December 18, 2019: State Bar Association Presidential Summit to Examine White Nationalism and Domestic Terrorism
By Communications Department
The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) will host an unprecedented panel of legal, national security and other experts to examine "White Nationalism and Domestic Terrorism in America."
The extraordinary Presidential Summit panel event – as part of NYSBA's weeklong 143rd Annual Meeting at the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan – will take place Wednesday, Jan. 29 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
"With the number of white nationalist groups surging in recent years and violent incidents becoming more and more frequent, law enforcement, our elected officials and the general public must work together to eradicate hate groups from our society," said NYSBA President Hank Greenberg. "On behalf of the State Bar Association, it is a great honor as well as an important duty to present such an esteemed panel to lead this timely and vital discussion."
The event will be moderated by Craig M. Boise, dean and professor of law at the Syracuse University College of Law.
The panelists are:
David D. Cole, national legal director, American Civil Liberties Union
Frank Figliuzzi, Jr., former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, NBC News/MSNBC national security analyst
Hon. Nan Whaley, mayor of Dayton, Ohio
Leonard Zeskind, founder & president, Institute for Research and Education of Human Rights, author of "Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream"
Law enforcement is paying increased attention to home-grown extremists, including radicalized white nationalists, who have been responsible for the rising number of hate incidents and mass shootings in the United States. But the desire to keep the public safe also has another side that isn't often discussed – concerns about potential civil liberties violations when law enforcement agencies conduct surveillance of groups and individuals based on their political beliefs and orientations.
The program will explore this, and other relevant issues raised by what the New York Times has referred to as the "white nationalist terrorist problem" that has resulted in a "brand of social media-fueled bloodshed."
About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
Contact: Christian Nolan