On Sept. 12, the Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law hosted its first SCOTUS Review lunch talk at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Law School. 欧美口爆视频 Constitutional Law professors broke down the latest U.S. Supreme Court decisions, their potential impact, and what to keep an eye out for in future cases.鈥� 

The event drew students, staff, and faculty, packing the classroom and leaving standing room only. The White Center鈥檚 Student Fellows moderated the event, introducing each professor and asking them specific questions about each case. Professors Suzette Malveaux, Helen Norton, Scott Skinner-Thompson, Doug Spencer, and Deep Gulasekaram offered a primer and their insights on topics such as affirmative action Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA v. Harvard and UNC), free speech (Counterman v. 欧美口爆视频), public accommodations (303 Creative v. Elenis), voting (Allen v. Milligan) and immigration (Biden v. Texas), respectively.  Immediately following the rapid-fire primer, students were able to follow up with their own questions. 

鈥淗earing about landmark cases from professors who are experts in their respective fields is just one of the incredible things about the Byron White Center,鈥� commented 2L student Mallory Shaner when asked what she thought of the event. She continued, 鈥淥ften, Supreme Court decisions are long and esoteric to read and understand, but listening to professors who helped to litigate or write amicus briefs in these cases and can also explain the cases in a student-friendly way was really special.鈥濃�� 

The White Center is proud to add the SCOTUS Review lunch talk to its lineup of events promoting the expansion of knowledge and public discussion about developments in constitutional law.鈥� 

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Most Americans will face legal issues at some point in their life. Yet, across the nation, a persistent access to justice gap exists.  Individuals with significant financial resources are often the only people who can hire attorneys, and a large class of people struggle to access a lawyer at all.  

Prof. , who serves on the Technology Committee for the , wants to empower her students to be part of the access to justice solution. Her inaugural 2-credit course, 鈥淚nteractive Programming for Lawyers,鈥� a.k.a. 鈥溑访揽诒悠� Law Access to Justice Innovation Lab,鈥� launched this semester 鈥� and she is hopeful that the work taking place in this course can be the start of a new frontier in making our justice system more accessible. 

鈥淭he idea behind this [class] is to use human centered design to create legal applications,鈥� Pratt shared. 鈥淭he class covers the whole life cycle of design, using a model centered on everyday people that meets them where they are and uses plain language.鈥� 

One app developed during the course will help tenants more easily create letters to send to their landlords when experiencing specific issues with rental housing. By answering just a few questions on the app, the precise letter needed to send to a landlord will be generated, triggering the landlord鈥檚 obligation to take steps to remediate the problem. 

鈥淭here is a huge power gap in Boulder County related to tenants and landlords,鈥� Pratt explained. 鈥淲hen people encounter less than ideal situations in their rental housing, it can be hard to assert yourself as an individual.鈥�  

Students in the class are also working on a triage system to assist people moving through the family court system. This will help streamline the process for several court services including divorce, dissolution, and child custody by more easily identifying families who need additional services or court interventions.  

Pratt is no stranger to this kind of undertaking. In her previous role at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law, she worked collaboratively with the Kansas Court system to develop a legal application to help individuals file protection orders related to domestic violence. This was especially helpful during the COVID-19 crisis, when it was even more difficult to access courts due to stay-at-home orders and the various public health measures that had been put in place.  

Pratt believes that those in the legal profession have an obligation to make our systems accessible. Legal institutions preserve their credibility only if people can truly access them 鈥� making the work in her access to justice innovation lab a step forward in securing democratic engagement.   

鈥淚f the courthouse is a confusing and inaccessible place, we have to question the validity of the institution.鈥�  

Pratt shared that the 12 students taking the course have a significant interest in access to justice and innovation. She is hopeful that by taking part in this work, students can take on new roles in the profession with the skills needed to solve the next generation of legal problems. 

鈥淭his course is something that touches on many parts of who we are as an institution,鈥� Pratt said. 鈥淚t is a vital part of who we are at 欧美口爆视频 Law鈥攚e are committed to making sure our communities live in a better way and have a fundamental dedication to improving access to justice.鈥�  

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