Knox Alumnus Argues to Open Guantanamo Detention Trials

Knox College alumnus and trustee David Schulz '74, a leading First Amendment lawyer, wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times that the Guantanamo Bay trials of alleged terrorists should be open to the public and the press.

Schulz, a First Amendment litigator with the firm Levine, Sullivan Koch & Schulz, L.L.P., made that argument last week in front of a military judge at Guantanamo Bay. It marked the first time a military commission "agreed to hear such arguments from the press," he wrote.

The government, he added, "has a real opportunity to show its commitment to the rule of law by acknowledging that the public's First Amendment rights apply at Guantanamo." At present, detainees at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay are tried in military proceedings that are closed to the public.

Schulz's op-ed column, posted online April 18, appeared in April 19 print editions of The New York Times. The Atlantic Wire included Schulz's piece in its regular feature, "Today's Best: Five Best Thursday Columns."

Schulz graduated from Knox with a degree in economics and mathematics, and he has served on the College's Board of Trustees for more than 20 years. He earned a law degree from Yale Law School and a master's degree in economics from Yale University.

In 2011, Chambers USA selected Schulz as one of the top 10 First Amendment litigators in the country, calling him "extremely bright and effective."

Schulz heads the New York office of Levine, Sullivan Koch & Schulz, which focuses exclusively on First Amendment litigation. He has represented news organizations -- including The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Associated Press, television networks and other media outlets -- in cases involving access, Freedom of Information, libel, privacy and copyright.