World Can't Wait

UC Berkeley Sponsors Muslim Basher, Thursday March 9

Torture advocate John Yoo and his handlers at Boalt Hall think Donald Trump's "new" Muslim ban is A-OK. Despite a decade of community protest against the corruption of young legal minds by a resident war criminal with a dangerous philosophy of exceptionalism - that American lives are worth more than other people's - law school administrators deny consequences of Yoo's professional misconduct. Professor Yoo shames the university every time he opens his mouth. His legal opinions further the illegal agenda of America's deporter-in-chief Trump. "While Trump may not know or care about the legal precedents behind his actions, his lawyers surely do, and you can be sure they'll be citing Yoo's work on the unitary executive theory," wrote Heather Digby Parton to Salon. 

"Yoo's legal analyses justified acts of outright torture," concluded a 2009 Department of Justice ethics report. The University of California (where Yoo is tenured) and the Pennsylvania Bar Association (where Yoo is licensed) dismissed Berkeley Law students' and Bay Area Lawyers' demand for accountability. Failure to enforce statutory codes of conduct serves an untoward lesson: that some people are above the law and/or that criminal actions are acceptable, even commended, if you're clever enough to avoid getting caught.

I think the new order will withstand judicial scrutiny. Because it grants admission to all existing visa holders and permanent resident aliens, it is difficult to see who has standing to challenge this order.... Aliens outside our territory with no pre-existing connection to the U.S. do not have rights under the Constitution that can be recognized in court. This time, the order explicitly relies on the findings of the last administration and the agencies that the six nations in question are state sponsors of terrorism or are countries where terrorist [activities] are matters of high concern. The editing out of special exceptions for Christian minorities undermines criticism that this order arises from anti-religion bias. It will be much harder to show connections between anti-Muslim statements made during the campaign and the motives behind this order...

John Yoo, Berkeley Law

UC Berkeley provides a platform for normalization of crimes of torture, massive surveillance, indefinite detention, and war when they lend credence to the unconstitutional interpretations of executive power advanced by employee John Yoo. It is our responsibility to call out criminals and enablers alike. The World Affairs event on Thursday March 9, 6:30PM features a post-discussion Q&A, when you will have the chance to engage directly with Berkeley Law's biggest nightmare. The World Affairs Auditorium is located at 312 Sutter Street, Suite 200, San Francisco. Non-member price $20, $7 for students.

Drive Out the Trump Regime! Start with John Yoo.

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