More than 30 years after the murder conviction of Jack Sagin, he was exonerated and released from prison in October 2019. Using evidence based on testimony from a jailhouse informant, a jury found Sagin guilty of murdering a 40-year old California woman in 1986. Sagin won the right to conduct...

In a 2019 landmark decision, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia awarded over $700,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees to an African American woman threatened and harassed on social media by white supremacists. Filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, pro bono...

The second-half of 2019 brought a number of significant decisions impacting plaintiffs who had their civil rights violated. In July of 2019, the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued a decision surrounding juvenile resentencing. The ruling clarified that, when resentencing men and women...

School resource officers are present in about half of schools across the country as many school districts are seeking ways to help keep students safe. However, for students at Lansing Eastern High School in Michigan, their protected learning environment was compromised. School resource officer...

In a recent Illinois Appellate Court decision, Jackie Wilson’s 1982 conviction of armed robbery and murder was overturned, granting him a new trial. After what resulted in the “biggest manhunt in Chicago’s history,” Wilson maintained that two police detectives who interrogated him, beat and tortured...

Wrongful imprisonment is a fact of life in the American justice system. Research has uncovered some common causes of wrongful conviction. These causes include: Improper Forensics: Forensic science techniques that lack scientific validation or reliability. Eyewitness Misidentification: While...

In early December 2019, a $450,000 verdict was awarded to a mental health patient who contended he was beaten by security therapy aids at Chester Mental Health Center in Chester, Illinois. According to court documents, 20-year old Christopher Novus Davis was pulled to the ground, choked, and punched,...

n the last two years, about 1.3 billion rides have been shared with popular ride-hailing company Uber. But a recent report unveils that the company received more than 3,000 incidents of abuse or harassment just last year, and double that figure over the last two years. The reports were made both...

In early December 2019, the House of Representatives passed a new bill meant to strengthen the activities of the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Office within the Homeland Security Department. Under the legislation, civil rights and civil liberties officers would have the ability to access relevant...

Can You Sue for Wrongful Conviction? Being convicted of a crime that you did not commit can destroy your life. Even after exoneration, the effects of wrongful conviction can persist and leave you with no idea about what to do next. What options are available? Can you sue for wrongful conviction? Yes,...

Am I Facing Workplace Sexual Harassment? Workplace sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination and has serious and sometimes permanent traumatic and detrimental effects on victims. Victims of sexual harassment may feel forced to take sick leave or even quit their jobs.  If you are a victim...

In Oklahoma, a man cleared from murder charges who served 28 years behind bars is entitled to just $6,250 for each year that he was wrongfully incarcerated. Oklahoma state law awards a maximum of $175,000 to individuals who are wrongfully convicted and are then exonerated. While thirty-five states,...