Yesterday I attended an interesting luncheon celebrating the
92nd Anniversary of
the San Francisco Legal Aid Society. The event honored Colonel
William A. Gunn, who oversaw the defense of Guantanamo detainees before
military commissions. Lieutenant Commander Charles
Swift, who argued Hamdan v. Rumsefeld
before the Supreme Court and won, introduced his former boss.
With names like Bill Gunn and Chuck Swift, these guys
definitely should have been actors or rock stars. Both spoke eloquently and their stories were inspiring.
The theme of the event was “We’re off to see the future” and Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, the keynote speaker, offered three predictions for the future. Surprisingly, none of them involved UC Irvine School of Law’s impending domination.
First, Chemerinsky predicted that gay marriage would be
legal in the United States within his lifetime. Second, he argued that the SCOTUS would remain conservative for
at least a decade, regardless of who wins the next presidential election. Finally, he predicted that, within his
lifetime, the death penalty would be abolished in the United States.
As I’ve mentioned before, professors
are old. Chemerinsky, at 55, is no
exception, which makes his first and third predictions even bolder. His second prediction, though, seems at odds
with the other two. A conservative
court would likely not overturn the Defense of Marriage Act or a death penalty
law on constitutional grounds. I can
only assume that Chemerinsky is counting on electoral, and, thus, legislative,
shifts to the left on the gay marriage and death penalty issues.
Chemerinsky, a self-described optimist and lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, also predicted that the Cubs would win the World Series this year. Could he go 4 for 4?
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