The tagline of the Martha’s Vineyard Summer Institute, “from the front lines of politics, science and the arts,” proved too true last week when the program’s scheduled July 21 speaker, Cong. Barney Frank, was called back to the front. Mr. Frank and his colleagues in Congress won’t be taking their customary recess as the political battle continues over the federal debt ceiling.

But another formidable speaker, Kenneth Feinberg, will fill the July 21 bill.

Mr. Feinberg, an attorney, is the world’s preeminent practitioner of an unusual specialty: overseeing settlement payouts in the wake of such massive disasters as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. His talk on Thursday, Mass Tragedies and the Law: 9/11, BP Oil Spill and Agent Orange, will explore the challenges our legal system faces in responding to events like these.

The programs will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven. Admission to the talk is a suggested donation of $15. For details, see mvsummerinstitute.com.