In response to a question from Steve H, I wrote up a few items re the Joyce Foundation, funder of the Chicago Kent Symposium on the Second Amendment. The articles from this Symposium, published in the Chicago Kent Law Review, were cited by both the Fifth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals in their recent Second Amendment rulings.
a) A quick check of the Internet shows some interesting information.
The Foundation's web site indicates that the Joyce Foundation gives $millions each year in grants to address "Gun Violence". See http://www.joycefdn.org/programs/gunviolence/gunviolencemain-fs.html .
For example, the site indicates that the Joyce gave:
a) $800,000 to the Violence Policy Center in 2002 ("To support research, public education, communication, and advocacy efforts promoting public health oriented gun violence prevention policies."),
b) $1,200,000 to the University of Pennsylvania in 2001 ("To strengthen the Firearm Injury Center and to expand the Medical Professionals as Advocates Program. "),
c) $1,000,000 to the Violence Policy Center in 2000 ("To support its efforts to promote public health-oriented gun policy through research, public education, coalition building, and advocacy ").
The Joyce's site indicates that it gave $84,000 in 1999 to the Chicago Kent College of Law (at the Illnois Institute of Technology). The grant was "For a symposium and law review on the Second Amendment" . The Chicago Kent Second Amendment Symposium was held in April 2000 and the papers submitted at the Chicago Kent Symposium were published as an edition of the Chicago Kent Law Review -- See
http://lawreview.kentlaw.edu/Articles/76.1/contents76.1.htm.
Given the size of the Joyce grant, I assume the honoraria for the eleven presenters consisted of more than coffee and stale donuts.
b) Note how Carl T Bogus described the purpose of this Symposium in his introductory lecture ("The History and
Politics of Second Amendment Scholarship", page 24):
"With generous support from the Joyce Foundation, the Chicago-Kent Law Review sponsored this Symposium to take a fresh look at the Second Amendment and, particularly, the collective right theory. This is not, therefore, a balanced symposium. No effort was made to include the individual right point of view. Full and robust public debate is not always best served by having all viewpoints represented in every symposium.106"
c) As I've noted, one of the articles was submitted by Michael
Bellesiles and is a slightly re-written version
of Chapter Seven of Arming America. What is hilarious-- in view of Bellesiles' resignation, the revocation of the Bancroft prize, and Knopf's recent announcement that Arming America publication will be halted (and returned copies pulped) -- is that the other Chicago-Kent articles cite Bellesiles' work extensively, as can be seen by searching the articles for keyword "Bellesiles".
Plus the Chicago Kent articles have been issued in hardback under the title "The Second Amendment in Law and History: Historians and Constitutional Scholars on the Right to Bear Arms " --edited by the professor with the unfortunate name of "Carl T Bogus". See
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1565846990/qid=1042690233/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_4/002-8899428-5123204?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
You just can't buy legal scholarship like that -- although my opinion is that the Joyce Foundation certainly did try.
d) Another funny aspect is that the Violence Policy Center (VPC)
--recipient , remember, of million dollar grants from the Joyce -- promotes the Chicago Kent articles without noting that the articles were funded by the very same Foundation that funds the VPC "To coordinate a national media strategy on gun violence".
For example, in it's Dec 5, 2002 Press Release on the Ninth Court's ruling (that the American people have no Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms"), the VPC noted the following:
" Citing cutting-edge scholarship such as the 2000 Chicago Kent Law Review—Symposium on the Second Amendment: Fresh Looks, the Silveira decision details the history and
context of the Second Amendment, as well as existing legal precedent, and makes clear that the Second Amendment does not guarantee an individual right to keep and bear arms.
"
e) Don't laugh --it get's funnier. Another section of the Joyce
Foundation gives millions to promote campaign finance reform --in order to combat the "alarming extent" to which "private money"
determines "how policy decisions are made". See
http://www.joycefdn.org/programs/moneyandpolitics/moneypolmain-fs.html .
f) It's also interesting to see who runs the Joyce (see
http://www.joycefdn.org/about/aboutmain-fs.html , click on Board). The Chairman of the Board is Mr John T Anderson, Managing Partner at the law firm Lord Bissel and Brook. Another Director, Roger R Fross, is also Partner at Lord Bissel and Brook-- See
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/activistcash/donor_detail.cfm?DONOR_ID=139. Lord Bissel and Brook is a large Chicago law firm and employer -- see http://www.lordbissell.com/about_history.cfm .
