AOI: Civil Rights
30 results
In Practice Fall 2022
Litigating Death Row: A Long Road of Loss
For 16 years, Jodi Lopez, ’03, fought to save Matthew Reeves’s life—and twice his life was spared. But the hard-fought victories that Lopez, Ben Friedman, ’13, and others won on Reeves’s behalf were reversed by the US Supreme Court. For Lopez and Friedman, the case raises salient due process questions that warrant examination of and discussion about the American justice system.
In Practice Spring 2021
Jerika Richardson, ’07: At the Nexus of Law, Media, and Advocacy
Last September, Jerika Richardson, ’07, joined the National Urban League as senior vice president of equitable justice and strategic initiatives, a newly created role within one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the country. Richardson will work in close partnership with the League’s leadership and its network of 90 local affiliates to establish lasting equity and justice through policy advocacy, civic engagement, and legislative reform.
In Practice Spring 2021
Jonathan Brater, ’11: Directing an Historic Election
When Jonathan Brater, ’11, was appointed Michigan’s director of elections in January 2020, the upcoming election cycle was already set to be groundbreaking. And then, on the night of the presidential primary in March, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the state’s first confirmed case of COVID-19.
Impact Spring 2021
For Denver-based Donor, Upholding Democratic Institutions Starts at Law School
Throughout his career in law and local government, Ford Wheatley, ’79, has firmly believed in the strength of American institutions and the nation’s democratic legacy. With a desire to ensure that this legacy endures for future generations, Wheatley established an endowed fund at the Law School to support research, teaching, and activities that reinforce the pillars of democracy.
@UMICHLAW
Valerie Jarrett, ’81: Looking Back and Moving Forward
“The fact that generation after generation of my family had overcome enormous obstacles to succeed, and my parents had made sacrifices so I could have the opportunity to be on that campus, was never far from my mind,” writes former White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett, ’81, in her memoir, Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward.
Cover Story Fall 2020
COVID in the Quad
On a Thursday morning, stacks of The Michigan Daily carried a front-page proclamation from the president of the University of Michigan: Effective immediately and in response to the spreading global pandemic, all students, faculty, and staff must wear face masks while on campus, walking on nearby streets, and at all University events until further notice. The announcement came on the heels of an order the previous weekend from the Michigan governor that banned all public gatherings until the escalating public health crisis was resolved.
Cover Story
Immigration Law: Protecting Process and Changing Lives
Immigration news is everywhere. It’s a complicated issue. While the pages of this magazine could be filled with stories about the immigration work being done by Michigan Law graduates, we’ve chosen to highlight the efforts of a few individuals closer to home who are working to protect process.
Cover Story
Michigan Law Team Advocates For Due Process In Iraqi Nationals Class-Action Lawsuit
Despite living, working, and raising a family in Michigan for decades, Usama “Sam” Hamama was one of more than 300 Iraqi nationals identified in 2017 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for removal. Returning to Iraq, they would likely face persecution, torture, or even death.
Cover Story
Students Aid Asylum Seekers In Dilley
A week before the fall 2018 semester started, Melissa Peña was pulling 13-hour shifts at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, where the largest immigrant detention center in the United States is located. “The stories were horrific, and by Thursday they were really getting to me. I had to step outside and take a moment for myself.”
Features
Raising the Curtain on a News Blackout
Harvey J. Shulman, ’72, read a letter one morning pleading for a litigator to fight against renewal of a Michigan television station’s license, saying its owner used news blackouts and manipulations for his personal and political gain. Shulman sat in his ramshackle office in Washington, D.C., transfixed by the accusations from the Lansing branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).