Tech, Law & Security Program

Fireside Chat

The Army and the Ascending Arc of Justice

Geoffrey S. Corn & Brigadier General Ronald D. Sullivan

^{April 8 | 12:00 - 1:00pm ET | Hybrid Event | NT01 | Reception to follow}

Registration Requested

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This special edition fireside chat discussion will discuss the Army's recent decision to overturn the convictions of 110 Black soldiers tried during the 1917 Camp Logan military trials. More information on the topic can be found here. 

We are excited to co-sponsor this event with the Academy on Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, the WCL Civil-Military Society, the Office of Public Interest, the Program on Law & Government, and the Stephen S. Weinstein Advocacy Program. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERs

Geoffrey S. Corn

Geoffrey S. Corn is the George R. Killam Jr. Chair of Criminal Law and Director of the Center for Military Law and Policy.

Professor Corn came to Texas Tech University School of Law from South Texas College of Law Houston where he was the Gary A. Kuiper Distinguished Professor of National Security. 

Prior to joining the South Texas College of Law Houston faculty in 2005, Professor Corn served in the U.S. Army for 21 years as an officer, and a final year as a civilian legal advisor, retiring in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Professor Corn's teaching and scholarship focuses on the law of armed conflict, national security law, criminal law and procedure, and prosecutorial ethics. He has appeared an expert witness at the Military Commission in Guantanamo, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and in federal court.

He is co-author of Criminal Law: Classroom to Courtroom (forthcoming), The Law of Armed Conflict: An Operational Perspective, The Laws of War and the War on Terror, National Security Law and the Constitution, National Security Law and Policy: a Student Treatise, The Law in War: A Concise Overview, and Principles of Counter-Terrorism Law.

His Army career included service as the Army's senior law of war expert advisor, tactical intelligence officer in Panama; supervisory defense counsel for the Western United States; Chief of International Law for US Army Europe; Professor of International and National Security Law at the US Army Judge Advocate General's School; and Chief Prosecutor for the 101st Airborne Division. He earned is B.A. from Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, his J.D. with highest honors from George Washington University, his LLM as the distinguished graduate from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's School. He is also a distinguished military graduate of U.S. Army Officer Candidate School, and a graduate of U.S. Army Command and General Staff Course.

View his CV here.

Brigadier general ronald d. sullivan

Brigadier General Ronald D. Sullivan serves as the Chief Judge for U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals (Individual Mobilization Augmentee). His previous assignments in the U.S. Army Reserve include: Staff Judge Advocate for the 377th Theater Sustainment Command (Louisiana); Deputy Commanding Officer (East) of the U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command (Maryland); Commander of the 87th Legal Operations Detachment (LOD) (Utah); Command Judge Advocate for the Central Medical Area Readiness Group (Illinois); Deputy Commander of the 2nd LOD (Louisiana); Deputy Team Leader & Team Leader of the 1st LOD (Texas); Assistant General Counsel at the Army Air Force Exchange Service (Texas); and his first Army Reserve assignment, in 2006, was as a Training Officer at the U S. Army Trial Defense Service, Defense Counsel Assistance Program (Virginia). In his civilian capacity, he is the Chief of Acquisition, Personnel and Ethics Law for the U.S. Army Futures Command, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate in Austin, Texas.

Brigadier General Sullivan was raised in San Antonio, Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration (Information Systems) degree from Howard University, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1993. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from The University of Kansas, School of Law in 1996.

Brigadier General Sullivan served on Active Duty from 1996 to 2005. His initial assignment was at the 10th Mountain Division (LI) & Fort Drum (New York), where he completed assignments in: Legal Assistance, International and Operational Law, and Military Justice (Trial Counsel). In June 1999, he transferred to the Army Trial Defense Service, at Fort Meade (Maryland), where he was a Trial Defense Counsel and OIC. In July 2001, he transferred to the Contract Appeals Division (Virginia) where he served as a Trial Attorney. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the General Crimes Team Chief for the DoD Defense, Office of Military Commissions, Office of the Chief Prosecutor assigned to the Pentagon - he was a lead prosecutor on the U.S. v. David Hicks prosecution team, a case tried in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Brigadier General Sullivan’s military education includes a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, The Combined Arms and Services Staff School, The Judge Advocate Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, and The U.S. Army Airborne School. Brigadier General Sullivan is licensed to practice law in Kansas and Texas. He is admitted to practice in multiple federal courts including the United States Supreme Court. His military awards and decorations include: The Defense Meritorious Service Medal, The Army Meritorious Service Medal (with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), and the Parachutist Badge.