I doubt that this escaped the attention of the faculty and law students at Chicago Kent.
a) A quick check of the Internet shows some interesting information.
The Foundation's web site indicates that the Joyce Foundation gives $millions each year in grants to address "Gun Violence". See http://www.joycefdn.org/programs/gunviolence/gunviolencemain-fs.html .
For example, the site indicates that the Joyce gave:
a) $800,000 to the Violence Policy Center in 2002 ("To support research, public education, communication, and advocacy efforts promoting public health oriented gun violence prevention policies."),
b) $1,200,000 to the University of Pennsylvania in 2001 ("To strengthen the Firearm Injury Center and to expand the Medical Professionals as Advocates Program. "),
c) $1,000,000 to the Violence Policy Center in 2000 ("To support its efforts to promote public health-oriented gun policy through research, public education, coalition building, and advocacy ").
The Joyce's site indicates that it gave $84,000 in 1999 to the Chicago Kent College of Law (at the Illnois Institute of Technology). The grant was "For a symposium and law review on the Second Amendment" . The Chicago Kent Second Amendment Symposium was held in April 2000 and the papers submitted at the Chicago Kent Symposium were published as an edition of the Chicago Kent Law Review -- See
http://lawreview.kentlaw.edu/Articles/76.1/contents76.1.htm.
Given the size of the Joyce grant, I assume the honoraria for the eleven presenters consisted of more than coffee and stale donuts.
b) Note how Carl T Bogus described the purpose of this Symposium in his introductory lecture ("The History and
Politics of Second Amendment Scholarship", page 24):
"With generous support from the Joyce Foundation, the Chicago-Kent Law Review sponsored this Symposium to take a fresh look at the Second Amendment and, particularly, the collective right theory. This is not, therefore, a balanced symposium. No effort was made to include the individual right point of view. Full and robust public debate is not always best served by having all viewpoints represented in every symposium.106"
c) As I've noted, one of the articles was submitted by Michael
Bellesiles and is a slightly re-written version
of Chapter Seven of Arming America. What is hilarious-- in view of Bellesiles' resignation, the revocation of the Bancroft prize, and Knopf's recent announcement that Arming America publication will be halted (and returned copies pulped) -- is that the other Chicago-Kent articles cite Bellesiles' work extensively, as can be seen by searching the articles for keyword "Bellesiles".
Plus the Chicago Kent articles have been issued in hardback under the title "The Second Amendment in Law and History: Historians and Constitutional Scholars on the Right to Bear Arms " --edited by the professor with the unfortunate name of "Carl T Bogus". See
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1565846990/qid=1042690233/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_4/002-8899428-5123204?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
You just can't buy legal scholarship like that -- although my opinion is that the Joyce Foundation certainly did try.
d) Another funny aspect is that the Violence Policy Center (VPC)
--recipient , remember, of million dollar grants from the Joyce -- promotes the Chicago Kent articles without noting that the articles were funded by the very same Foundation that funds the VPC "To coordinate a national media strategy on gun violence".
For example, in it's Dec 5, 2002 Press Release on the Ninth Court's ruling (that the American people have no Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms"), the VPC noted the following:
" Citing cutting-edge scholarship such as the 2000 Chicago Kent Law Review—Symposium on the Second Amendment: Fresh Looks, the Silveira decision details the history and
context of the Second Amendment, as well as existing legal precedent, and makes clear that the Second Amendment does not guarantee an individual right to keep and bear arms.
"
e) Don't laugh --it get's funnier. Another section of the Joyce
Foundation gives millions to promote campaign finance reform --in order to combat the "alarming extent" to which "private money"
determines "how policy decisions are made". See
http://www.joycefdn.org/programs/moneyandpolitics/moneypolmain-fs.html .
f) It's also interesting to see who runs the Joyce (see
http://www.joycefdn.org/about/aboutmain-fs.html , click on Board). The Chairman of the Board is Mr John T Anderson, Managing Partner at the law firm Lord Bissel and Brook. Another Director, Roger R Fross, is also Partner at Lord Bissel and Brook-- See
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/activistcash/donor_detail.cfm?DONOR_ID=139. Lord Bissel and Brook is a large Chicago law firm and employer -- see http://www.lordbissell.com/about_history.cfm .
I doubt that this escaped the attention of the faculty and law students at Chicago Kent.
by Don Williams on January 16, 2003 at 1:02 AM