FISA devised “to add a neutral judicial role in the conduct of American foreign intelligence operations”
Unless Congress votes to extend it, FISA Section 702 will expire at the end of the year. CERL Advisory Council member George Croner joined Washington Journal C-SPAN to discuss the surveillance program and what is in store for the reauthorization debate. According to Croner, “I might point out, to this date, as far as I […]
Prof. Ewald receives Penn Carey Law School teaching award
CERL Affiliated Faculty William Ewald is among six Penn Carey Law School faculty members who received teaching awards for the 2022-2023 academic year. Join us in congratulation Prof. Ewald for receiving the LLM Award for Teaching Excellence! William Ewald is an internationally recognized scholar in legal philosophy and comparative law. He is the author of […]
Examining public sentiment in cultural heritage sites
As part of a Penn Global Engagement Fund project grant, conducted in collaboration with Vit Henisz of the Wharton School, CERL Affiliated Faculty Lynn Meskell examined public sentiment in every UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed since 1990. What she found is that popular notions of these sites are often at odds with how international organizations […]
Opinion: The FISA Section 702 Debate Intensifies
With Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) set to expire on Dec. 31, 2023, this is a critical year for the foreign intelligence collection program. In his latest for Lawfare, CERL Advisory Council member George Croner explores how the balance between national security imperatives and protecting the privacy and civil liberties of […]
Opinion: Calling Republicans’ Bluff on the Debt Ceiling – and Creating Contingency Plans
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen has warned the United States could run out of cash to pay its bills by early June if a debt limit deal is not reached. In a piece for Columbia Law School’s blog, CERL Affiliated Faculty Eric Orts urges President Biden to continue negotiating in good faith while considering other […]
Takeaways from the just-released Durham report
John Durham’s report about the FBI’s investigation into alleged ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia yielded little in the way of new information, according to CERL’s Prof. Claire Finkelstein. Joining Al Jazeera yesterday to discuss the more than 300-page report, Prof. Finkelstein said: The concerns that the Durham report raises were already flagged […]
Opinion: Congress must renew America’s most important intelligence collection program
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is scheduled to expire at the end of the year. Read why CERL Advisory Council member George Croner believes it is critical to prevent this intelligence collection program from lapsing. According to Mr. Croner: In a world menaced by Chinese belligerence, North Korean missiles, Iranian-sponsored terrorism […]
Wagner threats “emblematic of the disarray of this whole operation”
The head of private Russian military group Wagner has threatened to pull out of Bakhmut, Ukraine, citing ammunition shortages and high casualties. This ultimatum is the latest in an ongoing rift between the mercenary group and Russia’s military chiefs. CERL Executive Board Emeritus James Clapper joined CNN to discuss. Lt. Gen. Clapper (ret.) is an […]
Why ethics matters in Philadelphia’s mayoral race
Controversy in Philly’s mayoral race is bringing increased attention to the importance of ethics in public life. An article for The Philadelphia Citizen cites a “state-of-the-art ethics plan” released by candidate Allan Domb with the help of CERL’s Prof. Claire Finkelstein. Claire Finkelstein is the Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at […]
Opinion: Iron Dome Is Not Enough to Make Israel Safe
Recent attacks against Israel emanating from its northern borders with Lebanon and Syria indicate a different kind of threat. In a new opinion for Newsweek, CERL Advisory Council member Geoffrey S. Corn explains how a missile campaign from Hezbollah-controlled areas could overwhelm Israel’s missile defense system, Iron Dome, and pose a grave danger to civilians […]
Effective interviewing is “tradecraft not stagecraft”
Testifying before the Colorado Legislature, CERL Advisory Council member Mark Fallon urged a ban on lying to juveniles during interrogation, outlining the dangers of employing deceptive interview tactics instead of science-based methods. According to Fallon, I was taught, and I believed, an innocent person wouldn’t confess to a crime they did not commit. I was […]
Stopping false confessions starts with improving interviewing tactics
False confessions played a role in about one-quarter of all wrongful convictions overturned through DNA testing, according to a paper by the Innocence Project. Yet current Connecticut law allows police to lie to children during interrogations to extract confessions that may be false. CERL Advisory Council member Mark Fallon is working with the Innocence Project […]
Real issue in Pentagon leak is not access but reliance on personal trust
CERL Executive Board Emeritus James Clapper joined CNN to discuss what we know about the 21-year-old Pentagon leak suspect and how these egregious violations can be prevented. According to Director Clapper, The real issue here is not tightening up admin procedures but rather the reliance on the fact that the whole system is built on […]
The Pentagon leak is an “odd, unusual, if not bizarre, case”
CERL Executive Board Emeritus James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence until 2017, joined BBC Newshour to discuss why and how at least 50 classified documents bearing classified markings were leaked online. According to Director Clapper, Any sort of breach is bad, and we still don’t know the full extent of it. This is a […]
Will Jack Smith recommend charges for seditious conspiracy or insurrection?
Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November, is overseeing pending criminal investigations related to Donald Trump including his retention of more than 100 classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. CERL’s Prof. Claire Finkelstein told USA Today it will be challenging for […]
Why we need to take a hard look at the classification process
CERL Executive Board member Shawn Turner, a former Head of Communications for the Director of National Intelligence, joined WTOP News to discuss the Pentagon document leak. According to Prof. Turner, I see another instance in which the overclassification of documents and the degree to which we have large numbers of people who have access to […]
How Justice Thomas’ behavior is indicative of a larger problem
Justice Thomas failed to disclose luxury vacations paid for by conservative billionaire Harlan Crow over the course of twenty years. CERL Affiliated Faculty Kermit Roosevelt weighed in on the Thomas scandal, explaining: “But it’s indicative of a larger problem. [The Justices] are just not subject to any enforceable ethics guidelines, and they act like it.” […]
Testimony urging Vermont House Judiciary to embrace science-based methods of interviewing
On Apr. 11, CERL Advisory Council member Mark Fallon urged the Vermont House Judiciary to support a bill that would put an end to coercive interrogations in Vermont by preventing police from using deceptive and coercive interrogation methods on young people. Fallon said, “Inept practice, and I’m not just talking about torture, or training and […]
Evaluating the scope and scale of the Pentagon intelligence leak
Documents bearing classified markings, some top secret, appeared on the social media and messaging platform Discord as early as March. The documents contain a range of highly classified information, including intelligence on the war in Ukraine and how the United States is spying on its adversaries and key allies. CERL Executive Board Emeritus James Clapper […]
Jail time for Trump unlikely though, if imposed, would be shorter than misleading predictions
Following Trump’s arraignment on Apr. 4 in a Manhattan courtroom, misleading predictions on social media said Trump could face “30+ years” or “136 years” in prison if found guilty. FactCheck.org spoke with legal experts about these claims, the state penal code, and the likelihood of receiving jail time for Class E non-violent felonies. CERL’s Prof. […]
Jury selection process for trial of former President Trump
Former President Donald Trump is calling for his criminal case to move from Manhattan to Staten Island, where Trump had 57% share of the vote in the 2020 election. The request could be tied to an attempt to find impartial jurors. Professor Claire Finkelstein told Bloomberg last week the key for his lawyers will be […]
The science behind obtaining accurate, reliable information
CERL Advisory Council member Mark Fallon joined the Misty Winston Show to discuss the efforts he and Dr. Maria Hartwig lead at Project Aletheia to improve the practice of interrogation by accelerating the implementation of science-based techniques. According to Fallon: We now know things we didn’t know before about how to obtain [accurate, reliable] information from someone who […]
Trump’s indictment is a test of America’s institutions and the rule of law
Donald Trump is the first former president in history to face criminal charges. Penn Today spoke with CERL’s Prof. Claire Finkelstein about how this case is a test of America’s democratic institutions and the rule of law. According to Prof. Finkelstein: The indictment of Donald Trump shows us how important it is for the public […]
Trump “whipping up a frenzy” to intimidate Manhattan DA
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts before a Manhattan courtroom today. CERL’s Prof. Claire Finkelstein spoke with Al Jazeera ahead of the arraignment about what can be expected and how these proceedings could impact the 2024 presidential election. According to Prof. Finkelstein: He [the Manhattan District Attorney] is most definitely at […]
Trump’s indictment: Why the DOJ must help ensure the safety of the Manhattan DA
Former President Donald Trump was indicted by the Manhattan grand jury on Mar. 30 for his alleged role in hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. CERL’s Prof. Claire Finkelstein joined Al Jazeera to discuss what Trump’s indictment means for American politics and the judicial system. According to Prof. Finkelstein: We cannot allow […]
What the death of Russian blogger Tatarsky might signal
Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was a vocal supporter of Russia’s war in Ukraine, died in a bomb blast at a St Petersburg café on Apr. 2. On BBC World News, CERL’s Prof. Claire Finkelstein discussed what the profiling of journalists might signal and how Russians are reacting. According to Prof. Finkelstein: We don’t […]
Essential to ending war is a NATO pledge not to admit Ukraine
From Mar. 17-19, an online benefit conference entitled “What Good is Philosophy? The Role of the Academy in a Time of Crisis” raised funds to establish a center in Kiev that would support academic and civic institutions in Ukraine. Among the speakers were novelist Margaret Atwood, Ukrainian history scholar Timothy Snyder, and public intellectuals from […]
Mark Fallon discusses science of interviewing on LI News Radio
CERL Advisory Council member Mark Fallon joined LI News Radio to discuss his three-decade career in government service, including his role as Deputy Commander of the military task force established to bring terrorists to justice before Military Commissions in Guantánamo Bay, and the science of effective interviewing. According to Fallon: “There has been research—over 120 […]
Mark Fallon testified before Minnesota Judicial Committee on science-based interviewing
CERL Advisory Council member Mark Fallon testified last week before the Minnesota Judicial Committee on a Minnesota bill that aims to prohibit admission of confessions obtained when deception is used. Fallon emphasized the science of effective interviewing, stating: We now know that deceptive police practices contribute to false confessions. We also know science-based methods produce […]
