From ABC7 | Original Article

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- The UC Berkeley School of Law graduation ceremony Saturday became a sounding board for a group of protesters, with many targeting commencement speaker U.C. Attorney General Eric Holder. They included medical marijuana advocates and those against the detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

"You are about to embark on your legal careers in an hour of particular consequence, at a crossroads in history," Holder said.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke about justice and national security in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, giving anecdotes of his own experiences, hoping to empower the more than 400 graduates of the 2013 class of Berkeley Law and people who came to see him at the Greek Theatre.

"It's an honor that he would choose to speak at our Law School, among others," Berkeley Law student Steve Erkel said. "I mean, he's a highly sought-after candidate, and it's just really a tremendous honor that he chose Boalt."

As he regaled Berkeley Law's 101st graduating class, the attorney general made a little time for light-hearted humor.

"That whole, you know, best looking attorney general thing is starting to get on my nerves," Holder said laughingly.

But all joking aside, the attorney general's appearance wasn't without controversy.

The group "World Can't Wait" was there to denounce the actions of Holder and Berkeley Law professor John Yoo.

"I'm here to protest U.S. policies of torture and indefinite detention, the situation in Guantanamo," protester Henry Norr said.

"I think it's disrespectful to protest a graduation, personally, but they're entitled to their opinion," said Berkeley Law student Kevin Kraft.

But as thousands focused instead on the graduates, so too, did Holder.

"We are counting on this Class of 2013 to make more fair and more just a world that now looks to you for the leadership that you are uniquely qualified to share," Holder said. "Congratulations and God speed."

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak will be the keynote speaker for the campus-wide ceremaaony next Saturday, while political science graduates will get a keynote address from Governor Jerry Brown on May 20.

From The Daily Californian | Original Article

James Tensuan/Courtesy

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder delivered the commencement address to UC Berkeley School of Law students on Saturday morning at the Greek Theatre.

Holder gave his speech amid protests from human rights and medical marijuana activists. In his remarks, Holder touched on some of protesters’ concerns surrounding the U.S. government’s policies on the legal prosecution of suspected terrorists. The attorney general also commended the graduating students for their sense of social responsibility.

“From protesting tuition increases across the state to rallying support for same-sex marriage, you’ve raised your voices on some of the most pressing issues facing your peers and fellow citizens,” Holder said of UC Berkeley students.

In the second half of his speech, Holder defended the civilian legal system against critics who claim that federal courts are incapable of handling terrorism cases.

“(Civilian courts) have enabled us to convict scores of people of terrorism-related offenses since September 11,” Holder said in his speech. “Hundreds are properly, safely and securely held in our federal prisons — not Guantanamo — today.”

Outside the ceremony, around five protesters wore orange jumpsuits and black hoods similar to those worn by prisoners and handed out fliers to people as they arrived. The protest was organized by the San Francisco chapter of The World Can’t Wait, an organization that aims to stop the use of torture around the world.

A similar protest was held at last year’s ceremony and criticized the continued employment of law professor John Yoo, who wrote a series of controversial memos for the Bush administration that defended the use of controversial interrogation tactics.

In his address to graduates, Holder criticized the policies Congress enacted in the aftermath of 9/11, saying that they had placed “unwise and unwarranted restrictions” on where terrorist suspects could be held, charged and prosecuted.

“We used techniques that were of questionable effectiveness but were certainly inconsistent with who we say we are as a people,” Holder said. “In short, many lost faith with our founding documents and our time-tested, effective institutions.”

A group of members of Americans for Safe Access, a marijuana advocacy group, also protested against the federal government’s stance opposing medical marijuana.

The demonstration follows a lawsuit recently filed by the federal government against Berkeley Patients Group, a medical marijuana dispensary in Berkeley.

Throughout the ceremony, a plane circled the theater, towing a banner that read “Holder End RX Cannabis War #Peace4Patients.”

Holder, however, ended his address on a positive note, encouraging graduates to advocate for justice.

“Use your unique skills, your idealism and the power that your new law degree affords to better yourselves, to improve your communities and to solve the complex problems that undoubtedly lie ahead,” he said.