Course Details

Clinic: Civil Rights Litigation

The Civil Rights Litigation Clinic, taught by the professors in the MacArthur Justice Center, focuses on criminal legal system reform and civil rights enforcement through complex civil litigation, primarily in federal court. The Clinic is involved in some of the most significant civil rights cases in the State of Illinois, including: wrongful conviction damages actions, the enforcement of a federal consent decree over the Chicago Police Department on behalf of community groups, promoting the rights of transgender prisoners in the Illinois Department of Corrections, class action challenges to Illinois' unconstitutional parole revocation system, challenges to the use of cash bond to detain people pretrial, enforcement of voting rights, enforcement of protesters’ rights, challenges to solitary confinement, ensuring prisoners’ protection from harm, litigation to protect the medically vulnerable in correctional facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and challenges to excessive use of force by law enforcement.

Catalog Number: LITARB 721
Practice Areas: Criminal Law Practice Area ,  Legal Skills Development
Additional Course Information: Appellate Law Conc, Experiential Learning, Lit/Arb Concentration Elective

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Course History

Spring 2024
Title: Clinic: Civil Rights Litigation
Faculty: Van Brunt, Alexa (courses | profile)
Section: 1     Credits: 4.0
Capacity: 8     Actual: 8

Fall 2023
Title: Clinic: Civil Rights Litigation
Faculty: del Valle, Vanessa (courses | profile)
Van Brunt, Alexa (courses | profile)
Section: 1     Credits: 4.0
Capacity: 8     Actual: 8

Spring 2023
Title: Clinic: Civil Rights Litigation
Faculty: del Valle, Vanessa (courses | profile)
Van Brunt, Alexa (courses | profile)
Grady, Sarah
Section: 1     Credits: 4.0
Capacity: 18     Actual: 18

Fall 2022
Title: Clinic: Civil Rights Litigation
Faculty:
del Valle, Vanessa (courses | profile)
Van Brunt, Alexa (courses | profile)
Section: 1     Credits: 4.0
Capacity: 20     Actual: 19

Spring 2022
Title: Clinic: Civil Rights Litigation
Faculty: Bowman, Locke E. (courses | profile)

del Valle, Vanessa (courses | profile)
Van Brunt, Alexa (courses | profile)
Section: 1     Credits: 4.0
Capacity: 32     Actual: 31

Fall 2021
Title: Clinic: Civil Rights Litigation
Faculty: Shapiro, David E
Bowman, Locke E. (courses | profile)
del Valle, Vanessa (courses | profile)
Van Brunt, Alexa (courses | profile)
Section: 1     Credits: 4.0
Capacity: 36     Actual: 36