Civil Disobedience, Democracy, and Structural Racism: What's Federalism Got to Do With it?
Part of the Examining Structural Racism segment of the UB Law in Focus Discussion Series
Protests, marches and demonstrations– signature acts of a democracy–have exploded in areas around the country. Demonstrators call for a reassessment of law enforcement methods and redirecting of resources. What does federalism demand as the response to these acts of peaceful and not peaceful protests?
On Sept. 30, 2020, our panel of UBalt Law faculty– Prof. Matthew Lindsay , an expert in American legal history and constitutional law; Prof. Robert Knowles , an expert in national security law; and Prof. Odeana Neal , an expert in juvenile justice–discussed the distinct yet overlapping areas of local, state and federal governments’ relationship to historical and present-day structural racism. The balancing of these distinct jurisdictions – local, state, and federal – is core to the principle of federalism. What are the principles that should guide the proper response to the demonstrations that respects democracy and freedom of expression?
Veryl Pow
, a clinical teaching fellow at UBalt Law and an expert in criminal justice and social movement lawyering,moderated the discussion.
Panelists
Matthew Lindsay
Associate Professor of Law
Robert Knowles
Associate Professor of Law
Odeana Neal
Associate Professor of Law
Veryl Pow
Clinic Fellow, Community Development Clinic
Future Events
To recommend a topic idea or to express your interest to serve as a panelist for a future event, contact Jason Keller at jkeller@ubalt.edu.