NEWS RELEASE
October 12, 2006
Thomas Jefferson Professor Sworn-In as
President of the National Lawyers Guild
Marjorie Cohn Assumed Duties on October 20th
SAN DIEGO – Thomas Jefferson School of Law Professor Marjorie Cohn was sworn-in as the new president of the 6,000+ member National Lawyers Guild (NLG,) on October 20th at the NLG's annual convention in Austin, Texas.
Professor Cohn, who is internationally recognized for her scholarship, books, articles, lectures and media commentary, was elected to the position in October 2005. Professor Cohn will serve a three-year term as president.
"It is a great honor to be elected President of the National Lawyers Guild,” said Professor Cohn. “The NLG began in 1937 as the first integrated bar association in the country. Since then, Guild lawyers, law students and legal workers have been in the forefront of the struggles for equality and justice.”
“I am proud that Thomas Jefferson School of Law has one of the largest and most active NLG chapters in the country. My students are committed to using the law as a tool for social change. They have internalized the guiding principle of the National Lawyers Guild - that human rights are more sacred than property interests."
Professor Cohn teaches Evidence, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and International Human Rights Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She received the San Diego County Bar Association’s 2005 Service to Legal Education Award, and was recognized as one of San Diego's Top Attorneys in Academics for 2006.
“Marjorie Cohn is an exceptional faculty member who combines excellent work as a teacher and scholar, a passion for issues involving civil liberties and civil rights, with a genuine connection to the community,” said Thomas Jefferson Dean Rudy Hasl. “We are fortunate to have her as a part of the Thomas Jefferson law school community.”
>>See Official NLG News Release
Marjorie Cohn biographical information:
Marjorie Cohn is a prominent scholar and lecturer. She is co-author of Cameras in the Courtroom: Television and the Pursuit of Justice and her new book, Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law, will be published this spring. She is the United States representative to the executive committee of the American Association of Jurists and was editor of Guild Practitioner for several years. Professor Cohn is a criminal defense attorney and she publishes extensively in the academic and popular press about criminal justice, U.S. foreign policy and human rights. She provides commentary for local, regional, national and international media, including BBC, MSNBC, FOX News, CBS News, Court TV and NPR. Professor Cohn is on the Roster of Experts for the Institute for Public Accuracy and is fluent in Spanish.