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The Lessons of “To Kill a Mockingbird”
April 26 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
The West Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association invites you to a lunchtime panel to discuss the themes of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and the role of race and bias in today’s criminal justice system on Friday, April 26th at 12:00pm, at Warner Norcross + Judd, 150 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 1500, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. A Zoom option will be available and sent out closer to the event date.
If you weren’t able to get tickets to the FBA outing of “To Kill a Mockingbird” in Grand Rapids that evening, this panel event is a wonderful way to connect with other members, and to discuss how the lessons from Harper Lee’s classic are still relevant today. We are pleased to have Professor Catherine Grosso from The Michigan State University College of Law and Professor Tracey Brame from Cooley Law School as panelists.
Professor Catherine Grosso focuses on the role of race and other extralegal factors in criminal investigations, trials, and the administration of capital punishment. Her recent work examines the persistent role of race in jury selection and in charging and sentencing decisions relating to capital punishment. She is the consulting editor of the National Registry of Exonerations, a virtual home for exoneration stories and also an accessible, searchable statistical database about the cases; and was co-president of Society of American Law Teachers from 2020-2022.
Professor Tracey Brame is the Associate Dean of Experiential and Practice Preparation and the Director of the Cooley Innocence Project, and is also the Immediate Past President of the Grand Rapids Bar Association. In her role at the Alabama Capital Resource Center, she obtained experience in death penalty legislation, and conducted extensive legal research; interviewed inmates, relatives, and former jurors; compiled statistics on racial composition of juries; helped prepare an argument for the U.S. Supreme Court; and drafted racial-justice legislation for the state of Alabama. Professor Brame started the Access to Justice Clinic at the Cooley Grand Rapids campus in 2006. She has overseen this clinic and the West Michigan Public Defender Clinic.
If you plan to attend in-person and would like to order a lunch for $15, please email Melissa Rabidoux at melissa_rabidoux@fd.org by April 19th.
