IRVINE, Calif. (Dec. 17, 2024) — The Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at UC Irvine School of Law, under the leadership of Executive Director and Professor of Law Robert S. Chang, filed two amicus briefs developed in collaboration with Boston University School of Law Visiting Lecturer and Clinical Instructor Caitlin Glass, who is a non-resident Korematsu Center fellow. The two amicus briefs address racial disproportionality in the criminal legal system, transparency in dependency courts, and broader issues of systemic inequity.
The team’s amicus brief in New York v. Joseph — co-authored by Professor Chang, Professor Glass and Professor Aliza Hochman Bloom of Northeastern University School of Law — argues that New York’s felony-murder law disproportionately impacts Black individuals and youth. The case centers on Dalen Joseph, a 17-year-old convicted of felony murder despite the jury’s acceptance of his self-defense claim. The brief highlights the cognitive immaturity of adolescents, systemic racial bias, and the excessive severity of Joseph’s mandatory life sentence. It contends that the denial of his right to present a justification defense violated due process, calling for either a reversal of his conviction or a reduction in his sentence.
In their amicus brief in another case, Civil Rights Corps. v. Walker, the Korematsu Center and Professor Glass support the criminal justice reform organization Civil Rights Corps’ motion for a preliminary injunction in a case advocating for public access to North Carolina’s dependency court proceedings. The brief underscores the historical openness of such courts and the role of public access in fostering civic engagement and judicial reform, and emphasizes that transparency is essential for accountability, fairness, and the prevention of systemic abuse. In the brief, they balance the need for openness with privacy safeguards for sensitive cases, urging the court to promote democratic oversight and equity by granting the injunction.
These amicus briefs are part of an ongoing collaboration between Professor Chang and Professor Glass. Since 2022, they have co-authored more than a dozen amicus briefs in state and federal courts, many of which focus on racial disparities in the criminal legal system. Their recent collaborative work, including these amicus briefs, stems from the Antiracism and Community Lawyering Practicum Professor Glass leads at BU Law, creating a unique cross-country educational and advocacy model.
This collaboration is a model for how academia and practice can converge in meaningful way. Our partnership not only produces impactful legal advocacy but also provides students with a unique hands-on learning opportunity.
Professor Robert S. Chang, Executive Director at the Korematsu Center
“This collaboration is a model for how academia and practice can converge in meaningful ways,” said Professor Robert S. Chang, executive director at the Korematsu Center. “Our partnership not only produces impactful legal advocacy but also provides students with a unique hands-on learning opportunity. The students are deeply involved in these projects, which foster both their professional growth and their commitment to movement-lawyering.”
Looking ahead, the Korematsu Center and the practicum will turn their attention to the Korematsu Center’s Alien Land Law Project this spring. The initiative focuses on litigation, tracking existing alien land laws, and monitoring new legislative efforts to enact similar laws in other states.
The Korematsu Center’s latest amicus filings follow Professor Chang’s recent work in which he helped to successfully secure for a client a preliminary injunction against two Arkansas laws restricting foreign ownership of agricultural land and from holding ownership in data centers in the state.
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