Program
Friday, February 2, 2018
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.: Registration
Clay Hall Lobby (in front of Caplin Pavilion)
2:00 – 2:45 p.m.: Opening Plenary: Surviving the Age of Uncertainty: Self-Care and Sustainable Lawyering
3:00 – 4:15 p.m.: Panels – Concurrent Sessions
The Absence of Justice for the Black Community: Where Do We Go from Here?
Panelists will share their personal testimony about how they are restoring justice for the Black community. They will also share how the legal community can do the same.
and the National Lawyers Guild, UVA Chapter
Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and the Future of Criminal Justice
This panel will address the legal, social, and technological implications of efforts to incorporate artificial intelligence into the criminal justice system. Discussion will range from the possible reinforcement of racial stereotypes through data-driven policing to litigation strategy as the Supreme Court confronts the role of sentencing algorithms post-Loomis v. Wisconsin. Panelists will offer a balanced examination of the capabilities of AI and encourage future attorneys to engage with emerging technologies.
4:30 – 5:45 p.m.: Panels – Concurrent Sessions
RJ²: The Intersection of Reproductive and Racial Justice Lawyering
Women of color coined the term "reproductive justice" because communities of color are disproportionately impacted by reproductive oppression. Communities of color have historically been - and continue to be - precluded from exercising real, meaningful choices regarding their reproductive health and lives. This means that advocacy lawyering for reproductive and racial justice is inextricably linked. Our panelists have a wealth of experience working at the intersection of reproductive and racial justice advocacy, and would like to share their experiences and lessons for you to apply to your own advocacy.
and Child Advocacy Research and Education
Environmental Racism on a Warming Planet: From "Climate Refugees" to the "War on Coal"
As the United Nations moves to implement the Paris Accord on climate change, conservative critics here at home insist that the agreement disadvantages American workers in terms of lost coal-mining jobs and shuttered factories—a proverbial “war on coal.” They note that coal-mining regions in the United States already face high unemployment and poverty rates and are ill-prepared to survive a steep decline in coal production. Environmental advocates counter that a heavy reliance on coal delays an urgent need to transition to a clean-energy economy. Extreme weather events are already creating so-called “climate refugees,” from neighborhoods in New Orleans, to the indigenous people of Alaska, to displaced families in the Caribbean following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. This panel will consider how climate change—and climate change-related policies—are affecting a broad array of marginalized communities today.
and the Virginia Environmental Law Journal
6:00 p.m.: Keynote by Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The State of Civil Rights Today & The Modern Day Resistance Movement
Introduction by Vice-Dean Leslie Kendrick
Civil rights are under grave attack at the federal, state and local levels. Fragile gains have been lost as a new Administration works to roll back progress. This lecture will provide an overview of some of the unprecedented challenges faced by minority communities and discuss efforts being made to safeguard civil rights in this new environment. The centrality of the courts as a vehicle for protecting rights will be discussed.
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.: Reception (drinks and hors d'oeuvres)
Saturday, February 3, 2018
9:30 – 10:00 a.m.: Continental Breakfast
10:00 – 11:15 a.m.: Panels – Concurrent Sessions
Violence Against Trans People of Color: Legal Perspectives and Solutions
Activists and attorneys will provide perspectives regarding the violence transgender people of color face from citizens and the State. Panelists will also provide solutions on how the legal community should handle this issue.
and the Latin American Law Organization
Defending and Expanding Voting Rights
Since the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, conservative state legislatures have passed a wave of laws seeking to restrict access to the vote, many of them intentionally designed to target poor and minority communities. While courts have blocked several of the most discriminatory of these laws, many others remain in place. This panel of leading voting rights litigators will examine recent, current, and prospective cases, and identify challenges and opportunities to defend and expand voting rights moving forward.
11:30a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Workshops – Concurrent Sessions
12:30 – 2:00 p.m.: Networking Lunch and Awards Ceremony
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.: Closing Plenary: Legal Observer Training
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.: Registration
Clay Hall Lobby (in front of Caplin Pavilion)
2:00 – 2:45 p.m.: Opening Plenary: Surviving the Age of Uncertainty: Self-Care and Sustainable Lawyering
3:00 – 4:15 p.m.: Panels – Concurrent Sessions
The Absence of Justice for the Black Community: Where Do We Go from Here?
Panelists will share their personal testimony about how they are restoring justice for the Black community. They will also share how the legal community can do the same.
- Tiffany Graves, Director, Mississippi Access to Justice Commission
- Jeree Thomas, Policy Director, Campaign for Youth Justice
- April Goggans, Core Organizer for Black Lives Matter DC and Founder of #KeepDC4Me
- Fatima Mann, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Counterbalance: ATX
and the National Lawyers Guild, UVA Chapter
Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and the Future of Criminal Justice
This panel will address the legal, social, and technological implications of efforts to incorporate artificial intelligence into the criminal justice system. Discussion will range from the possible reinforcement of racial stereotypes through data-driven policing to litigation strategy as the Supreme Court confronts the role of sentencing algorithms post-Loomis v. Wisconsin. Panelists will offer a balanced examination of the capabilities of AI and encourage future attorneys to engage with emerging technologies.
