January 29: Cleveland - Genetically Modified Organisms and the Law

This event will feature an extensive discussion on the current state of genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling laws across the United States by a panel of attorneys who publish, practice, teach and/or research in the area of GMOs. The panel will address the two sides of the debate – supporters of GMO labeling and the rights of the consumer to make informed food choices versus supporters of H.R. 1599, which forbids states from requiring GMO labeling of crops under the First Amendment-rooted prohibition on compelled commercial speech. For attorneys practicing agricultural and food law in the state of Ohio, it will become integral to understand both sides of this debate in order to best advocate for their clients. This panel discussion will serve as an opportunity to explore all sides of the GMO labeling issue with legal experts in the field.
Title:
Genetically Modified Organisms and the Law
When/Where:
Sponsor
January 29, 2016
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
CWRU School of Law’s Moot Courtroom
Cleveland, OH
Speakers:

• Moderator - Prof. Jaime Bouvier serves as Co-Director of the Academic and Writing Support Program at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law and is a Case Western Reserve University Law School alumnus. Her writing and research focus on food policy and urban agriculture; including her contribution, “Backyard Chickens, Goats, and Bees, How Cities are Regulating Micro- Livestock,” to Urban Agriculture: Policy, Law, Strategy, and Implementation published by the American Bar Association. In addition to these and other roles, Professor Bouvier serves as the faculty adviser to the CWRU Food Law and Policy Society.
• Prof. Jonathan Adler is among the most distinguished members of faculty at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. His work covers the spectrum of Environmental, Constitutional, and Administrative law. Professor Adler is the Inaugural Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law and the Director of the CWRU Center for Business Law & Regulation. Professor Adler’s scores of publications include “How Not to Label Biotech Food” in The New Atlantis, “More Sorry than Safe: Assessing the Precautionary Principle and the Proposed International Biosafety Protocol” published in Texas International Law Journal, and the forthcoming article, "Compelled Commercial Speech and the Consumer 'Right-to-Know,'" in Arizona Law Review. Professor Adler also is a frequent contributor to The Volokh Conspiracy and is often consulted by many of the nation’s leading news providers about Environmental, Constitutional, and Administrative legal issues.
• Prof. Alison Peck serves as Associate Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law, where she teaches Property Law; Agriculture & Food Law; and Sustainable Development among other courses. Prior to her appointment at West Virginia University College of Law, Professor Peck received her LL.M. in Agricultural Law from University of Arkansas, where she was also a member of the faculty. Her recent publications include: “Does Regulation Chill Democratic Deliberation? The Case of GMOs” in Creighton Law Review and “Revisiting the Tea Party: The History of Regulating Food Consumption in America” in University of Missouri- Kansas City Law Review. Professor Peck is also the faculty advisor to WVU’s Agriculture and Food Law Society.
• Mr. Martin E. Levin is a solo environmental practitioner in Massachusetts and Senior Fellow with the nonprofit, Council for Responsible Genetics (“CRG”), Cambridge, MA. Throughout the 1990s, he served as Chief Environmental Prosecutor for the state of Massachusetts and led the investigation and successful prosecution of companies for environmental practices that put health and safety at risk. After moving to private practice, Mr. Levin was recognized as a “Massachusetts Lawyer of the Year” for bringing the first successful environmental class action in Massachusetts, representing approximately one thousand families adversely affected by an offshore oil spill. Currently, Mr. Levin works with CRG and the citizens’ group, MA Right to Know GMOs, to support mandatory GMO labeling legislation in Massachusetts and nationwide.

By:
The Food Law & Policy Group
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Credit:
Approved for 2 hours of in-person CLE credit
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