Civil Rights and Restorative Justice

The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Clinic develops and pursues various initiatives designed to provide remedies for civil rights-era miscarriages and failures of justice, including the investigation and litigation of cold cases, wrongful convictions and other deprivations, the proposal of legislative solutions, provision of expertise to community-based restorative justice projects and maintenance of a web-based clearinghouse on developments in the field.

This clinic, in conjunction with the law school’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, aims to deepen lawyering skills required for effective civil rights practice, including the identification and formulation of creative remedial approaches, teamwork and organizing ability.  Students learn the dynamics of “cause lawyering” and how to integrate legal doctrine, practice and ethics. With a national docket of cases, students travel to consult with client communities and investigate cases.
 
The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice (CRRJ) Project, founded by Professor Margaret Burnham, addresses harms resulting from the massive breakdown in law enforcement during the mid-20th century civil rights movement. Notably, CRRJ’s leadership led to a 2010 landmark lawsuit against Franklin County, Mississippi, filed on behalf of the families of two black teens killed by Klansmen in 1964.

Read about CRRJ and Professor Margaret Burnham in Northeastern Law Magazine!

For more information, contact:
Professor Margaret Burnham
(617) 373-8857