Human Trafficking Lunch Time Event from PILSA and Amnesty International

Join us Wednesday, April 8th at lunch in room 40 for a talk with an international panel of human trafficking experts. Lunch will be provided. Four experts in human trafficking from around the globe will speak in addition to a member of the St. Paul police task force on human trafficking:


Sultan Ahmad Chaudhry, Pakistan

Mr. Chaudhry is a Senior Superintendent of Police from the Capital City District of Lahore, Pakistan, and serves as Chief of Discipline and Inspection in Lahore. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He has deep interests in the intersections between law and human rights and believes that these are important areas of study for law enforcement officers. In addition to normal police activities, his duties include handling issues such as human rights violations and a recently-introduced bill for the protection of women. During his fellowship year, Mr. Chaudhry will focus on human rights and law and the practical aspects of law implementation.

Firuz Maksudovich Sattorov, Tajikistan

Mr. Sattorov was the head of the Anti-Trafficking Department and the National Legal Advisor for the International Organization of Migration (IOM) in Tajikistan from 2003-2007. He holds a diploma in law from Tajik State National University and is a faculty member in the Department of Criminal Law. Mr. Sattorov has worked on a variety of projects related to combating trafficking of persons in his country. He teaches young lawyers about the laws related to this topic. He also works in close cooperation with the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Combating Trafficking of Persons of the Government of Tajikistan. He is the Director of the Center for Socio-Economic Development and Human Rights Protection. During his fellowship year, Mr. Sattorov will focus on the development of effective practices for prevention, protection, and prosecution of human trafficking. He will also work on the development of knowledge, training, and a regional network for combating trafficking of persons.


Artur Shakirov, Russia

Mr. Shakirov has been a public servant in the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Tatarstan since 2005. He holds a diploma in law from Kazan State University and holds a certificate in human rights from the St. Petersburg branch of the State University—High School of Economics. Mr. Shakirov would like to seek partnerships with non-governmental organizations and governmental and law enforcement agencies working in combating human trafficking. He has worked with numerous regional NGOs providing support for victims of trafficking as well as training and establishing a regional network to combat tracking of persons from the Republic of Tatarstan. During his fellowship year, Mr. Shakirov will research the theme of effective law enforcement and prosecution of perpetrators of human trafficking, as well as support services for trafficked victims in the United States.


Elizabeth da Cunha Sussekind, Brazil

Ms. Sussekind is a professor of criminology and human rights at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. She has a degree in criminology and a master’s degree in Law and Development Sciences from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. She is a human rights activist, working with problems of violence and prison issues, and has served as Secretary of Justice of Brazil. Ms. Sussekind would like to observe both governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations in their methods and procedures used in preventing and combating human trafficking, especially organ trafficking. Additionally, she would like to increase her knowledge base regarding international organizations and their efforts in controlling human trafficking, international organized crime, money laundering, and terrorism. During her fellowship year, Ms. Sussekind will focus on public agencies and NGOs and their treatment of organized crime: prevention, investigative methods, new software/technology, use of the law, and dealing with public opinion.

Hope to see you all there!

Robina Foundation Fellowships Info - 2/24

The Robina Foundation has given the U of M funding for 50 public policy summer fellowships, and some of those are going exclusively to the law school. If you're interested in learning more, be sure to attend the CPDC's info session on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in Room 35.

The first deadline for these is March 9, so you need to take action soon. This is the same deadline as the FAFSA filing, required for work study. CPDC can answer your questions on both of these summer funding opportunities.

Social Hour @ Nye's 2/25!

On Wednesday, February 25 PILSA will be hosting the latest in its student/attorney networking events.

Join us at 7pm at Nye's Polonaise Room, 112 E Hennepin Ave to meet with other public interest-minded students. Our guests include Dean Keyes, CPDC's Alan Haynes and Dana Bartocci, professors, and several practicing attorneys.

If you're interested in public interest, come by and check it out on Wednesday!

1000 Supporters

If you're concerned about funding for public attorneys in Minnesota, you aren't alone. The Minnesota State Bar Association has formed a group called 1000 Supporters to ensure that the courts, legal aid, and public defenders get enough funding.

