Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, will deliver the keynote address at the ninth annual Shaping Justice conference at the University of Virginia School of Law.
The conference, “Public Interest Lawyering in the Age of the Roberts Court,” sponsored by the Law School’s Program in Law and Public Service, will take place Feb. 7. The event is open to the Law School community only with advanced registration, and doors open at 11:15 a.m. (Full Schedule | Register)
Aimed at inspiring students and lawyers to promote justice through public service, the conference will kick off with a lunch and awards ceremony at 11:30 a.m. to honor alumni working in public interest roles. John Whitfield ’81, executive director and general counsel of Blue Ridge Legal Services, will receive the Shaping Justice Award for Extraordinary Achievement. Christine Dinan ’12, senior trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Employment Litigation Section, and Sarah Buckley ’14, senior counsel for appellate matters at the DOJ’s Environment & Natural Resources Division, will receive the Shaping Justice Rising Star Award.
A panel of experts led by moderator Professor Cale Jaffe ’01 will discuss the impact of last term’s Supreme Court decision that ended judicial deference to administrative agencies’ interpretations of statutes. Additionally, two workshops will focus on public defense and the Second Amendment, as well as self-managed medication abortion in the wake of the Dobbs decision.
Warren will speak at 2:45 p.m. in Caplin Pavilion. A Q&A and reception will follow.
Warren oversees litigation and advocacy work at the Center for Constitutional Rights, using international and domestic law to challenge human rights abuses. Under his leadership, the center successfully challenged the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy and racial profiling, and ended long-term solitary confinement in California’s Pelican Bay Prison.
Previously, he monitored South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. He has also served as a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union and a criminal defense attorney for the Legal Aid Society in New York.
Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.