- Moderator: John T. Monahan, John S. Shannon Distinguished Professor of Law, Joel B. Piassick Research Professor of Law
- Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Associate Professor at the University of Utah, whose current research interests lie in algorithmic fairness, and more generally the problem of understanding and explaining the results of black box decision procedures; NSF CAREER Award Recipient; International Conference on Data Engineering 2017 Test Of Time Award Recipient
- Andrew Selbst, Postdoctoral Scholar at Data & Society Research Institute and Visiting Fellow at the Yale Information Society Project
- Chris Slobogin, Director of Vanderbilt Law School’s Criminal Justice Program, Milton R. Underwood Chair in Law, Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry
4:30 – 5:45 p.m.: Panels – Concurrent Sessions
RJ²: The Intersection of Reproductive and Racial Justice Lawyering
Women of color coined the term "reproductive justice" because communities of color are disproportionately impacted by reproductive oppression. Communities of color have historically been - and continue to be - precluded from exercising real, meaningful choices regarding their reproductive health and lives. This means that advocacy lawyering for reproductive and racial justice is inextricably linked. Our panelists have a wealth of experience working at the intersection of reproductive and racial justice advocacy, and would like to share their experiences and lessons for you to apply to your own advocacy.
- Sequoia Ayala, Esq., MA, Policy Counsel and Program Manager, SisterLove, Inc.
- Tannia Esparza, Executive Director, Young Women United
- Jill C. Morrison, Visiting Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center/Executive Director, Women's Law & Public Policy Fellowship/Executive Director, Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa Program
- Cherisse Scott, CEO & Founder of SisterReach
and Child Advocacy Research and Education
Environmental Racism on a Warming Planet: From "Climate Refugees" to the "War on Coal"
As the United Nations moves to implement the Paris Accord on climate change, conservative critics here at home insist that the agreement disadvantages American workers in terms of lost coal-mining jobs and shuttered factories—a proverbial “war on coal.” They note that coal-mining regions in the United States already face high unemployment and poverty rates and are ill-prepared to survive a steep decline in coal production. Environmental advocates counter that a heavy reliance on coal delays an urgent need to transition to a clean-energy economy. Extreme weather events are already creating so-called “climate refugees,” from neighborhoods in New Orleans, to the indigenous people of Alaska, to displaced families in the Caribbean following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. This panel will consider how climate change—and climate change-related policies—are affecting a broad array of marginalized communities today.
- Moderator: Cale Jaffe, Director, Environmental & Regulatory Law Clinic, University of Virginia School of Law
- Tom Cormons, Executive Director of Appalachian Voices
- Jacqueline Patterson, Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program
- Marily Nixon '93, Professor of Practice, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
and the Virginia Environmental Law Journal
6:00 p.m.: Keynote by Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The State of Civil Rights Today & The Modern Day Resistance Movement
Introduction by Vice-Dean Leslie Kendrick
Civil rights are under grave attack at the federal, state and local levels. Fragile gains have been lost as a new Administration works to roll back progress. This lecture will provide an overview of some of the unprecedented challenges faced by minority communities and discuss efforts being made to safeguard civil rights in this new environment. The centrality of the courts as a vehicle for protecting rights will be discussed.
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.: Reception (drinks and hors d'oeuvres)
Saturday, February 3, 2018
9:30 – 10:00 a.m.: Continental Breakfast
10:00 – 11:15 a.m.: Panels – Concurrent Sessions
Violence Against Trans People of Color: Legal Perspectives and Solutions
Activists and attorneys will provide perspectives regarding the violence transgender people of color face from citizens and the State. Panelists will also provide solutions on how the legal community should handle this issue.
- Adeola Ogunkeyede, Legal Director, Legal Aid Justice Center
- Isa Noyola, Deputy Director, Transgender Law Center
- Charley Burton, board member for PFLAG and Black Transmen Inc., and a Native of Charlottesville
and the Latin American Law Organization
Defending and Expanding Voting Rights
Since the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, conservative state legislatures have passed a wave of laws seeking to restrict access to the vote, many of them intentionally designed to target poor and minority communities. While courts have blocked several of the most discriminatory of these laws, many others remain in place. This panel of leading voting rights litigators will examine recent, current, and prospective cases, and identify challenges and opportunities to defend and expand voting rights moving forward.
- Danielle Lang, Senior Legal Counsel, Campaign Legal Center
- Catherine Meza, Senior Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund
11:30a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Workshops – Concurrent Sessions
- DisOrientation: Navigating Law School with Your Values and Spirit Intact
- The Firm Lawyer's Social Justice Toolkit
- Free Ethics CLE (for attorneys)
12:30 – 2:00 p.m.: Networking Lunch and Awards Ceremony
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.: Closing Plenary: Legal Observer Training
- Dr. Jill Humphries, Senior Legal Observer National Lawyers Guild NYC, National Lawyers Guild National Legal Observer trainer
- Maggie Ellinger-Locke, DC National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Chair
