April 20, 2010
Professor Stephen Vladeck spoke on the well-known 1861 case Ex Parte Merryman, which arose out of Lincoln’s secret suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in Maryland in response to riots, local militia actions, and the threat that the border slave state of Maryland would secede from the Union, leaving Washington, D.C., surrounded by hostile territory. His action was challenged in court and overturned by the federal circuit court of Maryland, led by Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, who also issued the opinion in the Dred Scott case. In his opinion, Taney raged against Lincoln unconstitutionally granting himself easily abused powers. Lincoln simply disregarded the ruling.
Professor Vladeck is a law professor at American University Washington College of Law. He specializes in U.S. constitutional law, national security law, international law, and has done considerable work defending the rights of persons imprisoned in the war on terrorism, including working on a landmark case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
April 20, 2010
Topic: "Lincoln and the Corruption Issue in the Election of 1860."
