Chief Judge Erin Lagesen JD 00 to give the commencement address; Dean Emeritus & Professor Leroy Tornquist, Professor Caroline Davidson, and Larraina Erland also recognized.
Willamette Law launches Racial Justice Task Force by Sarah Bello,
Following an Oregon Supreme Court decision to grant “diploma privilege” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Willamette Law class of 2020 graduates could’ve chosen to take a break but instead, they put themselves to work.
Around 20 new attorneys formed the Racial Justice Task Force last summer to study the peremptory challenge, a tool used by attorneys during jury selection to remove jurors without having to state a reason. They conclude that the challenge needs work, or it needs to go.
In Oregon’s jury selection process, there’s a connection between the nature and use of peremptory challenges and implicit bias, the task force says. With a report set to be published in a forthcoming issue of the Willamette Law Review, the group says that now is the time to make changes to ensure equity and limit bias within this facet of the criminal justice system.