Since its inception, the U.S. Constitution has implicitly and explicitly approved of the institution of slavery and the racial caste system it necessitated. That legacy has deeply influenced how our nation's criminal legal system has operated to control and abuse Black bodies—as well as the bodies of other People of Color—and destabilize their communities through over-criminalization, over-policing, and over-incarceration. Racism is so endemic in our criminal legal system that even laws that should protect Black communities, such as those aimed at white supremacist terror, hate crimes, and gun violence, ultimately end up disproportionately enforced against the people in those communities.

Join ACS for a discussion that explores these issues and considers how restorative justice and other less traditional approaches might offer a path toward maintaining public safety without further empowering a criminal legal system tainted by a legacy of institutional racism.

Introductory Remarks:

Russ Feingold, President, American Constitution Society

Featuring:

I. Bennett Capers, Professor of Law and Director of Center on Race, Law & Justice, Fordham University Law School

Seema Gajwani, Special Counsel for Juvenile Justice Reform and Chief of the Restorative Justice Program Section, District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General

Taja-Nia Henderson, Professor of Law (on leave) and Dean, Rutgers University Graduate School-Newark

Jamiles Lartey, Staff Writer, The Marshall Project, Moderator

Vincent Warren, Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights

This event has been approved for 1 hour of CLE credit. Please find the reading materials here, as well as the Record of Attendance, Certificate of Attendance, and Evaluation Form.

As the nation's leading progressive legal organization, ACS is committed to ensuring that all aspects of our events are accessible and enjoyable for all. If you require any accommodations, please contact us at info@acslaw.org. 

The William & Mary Law ACS Student Chapter welcomes three Virginia Commonwealth's Attorneys - Gregory Underwood of Norfolk, Stephanie Morales of Portsmouth, and Collette McEachin of Richmond - for a panel discussion on progressive approaches to prosecution, moderated by Professor Jeffrey Bellin.

About the speakers: 

As Commonwealth's Attorney, Mr. Underwood implemented a policy of dismissing simple marijuana possession charges. He fought for this policy up to the Virginia Supreme Court, which ruled against him in May 2019. Mr. Underwood also promised not to enforce a law preventing the removal of confederate monuments, allowing the City to move an 80-foot statue from the center of Norfolk to a local cemetery in 2017. 

Ms. Morales was the first woman to be elected Commonwealth's Attorney in Portsmouth. She has committed her office to a community prosecution model focused on ensuring safety and procedural justice. Her “Ctrl+Alt+Del Program” has taught effective re-entry strategies in state prisons, and has helped reduce recidivism by working with citizens who have re-entered into the community to restore their voting rights and help them become productive community members. 

Ms. McEachin supports decriminalizing marijuana, banning guns in public buildings and parks, and diverting low-level nonviolent offenders from jail. She is committed to continuing analysis of the root causes of crime, wants to slow recidivism and provide alternatives to incarceration--reducing felony charges to misdemeanors when possible--and hopes to create specialty mental health and substance use dockets.

To attend this event, please click here.

Join the Minnesota Law ACS Student Chapter for an important discussion on the progress and process of court reform with nationally recognized legal scholars.

Featuring:

Professor Aziz Huq, University of Chicago Law School

Professor Steve Vladeck, University of Texas School of Law

To attend this event, please register here.

Join the UConn Law ACS Student Chapter, the UConn Law Latino Law Student Association, Human Rights Law Association, and the National Lawyers Guild for a four-part series on Labor and Workers Rights.

The third event in our series will take place Monday, March 30, 2021 from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm ET and will discuss The Labor Movement in 2021.

To attend this event, please register here.

Join ACS Georgetown Student Chapter and the ACS DC Lawyer Chapter for an informal opportunity to connect with practicing attorneys from a wide range of practice areas.

Networking event between students and practicing attorneys who are a part of the ACS DC Lawyers Chapter.