Race in the Federal Criminal Court: Strategies in Pursuit of Justice

The history of the American criminal legal system is marked by racial inequity. Across time and space, numerous racialized groups – from the Indigenous Tribes of North America to the well-documented high rate of imprisonment among Black people to the Central American immigrants at today’s southern U.S. border – have been a focus of attention for the nation’s courts.

The annual Race in the Federal Criminal Court: Strategies in Pursuit of Justice is an inclusive program designed to share with everyone working pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act the many ways race impacts the administration of justice, and to provide strategies and innovation to combat racial injustice in the criminal legal system.

Areas to be addressed include strategies on litigating race from the police encounter on the street and the Fourth Amendment, roadmap for successful Batson challenges, practical tips in defending noncitizens, and ways to decrease racial disparities in detention hearings, charging, pleas, and at sentencing. In addition, sessions devoted to teaching a trauma-informed approach to interviewing, counseling, and other aspects of defender work, exposing racial disparities in risk assessment tools, learning ways diverse teams can work cohesively and effectively, and several other sessions dealing with litigation, mitigation, and professional development will be presented in both plenary and breakout sessions. We will also hear and learn directly from those who have experienced the cruelty of the law firsthand.

This program is open to everyone working with Federal Defender organizations and CJA panel attorneys. Yes, that means attorneys, investigators, legal assistants, paralegals, and literally all defense professionals who will find the program’s content valuable to their work.   

If you have questions about the content of this program, please contact Akin Adepoju at Akin_Adepoju@ao.uscourts.gov. 

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) accreditation for this program will be sought in all applicable jurisdictions. This program may satisfy CLE requirements in ethics, elimination of bias, inclusion and cultural competency, and professionalism.