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Contact: Melody Mitchell, NIU College of Law
(815) 753-9655

October 13, 2004

John F. Banzhaf to kickoff public interest law
lecture series at NIU College of Law

DeKALB, Ill—Nationally known practitioner of public interest law, John F. Banzhaf III, famous for filing class action suits against the fast food and tobacco industries, will deliver the inaugural address of the Marla Dickerson Public Interest Lecture Series at 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 21 in the Francis X. Riley Courtroom in Swen Parson Hall.

Banzhaf, a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School, in Washington, D.C., is the NIU College of Law 2004 Scholar in Residence. While on campus, he also will make presentations to students in math, political science and communication.

Banzhaf began making headlines during the 1960s, pioneering the notion of suing tobacco companies for the deadly effects of their product. He has continued those battles for the last 35 years and is credited by many with bringing about the ban of tobacco advertising on television and smoking on airplanes and in restaurants.

More recently, he and a group of students sued the McDonald’s Corporation for misstating the amount of fat in its French fries, a salvo in Banzhaf’s latest cause, the fight to reduce obesity in America. His efforts were included in the recent documentary, “Super-Size Me.” The suit against McDonald’s was part of Banzhaf’s unique, and world famous, course in legal activism, in which students learn to become public interest lawyers by bringing their own legal actions.

Banzhaf’s accomplishments and background made him a perfect choice to kickoff the Marla Dickerson Public Interest Lecture Series, said LeRoy Pernell, dean of the NIU College of Law.

“The lecture series was established to bring distinguished speakers to NIU to discuss current issues relating to public interest and Dr. Banzhaf is certainly in the vanguard of such issues,” said Pernell.

The lecture series was created to honor the spirit of Marla Dickerson, a former NIU Law student who died in a plane crash in 1994 during her second year of law school. Her goal had been to use her legal education in public interest.

While on campus, Banzhaf also will speak to students outside of the law school.

At 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center, Banzhaf will hold a presentation titled “Public Interest Publicity,” detailing how he works with the media to gain coverage for his causes. The presentation is sponsored by the Department of Communication.

He will speak again at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 22, in DuSable Hall, room 412, with students and faculty from math, political science, law and related disciplines about what he calls “The Banzhaf Index.” In the presentation, Banzhaf will attack weighted voting and exposes the electoral college.

All of these events are free and open to the public.

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