Equality & Civil Rights

Aspire to make justice equal

Equal justice for all is the mission of many lawyers, and several Moritz College of Law faculty have made it their priority to pursue equality in the legal system. Moritz students will have the opportunity to learn from these experts – who strive for equality in a variety of areas, including age, race, sexual preference, disability, gender, and others.

Students can take several courses in these areas of law. Those with a litigation-oriented focus may elect core statutory courses, such as Employment Discrimination. A student with more general-orientation interest may focus on advanced or specific constitutional law courses and seminars. Seminars provide an opportunity for research and writing on controversial and unresolved issues, and students can build on the foundation of the survey courses by taking a seminar on a related topic.

Professor Sharon Davies, director of the Moritz-affiliated Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, has dedicated her career to the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, and issues relating to race, criminal justice, and the law.

The Kirwan Institute is a University-wide interdisciplinary research institute. Its goal is to deepen our understanding of the causes of and solutions to racial and ethnic disparities and hierarchies. This includes an explicit focus on Ohio and the United States, as well as the Americas as a whole and the larger global community. The institute brings together a diverse and creative group of scholars and researchers from various disciplines to focus on the histories, present conditions, and the future prospects of racially and ethnically marginalized people. These scholars are consulted nationally for their expertise in the area. The Kirwan Institute hosts a yearly conference entitled Transforming Race that draws thousands of scholars, policymakers and leaders to Columbus each year.

Moritz's Justice for Children Project allows J.D. students to represent some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Child and family law include constitutional and jurisprudential issues touching deep moral and emotional issues, as well as a wide area of diversity issues, all of which are in flux. Moritz is one of the only top-tier law schools in the country that offers a Certificate in Children Studies and Katherine Hunt Federle is a leading expert in juvenile law. Basic children studies courses include Children and the Law and Family Law. Students who wish to pursue a certificate in the field are required to take the basic courses as well as additional law courses and graduate-level courses within the University.

The Justice for Children Practicum provides J.D. students with the opportunity to represent children in a variety of legal proceedings. The cases may include abuse and neglect, delinquency, status offense, custody, and termination of parental rights cases pending in various courts.

Professor Ruth Colker is one of the leading scholars in the country in the areas of constitutional law and disability discrimination. In addition to her heavy scholarly output, Professor Colker is also an innovator in the classroom. The students in her Disability Discrimination class produce studies which have helped the University improve accessibility for students with disabilities. Professor Marc Spindelman is an expert on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights, and Professor Martha Chamallas is a nationally recognized women's rights scholar.