Celebrating the U.S. Constitution
A War-Time Judiciary
It stands for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Join the OU community in honoring the document that makes this country great on Constitution Day, Sept. 17. Expert Justin J. Wert, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, shares his views on "A War-Time Judiciary. "
As we celebrate Constitution Day once again, the current prosecution of the “War on Terror” continues to shape political and Constitutional discourse in the United States, yielding an almost daily barrage of developments, ranging from our protracted presence in Iraq to leaked memos concerning the finer points of torture and rendition. And as the 2008 Presidential Campaign gets into full swing, these issues are not likely to recede.
Lurking in the background, though, the Supreme Court has quietly helped to shape the discourse and policy of the current conflict(s). Beginning in the 2004 term, the court issued its first decisions in the wake of 9/11. In Hamdi v. Rumsfeld the court ruled that American citizens have a right to challenge their status as “enemy combatants,” though future judicial proceedings used by the government might not have to conform to traditional notions of due process, including the proscription of hearsay evidence and standard conceptions of the “burden of proof.” And in Rasul v. Bush, the court announced that even non-citizens (particularly those held at Guantanamo Bay) had the same right to challenge their executive-imposed classifications. Most recently, in the Hamdan case, the court ruled that the President’s version of military tribunals were unconstitutional, spurring the passage of the Military Commissions Act that provided more due process and procedural rights for detainees than had previously been afforded.
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Events at OU-Tulsa Commemorate Constitution Day...
See why we celebrate the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 18...
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Sooner Showcase Career Fair this Thursday
Students in the College of Arts and Sciences have an opportunity to attend a fall career fair to be held on Thursday, Sept. 20 at the Lloyd Noble Center. Sign up for Career Services at no additional cost and attend!
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Special Events:
October 3
A&S Scholarship Recognition Luncheon, noon to 1:15 p.m., GRA Rooms, Oklahoma Memorial Union.
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