Former Defense Secretary William Cohen will reprise his role as moderator of the second annual Holmes Debates from 1 to 5 p.m. today in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building.

This year’s debates, featuring Justice Department officials and leading academics, will consider different legal aspects and concerns related to prosecuting the war on terror.

Debating the Patriot Act will be Deputy Assistant Attorney General David Nahmias and Kim Lane Scheppele, a University of Pennsylvania law and sociology professor. Patrick Philbin, associate deputy attorney general, and Georgetown University law professor David Cole will spar over First Amendment rights. Finally, considering the topic of enemy combatants and military tribunals will be Assistant Attorney General Dan Bryant and Orin Gross, an associate law professor at the University of Minnesota’s law school.

The afternoon’s debates will also include Russian and French officials discussing their respective nations’ approaches to prosecuting criminal activities in light of current terrorist threats.

The debates, sponsored by the Law Library of Congress, the Burton Foundation and Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P., are named in honor of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who served for more than 30 years on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Energy Hall of Fame Inducts Two Hill Staffers

In an effort to recognize government employees who champion energy efficiency causes, the Alliance to Save Energy inducted two Hill staffers and one Environmental Protection Agency employee into its new Energy Efficiency Hall of Fame last week.

The awardees include Loretta Beaumont, lead energy staff assistant for the House Appropriations subcommittee on Interior and related agencies; Deborah Estes, Democratic counsel for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee; and Kathleen Hogan, director of the Climate Protection Partnership at the EPA.

“With enormous dedication, each of these outstanding women has advanced energy efficiency for more than a decade,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan in a statement. “But to date, none has received recognition equal to her efforts. That’s why the Alliance is delighted to honor them as the first inductees into our new Energy Efficiency Hall of Fame.”

Beaumont is a 16-year Appropriations staffer, while Estes has spent 14 years on the Senate side. Hogan managed the EPA’s industry partnership programs designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions while reducing home and business energy costs for more than 14 years.

— Bree Hocking and John McArdle