By KATE PIERCE
News Editor
The fourth annual Jurist in Residence program at Saint Rose will consist of a panel of legal and media experts discussing the topic of ethics in government under the title “Bribery or Just Access to Elected Officials: Tawdry Tales of Ferraris, Rolexes and Ball Gowns.”
The event is to take place at 5:30 p.m. on October 6 in the Touhey Forum of the Lally School of Education.
Saint Rose alumna U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska will provide an opening review of how Supreme Court decisions can affect recent lower court cases – including the rulings for the convictions of former state politicians.
Preska graduated from Saint Rose in 1970 with a degree in chemistry, and went on to graduate from Fordham University School of Law in 1973 after earning a juris doctor degree, and also attained master of laws degree in trade regulation from New York University School of Law in 1978. In 1995, Preska was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Saint Rose.
In addition to Preska, other panelists include Preet Bharara, Grant Jaquith, E. Stewart Jones Jr., and Rex Smith.
Preetinder Singh “Preet” Bharara is the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He is most recently known for the charges of Alain Kaloyeros and other former Andrew Cuomo aides.
Preska served as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from June 2009 through May 2016. She served as a member of the Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1998 to 2004 and on the board of the Federal Judicial Center from 2008 to 2012. Preska has also served on the Regional Panel to choose White House Fellows.
Bharara oversees the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States in the Southern District of New York since he was sworn into office in August 2009. Bharara and his office handle a high volume of cases that include domestic and international terrorism, narcotics and arms trafficking, white collar crime, public corruption, gang violence, organized crime, and civil rights violations.
Jaquith, first assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, will join Preska and Bharara on the panel. This past June Jaquith was awarded the Department of Justice Director’s Award for Executive Achievement in recognition for his work as a prosecutor and supervisor during the 27 years he’s been at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.
In his role as first assistant U.S attorney, Jaquith oversees all aspects of the operation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and represents the office in relations with federal, tribal, state, local and Canadian law enforcement agencies.
E. Stewart Jones Jr. is a criminal defense attorney based in the Capital Region. His legal practice concentrates on the representation of victims in personal injury and wrongful death cases of all kinds and in the defense of major criminal cases in all New York State courts and federal courts.
Rex Smith is the Editor of Albany Times Union. He has held the position since July 2002, and has been working in newspaper reporting and editing since 1974. Smith graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas with a bachelor of arts in American studies and from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism with a master of science.
In attendance will also be Carolyn Stefanco, president of Saint Rose, and Daniel P. Nolan, Saint Rose trustee and president and CEO of Hugh Johnson Advisors. Stefanco will provide the welcome, and Nolan will moderate the discussion and pose questions to the panel in addition to taking questions from the audience.
The program is free and open to the public with advance reservation. Those interesting in attending must make a reservation by emailing preskaevent@gmail.com or by calling 518-454-5204.
