The China Initiative: The Department of Justice's Use of Criminal Law to Counter a "China" Threat

Please join the USC U.S.-China Institute for an online discussion with Professor Margaret Lewis on how the US government's use of criminal prosecutions to address a broad "China" threat is at tension with the criminal justice system.

Watch a video of the presentation.

The Department of Justice launched the "China Initiative" in 2018 to counter national security threats emanating from the People's Republic of China. That the PRC party-state has been linked to violations of US law is clear. What deserves further scrutiny is how the US government's use of criminal prosecutions to address a broad "China" threat is at best in tension with foundational principles of the United States’ criminal justice system. Prof. Lewis’s presentation will draw upon her new paper.

Professor Margaret Lewis teaches law at Seton Hall University. Her research focuses on law in China and Taiwan with an emphasis on criminal justice and human rights. She’s published widely, has participates in the State Department’s U.S.-China legal dialogue and has testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. She’s been a practicing attorney, a research fellow at New York University’s U.S.-Asia Law Institute, and a U.S. Court of Appeals law clerk.

After Prof. Lewis’s presentation, USC’s Brian Peck and Clayton Dube will raise questions. Audience members are also welcome to submit questions. Peck teaches in the USC Gould School of Law and heads the Center for Transnational Law and Business. Dube heads the USC U.S.-China Institute.

USC Gould School of Law, a State Bar of California-approved MCLE provider, certifies that this activity qualifies for minimum continuing legal education credit in the amount of 1.25 hours (in the participatory category). Please complete the MCLE paperwork at the conclusion of the webinar: https://usc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_250sFMS4B5AygbH.  MCLE Certificates will be emailed after the program if the paperwork has been completed.