William O. Douglas is one of the Northwest's most noted jurists, and the nation's. Living as a child for a period in Yakima, Washington, he developed an ardent appreciation for the wild unspoiled outdoor environment, mountain hikes and climbs.
He was appointed SEC commissioner and chairman by President Roosevelt, then to the Supreme Court, the youngest justice at age 40, since 1812, and since. He was a strong advocate of privacy, civil liberties and legal protections for the environment. He is the longest serving justice and a prolific author of opinions. Douglas also authored an article for the first environmental law journal, published by the Lewis and Clark Law School.
One of his most famous dissenting opinions is in Sierra Club (Mineral King) v. Morton. In that case, it was the Disney Corporation which wanted to develop a ski resort adjacent to Sequoia National Park. The opinion of Douglas was incorporated into the seminal book Should Trees Have Standing: Law, Morality, and the Environment by Stone. Stone's book, in 1972, is one of the early contributions to the theory of deep ecology. The eloquent opinion by Douglas in Mineral King argues that the environment be granted a form of personhood in defense of its destruction by corporate personhood. Stone extends the argument, noting that women and children were once considered objects, and without rights, or standing, under the law. Thus he argues, following Douglas, that there is a precedent for extending rights to the natural environment itself. That vision has not yet been attained.
Tonight filmmaker John Concillo and author Adam Sowards discuss Douglas. Concillo's documentary Liberty and Wilderness will be shown.
At the Kennedy School History Pub, 5736 NE 33rd 7PM Free
Slanguage is a social practice collective and residency operating for 10 years in Los Angeles. Karla Diaz and Mario Ybarra have made fascinating works including community and youth participations. They are extensively documented on the Slanguage website. A likely to be interesting talk! A part of the PSU MFA Lecture Series pdx.edu/art/mfa-lecture-series. In the Shattuck Hall Annex, 1914 SW Park Avenue, at the corner of SW Broadway and Hall on the PSU campus. 7:30PM Free
