Robert H. Jackson Center

The Robert H. Jackson Center is pleased to announce that Becky Newman of Jamestown has been named recipient of the third annual Robert H. Jackson Center Regional Award for Teaching Justice. This prestigious award was created to recognize educators who have made an outstanding contribution toward teaching the concept of justice in creative, inspiring ways, which may include teaching about civil liberties, human rights, international humanitarian law, the Holocaust, genocide studies, and local issues of justice.

Highlights from this year’s Dialogs included updates from the current prosecutors; a panel discussion on the Relevance of International Humanitarian Law in 2014; “Porch-Sessions with the Prosecutors,” which featured topics relating to non-state actors and International Humanitarian Law, and the culminating event - the issuance of the eighth Chautauqua Declaration by all of the international Prosecutors in attendance.

Each year the International Humanitarian Law Dialogs invite current and former international prosecutors to discuss current issues in international criminal law.

The Law Dialogs allow renowned academics and law experts to engage in a meaningful dialogue about issues related to modern international criminal law.

Professor Amar is the co-editor of a leading constitutional law casebook, Processes of Constitutional Decisionmaking. He is also the author of several books, including The Constitution and Criminal Procedure: First Principles, The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction, America’s Constitution: A Biography, and most recently, America’s Unwritten Constitution: The Precedents and Principles We Live By.

Each year the Law Dialogs host a lecturer who epitomizes the strength, determination, and dedication to healthcare Clara Barton embodied during her lengthy career.

Elks Lodge #263 of Jamestown, NY has presented the Robert H. Jackson Center with a generous financial contribution for its recently launched “Defenders of Freedom” project. “Defenders of Freedom” is an oral history initiative that seeks to capture on video and share the first hand experiences of WWII veterans in the Western NY and Northwestern PA areas. Hosted and filmed at the Center in Jamestown NY, the project is a collaborative effort between the Jackson Center, the United Veterans Council, Chautauqua County Office of Veterans Services and local WWII authors and historians, Rolly Kidder and Phil Zimmer.

Students in grades five through twelve were invited to participate in a statewide essay contest based on Ms. Robinson’s book Jackie’s Nine: Jackie Robinson’s Values to Live By. Entrants were asked to write an essay explaining how Jackie Robinson and one of the other individuals featured in the book exemplified one of those nine values.

Highlights of the Dialogs include updates from the current prosecutors, a panel discussion on the Legal/Policy Issues Stemming from the Arab Spring, “Porch-Sessions with the Prosecutors” featuring a variety of focused topics relating to the Arab Spring, and the issuance of the seventh Chautauqua Declaration by all the Prosecutors in attendance. In addition, there will be a special film presentation of “Dictator in the Dock” at 2:00 pm on Sunday, August 25 at the Chautauqua Cinema. Tickets are available for purchase directly from the theater.

Each year, the Dialogs conclude with the issuance of a “Chautauqua Declaration,” a statement developed by the prosecutors during the two-day symposium that calls on all nations to pursue justice as a matter of law. It reaffirms the first Chautauqua Declaration, issued in 2007, which stated, "The challenge for States and for the international community is to fulfill the promise of the law they created; to enforce judicial decisions; [and] to ensure the arrest and surrender of sought individuals...." The Dialogs are held annually to honor these ideals, and to help advance the field of international humanitarian law. The 2011 Declaration signing will be moderated by Diane Marie Amann, professor at University of Georgia School of Law and a founding contributor to “IntLawGrrls” blog, a co-sponsor of the Law Dialogs.