Civil Rights in the 21st Century

Profs. Henderson and Robinson teach summer seminar; invite speakers; assign externships

This summer’s civil rights externship program seminar, Civil Rights in the 21st Century, taught by UDC-DCSL’s Rauh Professor Wade Henderson and former dean Prof. William Robinson, brought three excellent speakers to the School of Law for talks attended by many from beyond the immediate University community.

Executive Director Nan Aron of the Alliance for Justice spoke on the future of the U. S. Supreme and Federal Courts.

Executive Director Gay McDougal of the International Human Rights Law Group spoke on the U.N. World Conference Against Racism in a talk entitled "Global Fight for Equality and Justice: the Challenge of Making the World Conference a Success."

Alumna Carol Wolchok, ASL ’79, director of the American Bar Association’s Center for Immigration Law and Representation, spoke on recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions affecting immigrants.

Immigrants and The Constitution

Carol Leslie Wolchok, ‘79, details progress and setbacks

Carol Leslie Wolchok, director of the American Bar Association’s Center for Immigration Law and Representation, spoke at UDC-DCSL on July 9, delivering a speech entitled, "Immigrants and the Constitution: the Supreme Court Nudges the Golden Door. Is a Bill of Rights for Immigrants Far Behind?" to an audience of 70 students, alumni, faculty, and staff. As part of UDC-DCSL’s summer lecture series, Civil Rights in the 21st Century, Wolchok’s speech focused on the disappointments and triumphs of the fight for immigrant rights throughout the past decade.

Wolchok explained that while immigrants have never been granted the same legal protections as citizens, their situation abruptly worsened in September of 1996. Congress passed a series of laws limiting immigrant access to public services, widely expanding possible grounds for deportation, denying immigrant rights to appeal deportation charges, and reinstating mandatory detention for deportees. As a result of these laws, some of which were applied retroactively, immigrants could be deported for minor offenses, even ones that were committed many years ago.

However, this summer the Supreme Court brought some relief to immigrants in danger of deportation and detention. In three cases decided in June of 2001, INS v. St. Cyr, Calcano-Martinez v. INS, and Zadvydas v. Davis, the Supreme Court took the opportunity to broaden the protections afforded to immigrants under the law. Because of these decisions, immigrants now have the right to appeal deportation charges under writs of habeas corpus. Furthermore, the Court ruled that in cases when immigrants have no homeland to return to, they cannot be held in detention centers indefinitely.

These cases are a "glimmer of hope" for immigrants and for all Americans concerned with civil rights. However, as Wolchok made clear, "there are a lot of details left to be resolved by lawyers concerned with these issues in the 21st century." Wade Henderson, commenting that "we are a nation of immigrants fearful of foreigners," also cited the need for "well-trained lawyers of good spirit" to help challenge laws which disregard the basic rights to which immigrants are entitled.

The success Wolchok, a graduate of UDC-DCSL’s predecessor school, Antioch School of Law, has had in her work to secure justice for immigrants, suggests great things for future graduates of UDC-DCSL. UDC-DCSL students will one day be the "lawyers of good spirit" who can make a difference in the lives of immigrants and all others in need!