Past Events:

As part of a national day of solidarity against the death penalty in conjunction with NLG student chapters across the country, the L&C chapter hosted anti-death penalty attorneys Matthew Rubenstein of the Oregon Capital Resource Center and Mark Kramer of Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty on campus to speak to students about their work and about the campaign to get rid of the death penalty in Oregon.

Opt-Out Campaign:

Throughout the month of September, the Chapter worked to encourage high school students to opt-out of the military holding and using their personal information for recruitment. Visit the Recruiter Watch PDX website for more info, or contact nlg at lclark dot edu for reports.

Saba Ahmed Speaks About Delegation to Pakistan

On February 11, 2008, 2L Saba Ahmed spoke about her trip to Pakistan, as part of a National Lawyers Guild delegation.

For more on the delegation and their findings, visit: http://nlg.org/pakistan/

"The Forest for the Trees" A Documentary by Bernadine Mellis

The Guild hosted a screening of Bernadine Mellis's "The Forest for the Trees" at the Hollywood Theater in NE Portland. Following the film, Ben Rosenfeld, attorney on the Bari legal team, spoke about his experience and took questions from the audience.

THE FOREST FOR THE TREES is an intimate, behind-the scenes look at an unlikely team of young activists and old lefties who come together to battle the U.S. government. Filmmaker Bernadine Mellis is the daughter of civil rights lawyer Dennis Cunningham, who started out his career representing the Black Panthers. Judi Bari was an environmental leader who was one of the first to place as much importance on the legacy and future of the trees as she did on timber workers' lives and families. But that strategic relationship was too much of a threat. Judi's car was bombed in 1990, and three hours later, she was arrested as a terrorist- charges that were later dropped. Convinced it was a ploy by the FBI to discredit her and the grassroots environmental movement, Judi decided to sue. Lawyer Dennis Cunningham took on Judi's case and after 12 years, and Judi Bari v. FBI finally got a court date. Knowing this is one of her father's most important cases, Mellis is there at strategy meetings, at breakfast, driving to and from the court, documenting her morally driven, very tired dad. Not your typical "Take your daughter to work day," THE FOREST FOR THE TREES offers access to a piece of U.S. history that everyday grows increasingly resonant.

Radical Lawyer Speaker Series.

Throughout the year the Chapter hosted local Guild attorneys to speak about the cases they work on, their experience as activists, and their advice for law students.

Political Prisoner Peter Young Speaks.

“With one night and $20 in gas, we saved the lives of thousands of animals. Those are the results you don’t get writing letters.” In October of 2007, Animal Rights activist and political prisoner Peter Young spoke on campus about civil disobedience in light of the greenscare.

Student Day of Outrage in Solidarity with the Jena Six:

The L&C Chapter participated in a day of solidarity with the Jena Six on September 20.

For more information visit Jena Six Support.

March 7, 2007 - Speaker Lynne Stewart

Lynne Stewart is a former civil rights lawyer, who was sentenced to 28 months in prison for disseminating a message from her jailed client Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman. In March she was hosted by the Lewis & Clark NLG and spoke on campus about her experience, both prior to and through her trial. Captivating the students, Stewart recalled the torturous conditions under which her client was living, the day she was arrested, the day of her sentencing, and the pivotal effect that letters to the judge from her supporters had on her case. Stewart's case is currently pending appeal and, free on bail in the interim, she continues to speak around the country to educate and motivate those who hear her.

More information about Lynne Stewart:

Listen to the podcast or visit her website.

November 20, 2006 - Warrantless Surveillance Case

Steve Goldberg and Ashlee Albies, co-counsel in a major lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal government's warrantless domestic electronic surveillance program, spoke and answered questions about the controversial program and this case. Goldberg and Albies represent plaintiffs in Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation v. George W. Bush, which is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. The plaintiffs allege that their domestic communications were intercepted by the National Security Agency without a warrant, and that this violated their constitutional rights. The case is widely regarded as the most important legal challenge to the NSA program in the nation because, unlike most similar cases, the plaintiffs here appear to be able to establish standing. Goldberg and Albies spoke about the case's bizarre facts and their own legal strategies.

Check out the podcast!