Event Recap: Chicago’s Gang Database and Deportation

This year the National Lawyers Guild’s 2nd annual event on mass incarceration focused on the intersection of mass incarceration with immigration. The panel discussion looked specifically at the targeting of immigrants for deportation using the Chicago Gang Database, officially known as the “Strategic Subject List.”

NLG Secretary Rosie O’Malley moderated the panel discussion with these speakers:

  • Irene Romulo from Organized Communities Against Deportation
  • Sheila Bedi from the MacArthur Justice Center
  • Claudia Valenzuela from the National Immigrant Justice Center

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Recap: Walk in Our Shoes with MLSA

MLSA Diversity Week 2018 FlyerDuring Diversity Week 2018, our Muslim Law Students Association featured a panel of members who shared their stories as law students about how their faith has motivated them to join the legal field. They also addressed the types of discussions and questions they encounter about their religious practices and beliefs.

Shahina Khan, MLSA President 2017-2018, moderated the panel.

Panelists:

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Event Recap – Freedom of Choice and Freedom of Speech: NIFLA v. Becerra

On March 6, 2018, three student organizations hosted a panel to discuss the Supreme Court case National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra.

This event was sponsored by the Federalist Society at Chicago-Kent College of Law, The Round Table, and the Chicago-Kent Chapter of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy

The event featured three panelists:

The panelists shared their perspectives in a discussion on abortion, free speech, Roe v. Wade, and more. Their discussion was followed by an open Q&A with students in attendance.  Missed the event? Find the livestream video, tweets from the speakers, and photos from the event below: Continue reading “Event Recap – Freedom of Choice and Freedom of Speech: NIFLA v. Becerra”

Event Recap: The T in LGBT – Dispelling Myths and Raising Awareness on Trans Issues

Diversity Week Flyer for Lambdas 2018During Diversity Week 2018, The Chicago-Kent Lambdas hosted an event titled “The T in LGBT: Dispelling Myths and Raising Awareness on Trans Issues.”

The event was moderated by Lambdas Secretary Elisabeth Hieber and featured Reyna Ortiz, a Trans Latinx activist and author.

Elisabeth began by introducing the wide ranging work and talents of Reyna, then continued with questions she had prepared, from basic vocabulary to outreach and advocacy within and for the trans community. The event ended with an open Q&A with the audience.

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Meet Jun Qiu, Class of 2018

It’s hard to say where you’re most likely to meet Jun Qiu at Chicago-Kent. She has been quick to take advantage of every opportunity that matches her many skills and interests. In her time here, she’s helped create two new student organizations, served as a research assistant in the Law Lab and for Illinois Tech’s Institute of Design, and is now assisting law students as a TA for our Legal Writing Program.

She was recently recognized as one of National Jurist’s 20 “Law Students of the Year” for her contributions to her law school and community in the past year. Last year she attended the ABA TechShow 2017 for the first time and joined Twitter to expand her legal tech network. This week she’ll be speaking at the #LegalTech & Innovation Talks meetup hosted at Skadden during the ABA Techshow 2018.

At Chicago-Kent

Jun Qiu was already working as a CPA when she decided to pursue law school because she wants “to change the world, to promote justice and fairness.” Chicago-Kent drew her interest for its location and  legal writing program.

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Why Diversity Matters

diversity week 2018 flyerDiversity Week 2018 started off with a panel about what diversity means to law students and issues affecting minorities in the legal field.

Moderator Joanna Martin started the panel with prepared questions, then opened it up for a Q&A with the students in the audience. Our speakers shared their experiences in classrooms and courtrooms to show the value of including more diverse perspectives in the legal field.

While the student leaders agreed on many principles, they also offered contrasting perspectives about presenting their experiences in conversations or written statements like scholarship applications.

Panelists:

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“Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America” – James Forman Jr.

On January 17, 2018, Professor James Forman Jr. of Yale Law School visited Chicago-Kent to discuss his book “Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America,” which has been named one of the 10 best books of 2017 by the New York Times.

Professor Forman described how, while working as a public defender early in his career, he saw many of African-American prosecutors and judges using the same history that motivated him to become a public defender to instead justify incarceration of his clients, and he wanted to understand why.

Professor Forman said the “question of the book” is as follows:

For me, it was telling that story of the criminal system over the last 50 years through the lens of African-American prosecutors, police chiefs, judges legislators, citizen activists, everyday citizens – trying to figure out, through their voices, what was going on and how was it that at least some of them had come to think that these policies that the government, that the United States as a nation was pursuing made sense. Were they tricked? Were they coerced? What was the story? 

Continue reading ““Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America” – James Forman Jr.”

The Constitution and the Trump Presidency

This week Chicago-Kent faculty, students and staff observed Constitution Day 2017 with a panel discussion featuring Dean Harold Krent and Professors Sheldon Nahmod, Mark Rosen and Carolyn Shapiro. Professor Christopher Schmidt moderated the panel discussion and open Q&A following their presentations.

Constitution Day 2017 AudienceThis panel represented the range of constitutional experts at Chicago-Kent. Each faculty member was asked by the moderator to emphasize issues they saw as the most relevant, important, or pressing issues related to the Constitution and the Trump presidency so far.

The full event was video recorded – you can watch it in our YouTube playlist or find the individual videos with summaries and questions below. Continue reading “The Constitution and the Trump Presidency”

Recap: ACS Congressional Forum

The American Constitution Society hosted “Congressional Forum: Holding the President Accountable” at Chicago-Kent on May 31, 2017.  The event featured a fast-paced discussion from a distinguished panel, including Congresswoman Schakowsky, constitutional legal scholars and leaders from the American Constitution Society.

If you weren’t able to attend in person, we’ve gathered the social media coverage and videos from the event here so you can explore the many topics they discussed, from checks and balances to congressional investigations and pushback on executive orders for immigration.

ACSLP Congressional Forum: Holding the President Accountable
Panelists for ACSLP Congressional Forum

Videos

Video of the program has been excerpted by speaker and organized into a playlist, but you can also find the full length video here. (You can access the playlist using the three-bar “hamburger” menu in the upper left corner of the video frame below.)

Social Recap

A number of the attendees at this event shared their reactions and photos via Twitter and other social media – you can browse through this Storify list to read their personal recaps:
Continue reading “Recap: ACS Congressional Forum”

Professor Shapiro discusses the prospect of SCOTUS reviewing President Trump’s EO on immigration on “Chicago Tonight”

Professor Carolyn Shapiro was a guest panelist on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” on May 30, 2017, to discuss the prospect of the U.S. Supreme Court reviewing president Trump’s second executive order on immigration. The executive order, which would temporarily ban travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries, is blocked by an injunction recently upheld by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Professor Shapiro also commented on cases on the Supreme Court docket related to gerrymandering and whether religious institutions have a right to receive government funds.