09/29/2006: "Protecting Civil Liberties while Combating Terrorism"

The San Juan Island Outreach Group of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington will sponsor an educational forum entitled, "Protecting Civil Liberties while Combating Terrorism", at The Grange Hall in Friday Harbor on October 1, 2006 from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M.

This free, public forum is intended to foster a better understanding of the need to protect our civil liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights by the United States Constitution while combating the threats of terrorism. The forum is co-sponsored by the San Juan Island Group 607 of Amnesty International. Contact Roger deRoos at 378-6323 for additional information.

The speakers will be Mr. Michael Schein, a Seattle attorney and ACLU volunteer, and Mr. John McKay, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington.

Biographies

1. Michael Schein [pronounced "Shine"]
Michael Schein is a lawyer, writer, poet, and ACLU volunteer, who lives in Seattle with his wife and two daughters. He is an honors graduate of Reed College and the University of Oregon School of Law. Michael clerked at the Vermont Supreme Court, and has practiced general and appellate litigation for over 25 years. He was an Adjunct Professor of American Legal History at Seattle University Law School for 15 years. He serves as an arbitrator for the King County Superior Court, and as a mediator for the Washington State Bar Association. As an ACLU volunteer, Michael has had the pleasure of meeting a wide range of people, including students and teachers from middle school through graduate school, Rotarians, peace activists and police chiefs.

2.John McKay - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington

President George W. Bush nominated Mr. McKay to serve as the United States Attorney on September 19, 2001, and the United States Senate confirmed his nomination on October 24, 2001. Mr. McKay began his tenure as United States Attorney for Western Washington on October 30, 2001.

Mr. McKay attended the University of Washington, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1978. After working as an aide to Congressman Joel Pritchard (R-WA) in 1978 -79, Mr. McKay earned his law degree at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in 1982. He was admitted to the Washington State Bar and joined the Seattle law firm of Lane Powell Spears Lubersky in 1982, eventually becoming a litigation partner with that firm. During this time, he was admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

From 1989 to 1990, Mr. McKay served as a White House Fellow, where he worked as a Special Assistant to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C. Mr. McKay then returned to Seattle and joined the law firm of Cairncross & Hempelmann, later becoming the firm's managing partner.

Between 1997 and 2001, Mr. McKay served as the President of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) in Washington, D.C. Congress established the LSC in 1974 as a private, non-profit corporation to ensure equal access to justice under the law for all low-income Americans. Mr. McKay's tenure at LSC was characterized by a bipartisan approach to working with Congress, driven by a deeply held commitment to the principle of equal justice.

During his legal career, Mr. McKay has taken on leadership responsibilities with the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Washington State Bar Association. He has been a member of both the ABA Board of Governors and House of Delegates, and has served on the Washington State Bar Association's task forces on Opportunities for Minorities in the Legal Profession and on Governance. From 1988 to 1989, he was President of the Washington State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division. From 1995 to 1996, Mr. McKay served as the Washington State Chairman of the Equal Justice Coalition. In 1995, the Washington State Bar Association named Mr. McKay Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year, and in 2001 he received the Association's Award of Merit, its highest honor.

Mr. McKay is a Seattle native who grew up on Capitol Hill and attended St. Joseph's Grade School and Seattle Prep High School. He is the fifth of the twelve children of the late Dr. John and Katie McKay. He is single and greatly enjoys his 26 nieces and nephews.