“I’m a big Thomas Jefferson fan, and now I’m a big Thomas Jefferson Law School fan too.”
That was the ringing endorsement Alan Dershowitz, one of America’s most prestigious attorneys, gave to the law school as he finished his appearance at TJSL on Monday November 6th.
“This is a wonderful, wonderful law school, said Dershowitz, “and it is named for my favorite figure in American history.”
Dershowitz was invited to campus by the Jewish Student Union and his presentation was standing room only -- with students, faculty staff and alumni filling room 200 of the Courtyard Building.
They heard a lively, humorous and passionate presentation on everything from his case for Israel in the world court of public opinion to the O.J. Simpson case, where he was part of the defense team.
Perhaps most important to the people in the room, was his praise of the law school and recognition of its top-notch faculty.
“Thomas Jefferson is a great law school, with great professors. Some of them were my students at Harvard Law,” he said.
“But after three or four years, it doesn’t matter where you went to law school. It’s in your hands after that. Do what makes you feel best about what you do.”
Dershowitz’s main message was about the “crisis in the Mideast, which is getting worse, not better.” He feels the case for Israel is rarely presented effectively in college and university settings, and that the world has demonized Israel with an “obsessive and irrational focus” on that country rather than on the women and children in Africa who are subject to slavery and genital mutilation.
On terrorism, Dershowitz says “How do you talk a suicide bomber who has been raised in a ‘culture of hate’ out of carrying out his attack – especially if he’s been promised 72 virgins in heaven.” Dershowitz suggested that maybe the Imams could promise the would-be bombers that “all they would get is one 72 year old virgin instead,” which gave the audience a huge laugh.
But on a more serious note, Dershowitz said that for the terrorists to raise children from the age of 4 or 5 to “pathologically hate is child abuse in a classic sense.”
During his question and answer session, Dershowitz gave an impassioned argument against the Bush administration’s Military Commissions Act, which he believes will “suspend habeas corpus now!” He said he hopes the Supreme Court will strike down the provision to do away with habeas corpus as unconstitutional.
One of Dershowitz’ best-known criminal defense cases is, of course, the O.J. Simpson case. Asked about the case, he gave the audience a demonstration in forensic evidence. Using a tissue as the famous “bloody sock,” Dershowitz showed how the defense team showed the Simpson jury how LAPD allegedly contaminated the sock with the blood of the victims in an effort to make Simpson appear guilty.
Dershowitz says he feels, regardless how anyone feels about Simpson’s guilt or innocence, that the jury believed if the police would alter evidence in this instance, then why wouldn’t they alter or plant the other evidence as well.
As part of his visit to Thomas Jefferson, Dershowitz spent more than an hour in the Courtyard signing copies of his books and chatting with students and others who came to meet him.
There was little doubt that most who heard him speak were impressed with Alan Dershowitz’ credentials and great skills as a presenter -- but this prominent lawyer and scholar clearly showed that he was impressed with Thomas Jefferson School of Law as well.
-Chris Saunders, Communications Specialist