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CHRISTOPHER ANZIDEI: On behalf of the American- Criminal Law Review I'd like to welcome you to our annual debate, this year entitled, "Mandatory Minimums in Drug Sentencing: A Valuable Weapon in the War on Drugs or a Handcuff on Judicial Discretion?" Before I introduce today's participants, let me say a few words about our format. Our moderator will direct each question to one participant. He will have five minutes to respond, and our other speaker will have three minutes for rebuttal. At the end of the debate, each participant will have five minutes to make a closing statement. I now have the distinct privilege of introducing our distinguished guests.
Judge Stanley Sporkin was appointed to the Federal bench in 1985, where he served at the United States District Court far the District of Columbia for the last fourteen years. Judge Sporkin attended Pennsylvania State University from 1949 to 1953 and received his law degree from Yale University in 1957. Prior to his appointment, Judge Sporkin spent twenty years with the Securities and Exchange Commission, serving the last seven as the Director of the Division of Enforcement, and five years with the Central Intelligence Agency, serving as the General Counsel. Judge Sporkin has received numerous honors and awards for his public service. Most recently, in May 1996, he was presented with the H. Carl Moultrie Award far Judicial Excellence by the Trial Lawyers of Washington, D.C. We are honored to have Judge Sporkin here with us today.
Representative Asa Hutchinson has served Arkansas' Third Congressional District in the House of Representatives since 1997. Congressman Hutchinson graduated from Bob Jones University and received his law degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Prior to his election, Congressman Hutchinson was Chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party from 1990 to 1995, and he served as U.S: Attorney far the Western District of Arkansas from 1982 to 1985. Appointed by Ronald Reagan, he was, at age thirty-one, the youngest federal prosecutor in the country at that time. Among his many duties, Congressman Hutchinson currently serves on the Judiciary Committee, where he sits an two subcommittees, Crime and The Constitution. Congressman Hutchinson is also a member of the Speaker's Task Force for a Drug-Free America. We are also honored...