October 1, 2008
DeKalb, Ill. -- Northern Illinois University College of Law Assistant Professor Marc D. Falkoff is a recipient of the 2008 Bill of Rights in Action Award presented by the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC) in honor of his pro bono work on behalf of detainees at Guantánamo Bay.
The Board of Directors of CRFC annually bestows the Bill of Rights in Action Awards to individuals and organizations who, because of their professional commitment and community involvement, provide exemplary models of citizenship for our nation’s young people. Previous Bill of Rights award recipients include U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, former U.S. General Attorney Janet Reno and the late Illinois Senator Paul Simon.
In 2004, Falkoff was the principal counsel in filing the first habeas petitions requesting court hearings for 17 Yemeni detainees at Guantánamo Bay. The men had been held at the prison camp without having charges filed against them and without being convicted of any wrongdoing, which Falkoff asserts is unlawful under both the U.S. Constitution and the Geneva Conventions. A federal district court sided with Falkoff, ruling in January 2005 that the detainees are entitled to a hearing in civilian court. However, the passage of the Military Commissions Act by Congress in 2006 denied the detainees of their right to contest their detention before a civilian judge. Last December, Falkoff and other Guantánamo lawyers challenged the constitutionality of the law before the U.S. Supreme Court. Their case resulted in a landmark Supreme Court decision in June, which upholds the detainees’ habeas corpus rights under the U.S. Constitution and Geneva Conventions.
Professor Falkoff also was a finalist for the Freedom to Publish Award from the International Publishers Association for his book, Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak, which was published in 2007 by the University of Iowa Press. The annual award honors a person or organization that has made an important contribution to the defense and promotion of the right to freely publish. Falkoff, who has a Ph.D. in American Literature, collected poetry written by the detainees and had to overcome government obstacles to get them published. Profits from the book are donated to the Center for Constitutional Rights, a civil rights organization that has advocated extensively on behalf of the Guantánamo detainees.
Professor Falkoff joined the NIU Law faculty in August 2006 and teaches courses in criminal law, criminal procedure, lawyering skills and federal courts. He graduated from Columbia Law School and also holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from Brandeis University, an M.A. from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
The Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC) is non-partisan and committed to educating elementary and secondary students about their rights and responsibilities under the law. Last year more than 500 schools and school districts participated in one or more of CRFC programs—over 300 in Illinois; almost 100 throughout the U.S.; and over 60 in newly independent countries. Over 700 volunteer attorneys, judges, scholars, and policy-makers worked on the curriculum, the student programs, and in professional development for teachers.
###
Northern Illinois University College of Law Professor Marc D. Falkoff (left) is pictured with Ronald J. Allen, a member of the Board of Directors for the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Falkoff is a recipient of the organization’s 2008 Bill of Rights in Action Award in honor of his pro bono work on behalf of detainees at Guantánamo Bay.
For more information, contact:
Melody Mitchell
Alumni Events & Public Relations
(815) 753-9655 or mmitchell@niu.edu