PAST EVENTS
Conversation with Legal Scholar Dr. Laurence Tribe
As Ukraine and Israel, rare outposts of democracy in difficult regions of the world, simultaneously face existential crises caused by fierce and bloody incursions, the U.S. finds itself paralyzed with a rudderless Congress, some of whose members, instead of seeking ways to fund the defense of both these allies, pit one against the other.
Solving the Riddle:
Transferring Russia’s Assets to Ukraine
Without Cutting Funds to Defend Israel
with
Acclaimed Legal Scholar Dr. Laurence Tribe
moderated by
Harvard-trained Lawyer and CEO Richard Salomon
Thursday, October 26th, 5:00 pm - 5:45 pm ET On Zoom
As Ukraine and Israel, rare outposts of democracy in difficult regions of the world, simultaneously face existential crises caused by fierce and bloody incursions, the U.S. finds itself paralyzed with a rudderless Congress, some of whose members, instead of seeking ways to fund the defense of both these allies, pit one against the other.
Our ability to act to help these nations at a time of dire need should not require accepting the false choice of supporting Ukraine over Israel, or Israel over Ukraine.
Happily, a legal path exists to aid both without burdening American taxpayers any more than meeting our obligations to Israel alone would entail: Seize the frozen $325 billion in Russian bank assets and transfer them to Ukraine.
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About Our Speakers
Dr. Laurence H. Tribe is the Carl M. Loeb University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard University. The title “University Professor” is Harvard’s highest academic honor, awarded to fewer than 75 professors in the University’s history. Tribe taught at Harvard Law School since 1968; received tenure at 30; and was voted the best professor by the graduating class of 2000.
Born in China to Russian Jewish parents, Tribe entered Harvard at 16; graduated magna cum laude with a summa cum laude in Mathematics (1962) and magna cum laude in Law (1966); clerked for the California and U.S. Supreme Courts(1966-68); was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1979 and to the American Philosophical Society in 2010; helped write the constitutions of South Africa, the Czech Republic, and the Marshall Islands; has received eleven honorary degrees, most recently a degree honoris causa from the Government of Mexico in 2011 that was never before awarded to an American and D, Litt. degree from Columbia University in 2013; has prevailed in three-fifths of the many appellate cases he has argued (including 35 in the U.S. Supreme Court); was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama to serve as the first Senior Counselor for Access to Justice and in 2021 by President Joseph R. Biden to serve on the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States; and has written 115 books and articles, including his treatise, American Constitutional Law, cited more than any other legal text since 1950.
Former Solicitor General Erwin Griswold wrote: “[N]o book, and no lawyer not on the [Supreme] Court, has ever had a greater influence on the development of American constitutional law,” and former U.S. Court of Appeals Judge J. Michael Luttig tweeted in January 2023, “Laurence H. Tribe has been the Nation’s preeminent constitutional scholar for the past half-century.”
Richard A. Salomon is a graduate of Carleton College and Harvard Law School and the founder and CEO of Vantage Point Consultants. Vantage Point advises corporations on ways to optimize the expenditure of legal dollars and has worked with over 400 of the Fortune 500 throughout the world. Mr. Salomon is a frequent keynote speaker to groups, including the GC100 (the Chief Legal Officers of the FTSE 100 in London) and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, as well as an occasional lecturer at Harvard Law School. Mr. Salomon is a member of the Advisory Board of the Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Law Department Management and Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Litigation Management. Mr. Salomon is also a co-author of Managing the Corporate Legal Function (2nd ed. 1995, Matthew Bender).
Mr. Salomon is involved in numerous philanthropic and social service-related activities. He is a co-founder, member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center; and a member of the Advisory Board for the Visas for Life Foundation (relating to Consul General Chiune Sugihara, who rescued his father and uncle during the Holocaust). In addition, Mr. Salomon is on the Board of New York University’s Of Many Institute as well as on the President's Council of the Interfaith Youth Core, and the President’s Global Forum of the Auburn Theological Seminary. Mr. Salomon is a frequent public speaker at the 92nd Street Y, Temple Emanu-El, and other venues.
suggested Reading
Letter From 11 Members of Congress to President Joe Biden-
Oct 23rd, 2023
The Future of News in a Post-Truth World
Join The Common Good to explore how we can save truth, free speech, and the news, in conversation with an incredible group of experts including former Congressman David Jolly, former Dean of Harvard Law School Martha Minow, and former Chairman of the FCC Newton Minow. This panel will be moderated by Rick Salomon.
About The Event
The ubiquity of social media has also brought the explosive spread of false ‘facts’ and increased distrust in traditional news — so much so that disinformation, especially combined with strong partisan feeling, has become an existential threat to our democracy.
Political beliefs now determine not only the candidates you choose to support, but also the facts you will accept; and the media you consume influences not only the opinions you will hear, but also the truths you will believe.
Can the government take action to regulate misinformation without impinging on the right to free speech? Can we hold social media companies to account for the devastating impact of their algorithmic news feeds? To what degree, if at all, should immunity continue to exist for internet companies? What does the future of news look like when we cannot agree on a common truth?
Join The Common Good to explore how we can save truth, free speech, and the news, in conversation with an incredible group of experts including former Congressman David Jolly, former Dean of Harvard Law School Martha Minow, and former Chairman of the FCC Newton Minow. This panel will be moderated by Rick Salomon.
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Former Congressman David Jolly served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2014 – 2017. Known for his fierce independent streak and bipartisan approach, Jolly has held virtually every position in Congress, from intern to Member, and has worked outside the Congress as an attorney and political consultant, as well as in specialty finance. Today, Jolly serves as Chairman of the Serve America Movement and can often be seen as a policy and politics analyst on MSNBC and NBC. Jolly's work has been published in Time, USA Today, Roll Call, the Washington Post, and CNN.com, among many other news sources. Renouncing his affiliation several years ago with the Republican Party, Jolly is now an Independent.
Martha Minow is an expert on Constitutional Law, the former Dean of Harvard Law School, and the 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University. She writes and teaches about digital communications, democracy, privatization, military justice, and ethnic and religious conflict, and is an expert in human rights and advocacy for racial and religious minorities and for women, children, and persons with disabilities. Her newest book, Saving The News, offers a detailed argument of how our government has interfered in America's media landscape and charts a path for reform.
Newton Minow is a pioneer in broadcasting, and a former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission with over five decades of experience in all aspects of the communication industry. He was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, and the Woodrow Wilson Award for public service. He has served on the Boards of Encyclopedia Britannica, the Chicago Tribune, the RAND Corporation, CBS Corporation, the Commission on Presidential Debates, and many more. In his speech criticising broadcasters for not doing more to serve the public interest, he famously coined the phrase television as the “vast wasteland.”
Richard Salomon, a Harvard-trained lawyer and CEO of Vantage Point Consultants, has advised 400 of the Fortune 500 on ways to optimize the expenditure of corporate legal dollars. A co-founder of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Salomon sits on many other Boards from the Of Many Institute at NYU, to the Interfaith Youth Corps, and the President's Council of the Auburn Theological Seminary. He is a frequent moderator and speaker at many venerable institutions, including the 92nd St Y, Temple Emanu-El's Streicker Center, the University of Chicago, the Cornell Institute of Politics, the Illinois Holocaust Museum, the Alliance For Justice, and, of course, The Common Good.
The Common Good has been hosting events since 2006 that cover important issues of today, highlighting speakers who have worked to bolster our democracy and can provide great insight on the issues that matter.