawyer Lynne Stewart.
We listen back to a past interview with Lynne Stewart February 4, 2008.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Hears Lynne Stewart’s Arguments
Law and Disorder hosts welcome back civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart. Lynne Stewart has been free on bail pending appeal since federal judge John Koeltl gave her a 28 month sentence in October 2006. As you may recall Lynne Stewart was initially facing up to 30 years after being found guilty of conspiring to aid terrorists. She was convicted of distributing press releases on behalf of her jailed client Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman who is serving a life sentence on terror-related charges.
Here on Law and Disorder we’ve followed Lynne Stewart’s case as it contains key breaches of civil liberties such as government eavesdropping into attorney/ client conversations.
- New York Law Journal article on Lynne’s Appeals Hearing
- Click here to download the full Appeal Brief in Lynne’s case
—-
Recognizing 50 Years of The Center For Constitutional Rights And Michael Ratner
Michael Ratner co-founded Law and Disorder Radio radio 13 years ago. He died last May in New York City of complications after cancer surgery at age 73. At the time, he was the President of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Some years ago he helped form it’s European counterpart, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights. Last year was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Center for Constitutional Rights.
The held a commemorative conference in Berlin last December on the 50th anniversary of the CCR and honored it’s president, Michael Ratner. Michael Smith, the co-host along with Heidi Boghosian of Law and Disorder Radiospoke at the conference about Michael Ratner and the four founders of the CCR. He was joined in his presentation by attorney Margaret Ratner Kunstler, a key figure in the early days of the CCR. Today we bring you excerpts from this presentation.
Law and Disorder March 6, 2017
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Attorney Kellyanne Conway: Ethics Complaint
President Donald Trump and his main advisor Steve Bannon have declared war on any press that is critical of them. Last week in an historically unprecedented move they banned the New York Times and CNN from a news conference. President Donald Trump’s spokesperson Kellyanne Conway has countered factual reporting with what she calls “alternative facts”, that is, lies. In order to raise the fear level of the population two weeks ago she falsely claimed a muslim carried out a terrorist massacre in Bowling Green, failing to indicate whether it was Bowling Green, New York, Bowling Green, Ohio, or Bowling Green, Kentucky. Also that week she promoted Ivana Trump’s product line trying to perk up sales of Trump’s fading brand after her jewelry and dresses were dropped by Nordstrom and other department stores.
Kellyanne Conway is a lawyer who graduated from George Washington School of Law in Washington DC. Lawyers’ unethical and illegal conduct is monitored by the Bar Association there. In response to her unethical conduct a number of law professors who specialize in legal ethics filed a complaint with the association.
Guest – Attorney Ellen Yaroshefsky, a specialist in ethics who teaches at Hofstra Law School. Ellen Yaroshefsky is a former staff attorney and then board member of the Center for constitutional rights. She is a leader of the National Lawyers Guild. Currently, she is the director of the Monroe Freedman Institute for the Study of Legal Ethics at the law school at Hofstra University.
—-
Obama v Bahlul Case: First Amendment Protections And More
We are on the verge of unconstrained military power to suppress dissent under Commander-In-Chief Donald Trump. Section 1021 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act would allow him to fully put into effect the military detention of dissenters who oppose government wartime policies or support whistleblowers who bring those policies to light. In the case of ” Hedges versus Obama”, the Department of Justice argued that “mere expressive activities” could be sufficient grounds for military detention of civilians such as journalists and US citizen Chris Hedges, at the Commander-In-Chief’s discretion. The conspiracy conviction by a Military Commission of Mr. Ali al Bahlul, who made a movie promoting Al Qaeda, is going before the Supreme Court. He is represented by three attorneys including our guest Attorney Todd Pierce.
Guest -Todd Pierce, an attorney and a retired U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps Officer. He served as a military defense counsel before the Military Commissions on teams representing three Guantanamo clients. He remains involved with Guantanamo related issues as co-counsel on a Guantanamo case currently before the appellate courts as well as consulting on related human rights cases. He serves on the Advisory Board of ExposeFacts.org. He writes as a critic of U.S. foreign and national security policy, regularly contributing to Consortiumnews.com, antiwar.com, mondoweiss.net, and other media. He is a member of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence and the Consultative Counsel of Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy. He currently is working on a Masters Degree in Politics at the New School in New York with a particular focus on the works of Hannah Arendt and her writings on imperialism and totalitarianism.
————————————————–
Law and Disorder February 27, 2017
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
My Friend Cayla And Other Toys That Spy
Several consumer advocates are urging retailers including Amazon.com and Walmart to stop selling a doll that can eavesdrop on children and families.
The groups are calling on the retailers to discontinue sales of the doll called My Friend Cayla after filing a complaint in late 2016 with the Federal Trade Commission. The complaint alleges that Cayla and another toy, the I-Que Robot, which isn’t sold in the U.S., can transmit recordings to Nuance Communications, a speech-to-text software company that contracts with military and law enforcement agencies, among others.
The doll, made by interactive toy maker Genesis, are wireless-enabled devices that advocates say can open the door to hackers, and other privacy violations.
In a letter to Amazon’s CEO, Josh Golin, of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, wrote “My Friend Cayla poses significant security risks that could place children in physical danger…A stranger or potential predator within a 50-foot range can easily establish a Bluetooth connection with the doll, eavesdrop on the child, and even converse with the child through the doll.”
A similar letter, also signed by the Center for Digital Democracy and the Electronic Privacy Information Center was sent to Walmart, Target, and Toys ‘R’ Us. Toys R Us said the doll is no longer for sale at its stores or through its website.
Guest – Josh Golin, Josh started at CCFC as an intern in 2003 and has been with the organization in a variety of capacities ever since. Most recently, he served as CCFC’s Associate Director organizing CCFC’s advocacy campaigns and developing its communications strategy. His writings about the commercialization of childhood have appeared in a wide range of outlets. He and his wife Jennifer are doing their best to raise their daughter, Clara, commercial-free.
—-
Dakota Access Pipeline Dispatch #10
In early February, under orders from President Donald Trump, the Army Corp of Engineers approved and easement allowing Energy Transfer Partners to drill under the Missouri River near North Dakota’s Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Standing Rock and neighboring tribes are trying to halt the project in court and pipeline opponents have embarked on a so called last stand, holding protests and actions across the nation. Authorities had set a deadline of February 22, 2017 for the protesters to clean up and return home. At the main encampment, trucks are hauling away garbage and abandoned goods. Some protesters are relocating to higher ground nearby on the reservation. In preparation for the evacuation dozens of North Dakota police and National Park Service rangers had surrounded the camp.
Water Protectors Legal Collective – NLG
Guest – National Lawyers Guild Attorney Jeff Haas, recently returned from living at the North Dakota encampment with thousands of Native Americans and climate change activists who gathered in solidarity with the Standing Rock Indian tribe in North Dakota to protest the pipeline construction. Jeff Haas was a founding partner of the Peoples Law Office in Chicago. He victoriously represented the family of Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Chicago Black Panther Party and proved that Hampton was assassinated by the FBI and Chicago Police Department. He’s also author of the book The Assassination of Fred Hampton.
Sacred Stone Camp Legal Defense – Lawyers wanting to support the Sacred Stone Camp, contact Attorney Robin Martinez – robin.martinez@martinezlaw.net
———————————————–