January 29, 2009

Law school hosts workshop on habeas corpus laws

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois University School of Law will host a continuing legal education workshop centered on habeas corpus laws.

The workshop, on Thursday, Feb. 12, is part of the law school’s Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. The workshop is in the Hiram H. Lesar Law Building auditorium at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Law professors Paul E. McGreal and William A. Schroeder will lead presentations related to habeas corpus -- a writ people can use to challenge their confinement by the government. McGreal’s presentation will look at how Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War, the arguments on both sides of his action at the time, and how they compare with similar arguments made today.

Schroeder’s presentation will explore the history of challenging detentions, what to file, and how the system is structured.

The public is welcome to attend the two lectures and a sculpture presentation. The Illinois State Bar Association will present a replica sculpture portraying Lincoln during his time as a practicing attorney in Illinois. Irene F. Bahr, ISBA past president, is presenting the bust to the law school.

In addition, each of the two lectures provide one hour of continuing legal credit. Another two hours of continuing legal education credit is available for selections from the Illinois State Bar Association’s video, “Lessons in Professional Responsibility from the Illinois Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln.”

For more information on the event, contact Alicia Ruiz, the law school’s director of communications and outreach, at 618/453-8700. Registration information for the CLE workshop is available at https://www.dce.siu.edu/index.php/Conferences/Lincoln-Bicentennial-Celebration or by calling 618/536-7751.

The schedule is:

  • 11:30 a.m. -- Registration.
  • Noon to 1 p.m. -- “Lincoln’s Suspension of Habeas Corpus: Historical Antecedent to Modern Controversies,” presented by SIU School of Law Professor Paul E. McGreal.
  • 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. -- “Habeas Corpus: Nuts & Bolts,” presented by SIU School of Law Professor William A. Schroeder.
  • 2:30 p.m. -- Presentation of a replica sculpture of Lincoln during his time as a practicing attorney in Illinois
  • 3 to 5 p.m. -- Selections from ISBA’s video, “Lessons in Professional Responsibility from the Illinois Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln.”