3/20/07--George Brown, the Robert F. Drinan, S.J. Professor of Law, will deliver the Drinan Chair inaugural lecture on April 4, 2007 at 4 p.m. in the Law School's East Wing Room 120.  His speech is entitled "Does the First Amendment Trump Justice? Elected Judges and the Conservative Dilemma."

Established through the efforts of the BC Law class of 1958, the new Chair honors one of the most influential and beloved figures at the law school, Former Dean and Congressman Father Robert F. Drinan.

Brown received his A.B. and J. D. degrees from Harvard University.  He has served as Legislative Assistant to the Governor of Massachusetts and as Assistant Attorney General of Massachusetts. In 1994, Governor William Weld appointed him Chair of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission. In the field of federal-state relations, Brown is best known for his articles on the jurisdiction of federal courts and on the federal grant-in-aid system. He has also served as Chair of the Section on Federal Courts of the Association of American Law Schools.

In the field of government ethics, Professor Brown has written several articles on current judicial developments.  His proposal for the use of state law in mail fraud prosecutions was adopted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a major anti-corruption decision. His current research focuses on the role of the courts in the War on Terror.

His most recent publications include "Counterrevolution? - National Criminal Law after Raich" in the Ohio State Law Journal, "Carte Blanche: Federal Prosecution of State and Local Officials After Sabri" in the Catholic University Law Review, and "New Federalism's Unanswered Question: Who Should Prosecute State and Local Officials for Political Corruption?" in the Washington and Lee Law Review.

Click here to read the original announcement of the establishment of the Drinan Chair.

More information on Robert F. Drinan, S.J. Professor George Brown can be found at www.bc.edu/law.