One of the key parts of the website is the "Action Items" section. It contains information on the public defenders and legal aid in Minnesota as well as things like talking point son the issue. If you want to do more than just watch and hope, this is a way to get involved and protect the right to counsel.

(One thing to note is that you have to be approved prior to being able to see most pages on the website.)

Critical Legal Studies Reading Group: Public Defenders

Our next discussion for the Critical Legal Studies group will focus on the growing problem facing public defenders. On a national level, they are having to cut back.

First, we have a New York Times article addressing the problem: Citing Workload, Public Lawyers Reject New Cases.

On a more local level, MPR has also addressed the issue: Public defenders moonlight to pay off school debt.

To get a deeper look, we'll also be reading Equal Before the Law: Toward a Restoration of Gideon's Promise (43 Harv. C.R.-C.L. L. Rev. 581). The author spent his summers at the Hennepin County Attorney's office and with the U.S. Attorney in Minneapolis.

If you're also interested in (or troubled by) this, come by on Tuesday at 12:15, Room 35.

Update, 11/17: we have decided to move this reading to next semester. Watch for it then, along with some related topics at that time. No reading group Tuesday.

Social Hour @ Aloft

Join us for this month's social hour at bar of the hip new hotel Aloft, 900 Washington Avenue South (just down the street from the law school). With other public interest students and professors, you can enjoy some appetizers (on us!) and some time to relax. Come for the talk, stay for the tater tots with dipping sauces. In attendance will be Dean Keyes, new CPDC director Alan Haynes, and Professors Befort and Carpenter.

Be there at 6:00 sharp on Thursday for the hot tots, good discussion and some public interest fun.

More on the Community Reinvestment Act

The following excerpt is from the National Low Income Housing Coalition's. October 10th Memo to Members:

***Financial Crisis Used to Undermine CRA***

In an effort to deflect blame from the regulatory and market failures that led to the current financial crisis, conservative policy makers and pundits have launched an attack on the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). CRA, which was enacted in 1977,
provides that regulated financial institutions are obligated to help meet the
credit needs of their local communities, including lower income neighborhoods.

According to Media Matters, which is tracking the issue, anti-CRA
statements have been made on The O'Reilly Factor and The Radio Factor with Bill
O'Reilly, and in an editorial in Investor's Business Daily and a column in The
Boston Globe. In addition, online blogs have picked up on the issue.
Conservative members of Congress have also begun to attack the CRA, with
Representative Steve King (R-IA) this week introducing a bill that would
eliminate the CRA (see article elsewhere in Memo).

These elected officials and media figures argue that the law caused the
current financial crisis because it forced lenders to make bad loans to minority and lower income families.

These arguments are false. In truth:

· CRA existed long before the current crisis.

· The Act requires that activity under the CRA be consistent with the safe and sound operations of the bank, in order to protect against imprudent lending.

· Approximately 75% of subprime loans were made by institutions not covered by CRA requirements.

In an effort to combat these unfounded allegations, advocates will be working to
increase awareness of CRA and the positive effects it provides for lower income
communities. National groups, led by the National Community Reinvestment
Coalition, are circulating a statement in support of the CRA that will be
available shortly.

Under the CRA, banks are rated for their lending and investment activities— including home loans, banking services, small business loans, and community development lending—in low and moderate income neighborhoods. Ratings are done by one of four banking regulatory agencies: the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve Board and the Office of Thrift Supervision. If one of these regulatory agencies finds that an institution is not meeting the needs of its community, the agency can delay or deny the institution’s request to merge with another institution or expand its services.

Advocates can
comment at anytime on a financial institution’s CRA performance. In the best
cases, the Act has encouraged institutions to work closely with community groups
to identify and supply needed products and services. In recent years, CRA
opponents have worked to reduce the number of banks governed by CRA
requirements.

Information about the CRA exam process can be found at www.ffiec.gov/cra/default.htm

Information on the false CRA attacks is available at http://mediamatters.org/items/200809300012

NCRC has published “CRA: Myth and Fact” at www.ncrc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=353&Itemid=80