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The war against terror will not be won on the battlefield alone, and few people know that better than the co-chairs of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism (CLC), Andrew C. McCarthy, one of the nation's leading experts on terrorism and the law,  and David Rivkin, a partner at the law firm Baker Hostetler LLP and former White House official.  The CLC examines the myriad legal issues that arise in the prosecution of the global campaign against radical Islamist terrorists.  It is a joint project of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the National Review Institute.


The Center for Law & Counterterrorism carries out its critical mission by:

  • Writing and speaking widely and publicly on the major legal disputes that arise in the war on terror;
  • Participating in litigation likely to be of significant consequence to our national security and our ability to prosecute the war successfully;
  • Organizing programs and seminars on the war's most salient issues;
  • Presenting nationally renowned experts from a broad ideological cross-section to provide both depth and practical suggestions for the way forward;
  • Testifying before Congress on national security issues.

Highlights of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism include:

  • Filing an amicus curiae brief supporting the legality of the National Security Agency's terrorist surveillance program as a tool of war at the president's disposal;
  • Serving as a consultant to the White House and Justice Department on the Patriot Act;
  • Providing policy makers with legal arguments that rebutted free-speech objections to the U.S. Treasury Department's designation of al-Manar, a Hezbollah owned-and-financed media outlet, as a global terrorist entity;
  • Joining the George Washington University Homeland Security Advisory Committee and the University of Virginia's Critical Incident Analysis Group in their expert task force to report to Congress on the radicalization and recruitment, for terrorist purposes, of individuals incarcerated in the United States; delineating the nature of the threat; and offering practical policy solutions to Congress;
  • Highlighting court rulings that both advanced and were harmful to prosecuting the war on terrorism;
  • Providing analysis in the congressional debate over terrorist surveillance legislation; and
  • Highlighting solutions to the Supreme Court's Boumediene decision granting constitutional Habeas Corpus rights to terrorists captured on the battlefield.

 

The CLC was established by FDD in January of 2007.

Image
CLC Co-Chair Andrew C. McCarthy

 

“Given the evolution of the war on terror over the past five years, the Center [for Law & Counterterrorism] could not be more timely.”

— Roger Pilon, Cato
 
Media

In the Media
Print & Online
Rigging the Numbers, National Review (02/01/2010)
Still Time to Get It Right, National Review Online (01/22/2010)
It’s the Enemy, Stupid, National Review (01/20/2010)
Gitmo Does Not Cause Terrorism, National Review Online (12/17/2009)
September 10? It's Worse Than That, National Review Online (11/13/2009)

See more Print & Online from Center for Law & Counterterrorism


Broadcast
Hannity, Fox News Channel (11/12/2009)
Accuracy in Media Conference, C-SPAN 2 (10/23/2009)
Secure Freedom Radio, Syndicated (08/25/2009)
The Lars Larson Show, Syndicated (07/16/2009)
Nightline Face-Off, ABCnews.com (05/13/2009)

See more Broadcast from Center for Law & Counterterrorism


Mentions
Interpol's Sec. Gen. Takes Obama's Orders Seriously, quoted by Valerie Richardson, Human Events (01/08/2010)
The 'Should We Stay or Should We Go?' Matrix, quoted by The New Republic (11/11/2009)
Sotomayor Has Scant Record on National Security, quoted by Tim Starks, Congressional Quarterly (06/03/2009)
Obama in Bush Clothing, mentioned by Charles Krauthammer, The Washington Post (05/22/2009)
Lets NOT meet the Uighurs, quoted by Newt Gingrich, Washington Examiner (05/15/2009)

See more Mentions from Center for Law & Counterterrorism


International Media
The Rutherford Show, CHQR - Calgary, Canada (05/14/2009)
The Last Angry Man, AM 940 Montreal (06/07/2007)
The Breakfast Club, Jamaica Radio (02/14/2007)
The World Tonight with Rob Breckenridge, CHQR 770, Calgary Radio (10/18/2006)
The Rob Breckenridge Show, Corus Entertainment (Canada) (12/19/2005)

See more International Media from Center for Law & Counterterrorism


Research

Studies and Monographs
We Need a National Security Court (07/16/2007)
Events

Andrew C. McCarthy to speak at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship
March 4, 2010
Center for Law and Counterterrorism Co-Chairs Andrew C. McCarthy and David B. Rivkin, Jr. to Participate in Federalist Society Panel
May 28, 2009
Andrew C. McCarthy Speaks at a Hudson Institute Event in New York City
December 2, 2008
Andrew C. McCarthy to Participate in International Law Weekend
October 17, 2008
Andrew C. McCarthy presents essay at the 2008 Bradley Symposium
June 4, 2008

See more Events from Center for Law & Counterterrorism

From the Blogs

Re: Did Obama Reverse Himself on Miranda Rights for Terrorists?, NRO The Corner (02/04/2010)
CIA Moonlighting, NRO The Corner (02/02/2010)
Will Congress Challenge the Justice Department on Those Bogus 'Terrorist' Conviction Numbers, NRO The Corner (02/01/2010)
General Hayden on Holder-style Counterterrorism, NRO The Corner (02/01/2010)
Stunning, Stubborn National-Security Incompetence , NRO The Corner (01/21/2010)

See more From the Blogs from Center for Law & Counterterrorism

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FEATURED EXPERT
Dr. Michael Ledeen is the Freedom Scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He is also a contributing editor at National Review Online. Previously, he served as a consultant to the National Security Council, the State Department, and the Defense Department... more
EVENTS
Reuel Marc Gerecht to speak at the Foreign Policy Initiative
February 11, 2010 —

Iran: Prospects for Regime ChangeIran: Prospects for Regime Change

The ongoing turmoil in Iran almost nine months after 2009's fraudulent presidential election raises questions about the continued viability of the Iranian regime...more

Dr. Michael Ledeen to speak at Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar
February 16, 2010 —

Topic: “US National Security: Threats and Challenges: The US and the Middle East Today...more

Reuel Marc Gerecht to speak at Stanford University about the Muslim World and Democracy
February 22, 2010 —
...more

FROM THE BLOGS
From Faster, Please!: What is Iran Planning for Thursday? , 02/8/2010
Khamenei, whose public statements should be taken seriously, is promising some sort of devastating "punch" against the West on Thursday the 11th, the same day as the Green Movement is calling for a monster protest against his regime...more

From The Long War Journal: Shabaab calls for jihad against Kenya by Bill Roggio, 02/8/2010
A senior leader of al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia has declared jihad against neighboring Kenya for supporting the weak Somali Transitional Federal Government...more

From The Long War Journal: Iranian-backed Shia terror group kidnaps US civilian in Baghdad by Bill Roggio, 02/6/2010
Issa T...more

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