Constance Baker Motley Speaker Series on Racial Inequality

Webinar
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)

The Rules of Evidence are used on a daily basis in the legal system, but little thought is given to how those rules reflect the cultural norms, sensibilities, and racial biases operating at an institutional and societal level at the time they were written. Practitioners and laypeople alike may believe that the Rules of Evidence are unbiased and equitable, but we find racially coded language throughout, and the application of these rules cannot escape the system in which they are employed. Often times, race and racism themselves are used as de facto evidence and sources of proof. This program will explore the development of the Rules of Evidence, examining what was going on at the time the rules were developed, the many examples of how parties do not experience equitable evidentiary burdens, and the negative effect that racially-biased use of the Rules of Evidence can have on the economic empowerment of people of color. From lack of evidentiary scrutiny to the introduction of antiracist expert evidence, we can see how race is used as a proxy for credibility and character, further enflaming racial stereotypes and negatively influencing jurisprudential decision making.

Webinar
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)

The right to vote is the foundation of American democracy, enabling the ordinary citizen to raise their voice to reflect the collective will of the American people. But can the promise that a vote represents be realized when voters are confronted with significant obstacles to exercising that right? For generations, Black voters and other voters of color have faced discriminatory policies and other obstacles that disproportionately affect their communities. These obstacles include limited polling places, long lines at the polls, voter identification laws, restrictive voting hours, and fewer opportunities to vote by mail.

Zoom
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)

Webinar
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

This panel discussion will dive deep into the history of discrimination in the Nutmeg State, looking at who was—and was not—permitted access to our public spaces. We will look at how this was effectuated through town ordinances, zoning, and caselaw. The landmark CT Supreme Court decision in Leydon v. Town of Greenwich will be central to this conversation. The panelists will also survey where we are currently.

Webinar
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

When it comes to pretrial release decisions, we know that anecdotally, race appears a factor in determining who is held and who is released. But research in this area confirms that the plural of anecdote is indeed hard data—statistics demonstrate the stark racial disparities and practical realities of who is held pretrial. This panel discussion will explore that research, laying out the framework for these decisions as well as the risk assessment tools used as part of the calculation. And we’ll take it further—into how the limitations of these risk assessment tools lead straight to inequality in the ultimate outcomes for these cases, and whether there is anything in the process or at the state legislative level that we can do to fix it.