The People's Lawyer: The Story of the Center for Constitutional Rights - Softcover

Ruben, Albert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1583672370 ISBN 13: 9781583672372

Publisher: Monthly Review Press,U.S., 2011

Synopsis

There is hardly a struggle aimed at upholding and extending therights embedded in the U.S. Constitution in which the Centerfor Constitutional Rights (CCR) has not played a central role, and yet few people have ever heard of it. Whether defendingthe rights of black people in the South, opponents of the war inVietnam and victims of torture worldwide, or fighting illegalactions of the U.S. government, the CCR has stood ready totake on all comers, regardless of their power and wealth. Whenthe United States declared that the Constitution did not applyto detainees at Guantanamo, the CCR waded fearlessly intobattle, its Legal Director declaring, "My job is to defend theConstitution from its enemies. Its main enemies right now arethe Justice Department and the White House."

In this first-ever comprehensive history of one of the most important legal organizations in the United States, the Center forConstitutional Rights, Albert Ruben shows us exactly what itmeans to defend the Constitution. He examines the innovativetactics of the CCR, the ways in which a radical organization isbuilt and nurtured, and the impact that the CCR has had onour very conception of the law. This book is a must-read notonly for lawyers, but for all the rest of us who may one day findour rights in jeopardy.

About this title

About the Author

Albert Ruben is a screen and television writer and has served as an officer of the Writers Guild of America East.

Edition details

• Publisher: Monthly Review Press,U.S.
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1583672370
• ISBN 13: 9781583672372
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176