Racial Justice Clinic

In the Racial Justice Clinic, law students represent clients who have been affected by racial discrimination. Projects include overturning wrongful convictions, proving that falsely arrested clients are factually innocent to clean up their records, challenging California’s inequitable bail system, and assisting college students at risk of expulsion.

At the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, students work to advance the office’s campaign to eradicate California’s bail system. Under the system, wealthy clients can post bail and poor clients cannot, regardless of whether they pose a risk of flight or a threat to the community. The system disproportionately impacts communities of color, often leaving low-income people in overcrowded jails or forcing them to take out loans that quickly accumulate interest.

In addition, some students work on wrongful conviction cases — such as the case of inmate Kevin Cooper, who is on death row for murder, even though a federal judge has said he was framed. Other students are working on factual innocence petitions. And others represent students of color charged with expellable offenses in campus disciplinary proceedings. These are high stakes cases in which a student’s right to continue with his or her education is at stake.

Students attend a weekly seminar together with students in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Law Clinic. In the seminar, students learn the skills necessary to defend a criminal case from investigation to closing argument, while connecting with guest speakers who often become mentors.

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