Jeff Sessions, the new U.S. attorney general under President Donald Trump, is no stranger to controversy. Sessions, who served as a U.S. senator for Alabama until the Senate confirmed him by a vote of 52-47, was confirmed on the first day of Black History Month. It’s a point of irony for some people who questioned his ability to run the U.S. Justice Department fairly and without bias after comments supporting the KKK, except for the hate group’s use of marijuana. In fact, his reportedly racist comments stopped him from being appointed as a federal judge in 1986. Teen Vogue recently talked with Shan Wu, a former federal prosecutor who worked for the same agency that Sessions is now overseeing, about the heavy-duty responsibilities that America’s newest attorney general is facing. Wu, who also served as an adviser to former Attorney General Janet Reno, explained that the U.S. Justice Department has…
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College students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) campus can get legal advice on campus and even hire a lawyer - for free. The university gives free legal help and represents students through a department called Student Legal Services. It’s a program that’s paid for completely with student fees. Shan Wu, a former federal prosecutor who’s based in Washington, D.C., and specializes in defending college students, said calling a lawyer should be the first thing you do if you think you could be in trouble. It’s a “no-brainer,” Wu said, particularly if the consequences of your offense - like suspension or expulsion - could affect your education. Of the 1,250 cases that Student Legal Services handles at the university each year, 25-30 percent of them are criminal charges. Of those cases, the majority are alcohol-related offenses. Jeffrey White, an attorney for Student Legal Services, said it’s crucial to get a…
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The longest-serving lawyer in the United States Justice Department died on July 12th. Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis was 76. Margolis began his service at DOJ under Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach who had been Attorney General Robert Kennedy’s Deputy Attorney General. Margolis served under 19 U.S. Attorney General's over the span of 51 years. The very definition of a career government lawyer, Margolis was a maverick in his dress code (he regularly wore T-shirts to meetings with Attorney Generals) but a loyalist in his heart. His obituary appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, and NPR to name but a few. Much ado about a mere civil servant. In the leadership offices at the Justice Department, one’s stature is marked by the difficulty of the matters placed in one’s “portfolio.” Margolis had the most difficult ones; including being tasked with the search of White House Counsel Vince…
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Outrage over a six-month jail sentence for a Stanford student convicted of the sexual assault of an unconscious woman is intensifying. A leaked statement from the perpetrator’s father saying his son was being unfairly punished for “20 minutes of action” went viral, as did a wrenching letter by the victim to the court. Thousands have signed petitions demanding a lengthier sentence and for the judge who oversaw the case to be removed from the bench. NPR forum, including Shanlon Wu, discusses the Stanford case and the problem of campus sexual assault. Article Link: http://ww2.kqed.org/forum/2016/06/06/2010101855045/ Listen to the show here TRANSCRIPT: Outrage Grows Over Jail Sentence for Stanford Sexual Assault Krasny: from KQUED public radio in San Francisco. Coming up on forum this morning on our opening hour outrage over a 6-month jail sentence for a Stanford student convicted for the sexual assault of an unconscious woman is intensifying. A lead statement from the…
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The circumstances surrounding the Stanford rape case that made international headlines for the rapist’s seemingly light prison sentence are, indeed, unique. As reported in The New York Times, former Stanford University champion swimming Brock Turner was convicted in March of sexually assaulting a 22-year-old woman behind a dumpster. Like many campus sexual assault cases, it happened after a liquor-fueled party at a frat house, and Turner initially claimed that the encounter was consensual. But unlike many other cases, Turner’s actions were halted by two graduate students who happened to be riding bicycles when they saw Turner on top of the victim, “thrusting his pelvis toward her.” In this article, Thomas Fuller of The Times interviewed defense attorney Shanlon Wu, who specializes in defending college students and also in college sexual assault cases. Wu told the reporter that this case “had unimpeachable witnesses.” “Someone was basically caught red-handed,” Wu said. Turner…
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