SJCRL’s First Symposium: Local Leadership and Civil Rights Protections

The Stanford Journal for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties (SJCRCL) and the Stanford Law and Policy Review (SLPR) held a one-day symposium at Stanford Law School on Sunday, April 26th, 2026, exploring the role and future of local and state actors in protecting and enhancing civil rights and liberties. Local practitioners and progressive leaders in education, and immigration spoke on the role of lawyers promoting civil rights.

Local and state governments, courts, and constitutions are increasingly being leveraged by progressive advocates as sources and avenues to safeguard civil rights and civil liberties. In the current political moment, the federal government and federal courts – including the U.S. Supreme Court – are actively reticent, if not hostile, to attempts to protect the hard-fought rights of previous generations. The Supreme Court, in recent years, has eroded affirmative action and abortion rights, among others. Local actors throughout American history have often offered protections distinct from, and often more expansive than, those found in the U.S. Constitution.

Our Keynote was a fireside chat with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson & Devon Gray ‘19, SLS Alum and President of End Poverty in California, on leveraging local resources for the public good!

SJCRCL looks forward to making this symposium an annual tradition. If you are interested in writing for or speaking at a future symposium, we encourage you to contact us at sjcrcl@law.stanford.edu.