Justice at Home

"But the Declaration of Independence does not stop with mere denials
and negations. It sets forth great affirmations as to the permissible
foundations of power and political leadership among free men. It lays down
a fighting faith in the rights of man—merely as man—a faith to die by if
need be, or even more bravely to live by. It impresses upon all political
power the high obligation of trusteeship. It established an accountability by
the governing few to the governed many. That is why men abroad who
wield dictatorial powers over subject peoples would silence the reading of
the Declaration of Independence, would tear all mention of it from the
record, and torture all recollection of it out of the minds of men. Even at
home there are some who hope it will not be read too loudly."

-Robert H. Jackson, Independence Day Address

Welcome to Justice at Home, a special edition newsletter from the Robert H. Jackson Center that will hit your inbox every 3 weeks with updates on our virtual programming, lesson plans and lectures, and interesting finds from our digital archives. 

If you enjoy this newsletter, please pass it on to a friend and share it on your social media pages. Make sure to tag us (@roberthjacksoncenter) and use the hashtag #JusticeatHome.

Every Thursday at 3pm live on our Facebook page, Tea Time with the Jackson Center takes both a look back at Jackson's place in history and a look forward showing how his legacy influences current events. You do not have to have a Facebook account to join us - simply click here to see our Facebook page, watch previous #TeawithRHJC events, and join us live on Thursdays at 3pm. The recorded videos are also uploaded onto the Jackson Center's website & YouTube channel.

This week, David M. Crane, Founding Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and Robert H. Jackson Center board member and Kristan will discuss his experiences establishing the Special Court and his work in Sierra Leone, which is detailed his new book, Every Living Thing: Facing Down Terrorists, Warlords and Thugs in West Africa — A Story of Justice. 

Recent guests have included:

 -Avery Gardiner, Lydia X. Z. Brown, and Hannah Quay-de la Vallee of the Center for Democracy and Technology discussing equity and technology.

 -Jeff Howell, Executive Director and Chief Counsel of the Global Accountability Network (GAN), discussing GAN's efforts to support investigation and documentation of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

If you have a Facebook account, follow our page and share the videos with your family and friends on social media using the hashtag #TeawithRHJC.

Justice Robert H. Jackson's Closing Argument at Nuremberg 

Justice Robert H. Jackson, the United States Chief of Counsel at the Nuremberg Trials, delivered his closing argument to the International Military Tribunal (IMT) on July 26, 1946. In these filmed excerpts, the scenes of Jackson in a long necktie are trial footage, and the scenes of Jackson in tuxedo were filmed after hours, in the empty courtroom, for the U.S. historical record. Click on the video above to see excerpts of the speech on our YouTube channel.

From Jackson's Desk

Robert H. Jackson was a gifted orator and writer, and many of his articles and transcripts of his speeches are housed on our website. We feature them in our weekly #TuesdayMotivation and #SundayQuote on the Jackson Center's social media pages. 

We are tapping into the resources of The Jackson List for this issue's featured speech because it has been inspiring us over the last several weeks, and we hope it will do the same for you. The Jackson List is an archive of Professor John Q. Barrett's posts on Justice Jackson, the Supreme Court, Nuremberg, and related topics. Professor Barrett is a Professor of Law at St. John's University and Robert H. Jackson Center board member and Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow.

"But if the patriots of 1776 risked little by action, we risk much by
indifference. Today we risk the loss of a physical, cultural, and spiritual
heritage of freedom far beyond the most inspired visions of the leaders of
’76. And the more of the world that ceases to be democratic, the greater our
risk will be. We do not need to be imprudent or foolhardy, but we should
recognize that no amount of cautious behavior, no amount of polite talk, will
earn for us the friendship and goodwill of dictator systems. Ultimately we
must come to the day when we shall face their threats and their enmity for
no other reason than that we persist in living the kind of life we live."

Read the Jackson List post and the speech in its entirety here. 

 This Month in Jackson History

July 7, 1941- Jackson was confirmed by the United States Senate as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court.

July 9, 1941- "Once Jackson was safely confirmed, Department of Justice friends organized a celebration. On Wednesday evening July 9th, Department personnel saluted Jackson at a farewell reception and cocktail party in the main ballroom at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel.” Read more from the Jackson List here.

July 11, 1941- Robert H. Jackson was commissioned as the 82nd Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. 

July 19, 1919- Robert and Irene Jackson's first child, William Eldred Jackson, was born in Jamestown, NY. 

July 21, 1945- “It was time to make a group inspection trip to Nuremberg, located in the U.S. occupation zone of the former Germany. Justice Jackson, following U.S. Army advice and based on his observations during a brief inspection stop in Nuremberg two weeks earlier, was recommending it as the international trial site.” Read more on the choosing of Courtroom 600 here. 

July 26, 1946- Jackson gives the closing statement as the Chief of Counsel for the United States at the Nuremberg Trials.

From the Archives

Jackson loved picnics, and the press confirmed his culinary skills in this magazine clip from our archives. The caption reads, “A good softball player, he’s even better as a campfire cook. He exercised both talents at a picnic he threw for his solicitors last summer when this picture was taken. Jackson cooked the steaks for the party, and his guests swear they were excellent.” 

The Age of Robert H. Jackson - London, Nuremberg, Today

Join us for this free global webinar as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the signing of the London Agreement and Charter and the establishment of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg on Saturday, August 8, 2020 – live at 9am EDT, 2pm BST, and 3pm CEST.

We will commemorate these historic events and discuss how the legacy of Robert H. Jackson and the Nuremberg Trials live in the world today.

Preregistration is required. You will receive a Zoom link to the webinar once you have registered. The webinar will be offered in English only and will be recorded.

Webinar Schedule

• Welcome: Kristan McMahon, President of the Robert H. Jackson Center
• Greetings: Ben Ferencz, last living podium prosecutor, Investigator of Nazi war crimes & the chief prosecutor for the United States Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trial
• Historical overview: John Q. Barrett, Professor of Law at St. John’s University, Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow and Board member at the Robert H. Jackson Center
• Moderator: Michael Scharf, Dean, Case Western Reserve School of Law 

Panelists

From the Robert H. Jackson Center:

• David Crane, Founding Chief Prosecutor, Special Court for Sierra Leone
• James Johnson, Prosecutor, Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone
• Leila Sadat, Director, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law, and Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity to the ICC Prosecutor
   

From London:

• Andrew Cayley, CMG QC, Director Service Prosecutions, Chief Military Prosecutor British Armed Forces.
• Mark Ellis, Executive Director, International Bar Association
• William A. Schabas, OC MRIA, Professor of International Law, School of Law, Middlesex University and Professor of International Criminal Law and Human Rights, Leiden University
   

From Nuremberg:

• Henrike Claussen, Director, Memorium Nuremberg Trials
• Navi Pillay, President of the Advisory Council, International Nuremberg Principles Academy
• Klaus Rackwitz, Director, International Nuremberg Principles Academy

Thank you to our program partners!

Your Gifts, Your Future

   Your gift of any amount to our 2020 Annual Fund helps support the Robert H. Jackson Center's curriculum-based grade school programs, summer internships for college and law students, Teacher Fellows program, notable lecture series, CLEs, and topical forums that invite meaningful conversations about important issues of law. With a gift of just $10 or more, consider joining our Bench Circle of monthly or quarterly supporters today and help sustain the kind of world in which you want to live.