Former Prosecutor of Sierra Leone Court to give keynote

Former Prosecutor of Sierra Leone Court to Give Keynote

February 2, 2011 – As part of a collaborative program of the Robert H. Jackson Center and the Warren County Historical Society, Justice Jackson's enduring legacy will be honored at an annual event honoring his birthday, to be held on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 7 p.m. at the Warren County Courthouse. This event is free and open to the general public.

Born in Spring Creek Township, Robert H. Jackson will be commemorated in the county of his birth—Warren County, PA. Jackson was a country lawyer from Chautauqua County who went on to be U.S. Solicitor General, Attorney General, Supreme Court Justice, and Chief American Prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Trials. The continued relevance of Jackson’s mark on history is very apparent in the impact Nuremberg had on the development of a modern international criminal court system, and is the focus of the keynote lecture by Professor David M. Crane. Crane—who serves on the RHJC Board of Directors and is Professor of Law at Syracuse University College of Law—was the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the first American Chief Prosecutor at an international war crimes tribunal since Nuremberg in 1945. Prior to the evening lecture, Professor Crane will address an assembly of Warren area students.

David M. Crane is a professor of practice at Syracuse, where he also earned his Juris Doctor degree and now teaches International Criminal Law, International Law, and National Security as well as the Laws of Armed Conflict. In 2002, he was appointed Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone by then Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. Through 2005, Professor Crane prosecuted those who bore the greatest responsibility for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other serious violations of international human rights committed during the civil war in Sierra Leone during the 1990’s as Chief Prosecutor.

During his decades of service for the United States government, Crane has held the positions of Director of the Office of Intelligence Review, assistant general counsel of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Waldemar A. Solf Professor of International Law at the United States Army Judge Advocate Generals School. Professor Crane also advises the Syracuse University College of Law online publication, Impunity Watch, which seeks to inform the world of human rights violations in real-time. He is also the driving force behind the Jackson Center’s annual International Humanitarian Law Dialogs, held at the end of summer.

This event is made possible through the generous support of the following sponsors: Century 21 Turner Brokers; Community Eye Care Specialists; D&S Glass; E.E. Austin & Son, Inc.; Falconer Printing & Design, Inc.; Hans Auer, Jake Kane, Peter Sullivan and Rick Wight with Chautauqua Lake Advisors at UBS Financial Services, Inc. in Jamestown, NY; Kingsview Paving; Pennsylvania Humanities Council; Robert H. Jackson/Samuel F. Bonavita Lectureship Fund; Robert H. Jackson Center; Russell Veterinary Hospital PC; Samuel F. Bonavita Estate; Schaffner, Knight & Minnaugh Co.; Warren County Historical Society; and Warren County School District.

The Robert H. Jackson Center’s mission is to advance the legacy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson through education and exhibits, and by pursuing the relevance of his ideas for our generation. The Center is located at 305 East Fourth Street, Jamestown, NY. Tours are available from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday and from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturdays. E-mail us at info@roberthjackson.org or visit us online at www.roberthjackson.org. For additional information, contact the Robert H. Jackson Center at (716) 483-6646.