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AROUND
Shahid Buttar speaks at
Texas Wesleyan
Shahid Buttar, executive director of the Bill
of Rights Defense Committee, spoke to
law school students, faculty and staff on
Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, on the subject
of “Indefinite Detention of U.S. Citizens: A
Bipartisan Assault on the Bill of Rights?”
The noontime seminar was held in the Amon
G. Carter Lecture Hall and sponsored by the
Texas Wesleyan chapter of the American
Constitution Society. After providing
his opening remarks, Buttar began the
presentation by showing a five-minute
video on the Patriot Act. The act was signed
into law in October 2011, following the
9/11 attacks. Among other provisions,
the act expanded the discretion of law
enforcement authorities in detaining
and deporting immigrants suspected of
terrorism-related acts.
“Transparency is important in democracy,”
Buttar said. “It ensures accountability.”
Buttar went on to discuss the
National Defense Authorization Act, which
also contains provisions for detaining
suspected terrorists.
“The NDAA and detention provisions are
frontal assaults to the Fifth and Sixth
Amendments,” Buttar said.
Buttar ended his presentation by
encouraging students to be knowledgeable
about current events and get involved with
issues that matter to them.
Buttar previously served as director of
a national program to combat racial and
religious profiling by federal authorities,
associate director of the American
Constitution Society, and a litigator in private
practice with a public interest docket. He
received his J.D. from Stanford Law School
in 2003, where he served as executive editor
of the Stanford Environmental Law Journal.
In addition to his work leading BORDC,
Buttar serves on the advisory bodies of the
Rights Working Group, the National Coalition
to Protect Civil Freedoms, the National
Campaign to Restore Civil Rights, and South
Asian Americans Leading Together.
campus
notes of interest about campus events
Texas Wesleyan Student Bar Association representatives 3L Ryan Clay, 2L Sabina Yushkevich, 1L
Braxton Bragg, and 3L Martin Garcia attended the annual ABA Law Student Division 13 th Circuit
meeting. Texas Wesleyan was awarded two Bronze Keys. — Photo courtesy of Martin Garcia
Texas Wesleyan
awarded Bronze Keys
at ABA circuit meeting
Texas Wesleyan was honored for
its service to the ABA Law Student
Division and the 13 th Circuit by being
awarded two of the three Bronze
Keys issued by the division during its
annual meeting.
The 13 th Circuit, comprised of all 13
Texas and Louisiana law schools, met
March 2-4, 2012, at Loyola University
New Orleans College of Law for its annual
circuit meeting and governor election.
Texas Wesleyan was represented by
the Student Bar Association 3L Martin
Garcia, president; 3L Ryan Clay, ABA
representative; 2L Sabina Yushkevich,
ABA junior representative; and Braxton
Bragg, 1L representative.
Texas Wesleyan was recognized for
strengthening law student participation
in the programs and activities of the
division and for achieving the highest
percentage of association/division law
school members in the 13 th Circuit.
Texas Wesleyan was also recognized
for achieving the most improved
association/division membership in
the 13 th Circuit. Outgoing 13 th Circuit
Governor Pooja M. Ramrakhiani
presented Garcia with a certificate
24
of appreciation for his faithful and
professional execution of services to
the law student division.
“Texas Wesleyan’s success in the
American Bar Association’s Law Student
Division stems from two sources:
student leadership’s involvement and
faculty support,” Garcia said. “The
Student Bar Association and the school’s
ABA LSD reps work together to instill a
culture that appreciates involvement in
the biggest organized arena of lawyers
in the country − the ABA.”
The spring circuit meeting provides an
opportunity for students to network
and attend substantive programming.
The spring meeting is designed to
bring students in the circuit together
to exchange ideas and develop
camaraderie. Leaders from the 13 th
Circuit discussed issues facing law
student education, debated issues
of public policy affecting students,
exchanged ideas for enhancing
legal education, and expanded their
network with other students and
practicing attorneys.
The meeting culminated with the SBA
presidents and ABA representatives from
each ABA-approved law school in the
circuit electing a new circuit governor.
Bragg was elected as the circuit governor
for the 2012-2013 term.