World Can't Wait activists protest at a panel discussion at Boalt Hall on Thursday. Panelists discussed the presidency and the future of the courts after President Bush.

Contributing Writer

Clad in orange jumpsuits and black cloth, a group of about 20 people were pulled out by campus police after protesting a panel discussion moderated by UC Berkeley law professor John Yoo at the Boalt Hall School of Law.

Members of World Can't Wait, an organization opposing the current White House administration, protested against Yoo as the panel discussed the importance of the U.S. Supreme Court in the new presidential administration.

Group members cited former U.S Deputy Assistant Attorney General Yoo's alleged advocacy of torture in the Iraq War and support of a powerful executive body as reasons to protest.

"Yoo is moderating tonight, yet he is not non-partisan or neutral," said Giovanni Jackson, youth student organizer of World Can't Wait. "He is a war criminal responsible for undermining international law and supporting torture."

The expert panel discussion was part of the Institute of Governmental Studies' series "Choosing the President: Campaign and Governing in War and Peace," which kicked off last August and will continue until the upcoming presidential elections.

The panel focused on the importance of not just the next elected president but on the people he or she would appoint as well.

"People don't vote on judges and the court as an issue during elections, which is a current problem in our voting system," said William K. Kelley, associate professor of law at the University of Notre Dame.

As the panelist discussion progressed, protestors continuously shouted at Yoo, though he appeared unphased by the comments.

"Legalization of torture in the war must end. Yoo has authored torture memos and has advocated it," Jackson said. "He should not be a moderator and needs to be stopped."

Panelists from various disciplines included law professor Jesse Choper at Boalt and law professor Susan Estrich from the University of Southern California, said Ethan Rarick, director of the Center on Politics at the Institute of Governmental Studies.

"We're at a time where our only hope is courageous district judges to stand up for issues surrounding the war on terror," Estrich said during the talk.

Event organizers said the event was meant for open discussion, although they had hoped it would be respectful.

"We're fine with people coming to express their opinions even on the panelists and participants but it should not disrupt the event," Rarick said.

