Date: Thursday, April 24, 2008
Subject: Meet Justice Goldstone of the Constitutional Court of South Africa

Justice Richard Goldstone will be receiving an honorary degree from Whittier College and delivering the Feinberg Lecture, The Current State of International Criminal Justice, at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at the Whittier campus.  Time has been allocated in Justice Goldstone's schedule for a private meeting with members of the Whittier Law School community from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. that afternoon.  Following this special meeting, you are encouraged to enjoy dinner in the Uptown Whittier area (or on the Whittier campus in the dining hall) and then to attend the public talk in the Ruth B. Shannon Center.  We are interested in ascertaining interest and availability of WLS students and faculty for this 4:00 p.m. meeting with Justice Goldstone.  Please respond no later than Friday, March 28th with your commitment to participate.  RSVPs are required for the public lecture as well.  RSVPs should be sent to Shannon Phillips of WLS' Student Services department. She can be reached at ext. 278.

Richard J. Goldstone, Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, is widely regarded as one of the leading advocates for justice and human rights in the world today.  Before taking a seat on the Constitutional Court, Justice Goldstone served as chairperson of the Standing Committee of Inquiry Regarding Public Violence and intimidation - later known as the Goldstone Commission.  The Commission played a critical role in defusing the political violence that erupted when apartheid in South Africa began eroding in the late 1980s, as the county moved toward its first democratic elections.  Later, Justice Goldstone served as the first Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International War Crimes Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and then as Chair of the International Independent Inquiry on Kosovo.  A principal figure involved in current efforts to create international mechanisms of accountability and prosecution, Justice Goldstone has been a forceful advocate in support of the creation of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

We hope that you will take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to meet with Justice Goldstone in a one hour informal setting at the Whittier campus.  Please RSVP as discussed above.