Northern Kentucky Law Review Fall 2011 Symposium

The Legal Heritage of the Civil War

October 22, 2011
9 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Student Union Ballroom
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, Ky.

The Civil War changed the fabric of the United States as a nation and also led to a number of landmark legal developments. These developments have had wide-reaching impacts on both national and international levels. The legal influence of the Civil War era can be seen in a number of areas of modern law, include the U.S. monetary system, the rise of federal power, military trials of terrorists, and the laws of war.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Northern Kentucky Law Review will host its Fall Symposium: "The Legal Heritage of the Civil War" on October 22, 2011. The Symposium is an opportunity for academics, practitioners, and students to exchange ideas and explore current legal issues that originate from the Civil War era. The Northern Kentucky Law Review invites you to attend this unique Symposium as the crossroads of history and modern law are explored. Chase College of Law wishes to thank John W. Steinman III, Chase '81, for his sponsorship gift.

Topics:

  • Salmon P. Chase and the Legal Basis for the U.S. Monetary System
  • Civil War Legislation and the Growth of Federal Power: The Land Grant College Act (The Morill Act), The Homestead Act (origin of the Department of Agriculture), and the Pacific Railway Act (to fund the trans-continental railway)
  • Military Trials of Terrorists: From Lincoln Conspirators to the Guantanamo Inmates
  • The Civil War Origin of the Rules of War: Francis Lieber and Lincoln’s General Orders No. 100

Speakers:

Professor Roger Billings
Professor Roger Billings received his A.B. from Wabash College and his J.D. from the University of Akron. Currently, Professor Billings is a professor at Chase College of Law and a member of the Board of Directors for the Abraham Lincoln Association. His most recent book is Abraham Lincoln, Esquire, The Legal Career of America's Greatest President (2010), co-edited with Frank Williams. His article, "A. Lincoln, Debtor-Creditor Lawyer", was published in the Summer 2005 issue of the Journal of Illinois History.

Dr. Rodger D. Bridges
Dr. Roger D. Bridges holds a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Northern Iowa and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Bridges taught history at Bradley University, the University of South Dakota, University of Illinois at Springfield, Bowling Green State University, and Illinois State University. Dr. Bridges served as the Executive Director of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center from 1988 to 2003 and is now an Executive Director emeritus. Dr. Bridges was a founding editor of the Lincoln Legal Papers, director of the Illinois State Historical Library, and a past president of the Abraham Lincoln Association and a long time board member. He has published numerous articles on Lincoln, slavery and civil rights, and Illinois history.

The Honorable Frank Wiliams
Chief Justice Frank Williams (ret.) graduated from the Boston University School of Law and received a masters degree in taxation from Bryant University. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Rhode Island in 1995 and elevated to Chief Justice in 2001. In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed Chief Justice Williams through the Secretary of Defense to be a member of the United States Court of Military Commission Review and became its Chief Judge in 2007. He served on the United States Court of Military Commission Review and the Supreme Court of Rhode Island until December 2009. Since then, he has lectured at several universities and institutes, most notably at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.

Professor Burrus Carnahan
Professor Burrus Carnahan received his J.D. from Northwestern University and his L.L.M. from the University of Michigan. He is a Professorial Lecturer in Law at The George Washington University Law School and a foreign affairs officer in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, Professor Carnahan was a private sector consultant on international arms control issues, and served for 20 years as a lawyer in the U.S. Air Force, where he specialized in the law of war. He has participated in several international negotiations on arms control and the laws of war and is the author of numerous articles on those subjects. His book, "Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the Law of War," was published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2007.

Colonel Michael Bumgarner
Colonel Mike Bumgarner served 29 years as an officer in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps after graduating from Western Carolina University with a bachelors of science of criminal justice in 1981. He commanded at all levels from platoon to brigade with more than eight years in command positions. In 2005 Colonel Bumgarner took command of the Joint Detention Group, Joint Task Force Guantanamo where he was responsible for the detention of over 535 high value detainees taken captive in the global war on terror. Colonel Bumgarner’s last Army assignment was a Professor of Military Science at Virginia Tech. He retired from the US Army in 2010. Colonel Bumgarner is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College, the Joint Staff Officer School of the Armed Forces College, the Advanced Military Studies and National Security Studies Courses of the Canadian Forces College and the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy. He will complete the requirements for a Masters of Arts in Public Policy from New England College in December 2011 with his thesis on the treatment of detainees taken captive in global war on terror.

*3 hours of CLE credit approved for Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana*

Symposium is free & open to the public

To register:


Send name and contact information to
nkylrsymposium@nku.edu