Celebrating firsts: Groundbreaking women at Harvard Law School
David Harris receives 2018 Governor’s Award in the Humanities
In October, David J. Harris, managing director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School, received the Massachusetts Governor’s Award in the Humanities. Harris was one of four leaders recognized for their “public actions, grounded in an appreciation of the humanities, to enhance civic life in the Commonwealth.”
Sotomayor: Judges should pull together
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor made an impassioned plea Tuesday afternoon at Harvard Law for “serious thinking” among judges to find ways to come together more often, and to fight the effects of partisan polarization.
A new Harvard Law building opens on Mass Ave
Citing its future role in “innovation, deep learning, collegiality, and service,” Dean John F. Manning saluted the opening of the Harvard Law School’s newest building, at 1607 Massachusetts Avenue, on Monday evening.
Algorithms and their unintended consequences for the poor
Virginia Eubanks recently joined the Berkman Klein Center for a discussion of her book, “Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor,” and the impact algorithms can have on different segments of society.
Caselaw Access Project launches API and bulk data service
The Library Innovation Lab at the Harvard Law School Library announced the launch of its Caselaw Access Project API and bulk data service, which puts the full corpus of published U.S. case law online for anyone to access for free.
Judges and their toughest cases
“Tough Cases,” a new book in which 13 trial judges from criminal, civil, probate, and family courts write candid and poignant firsthand accounts of the trials they can’t forget, was the subject of a lively discussion at a panel sponsored by the Harvard Law School Library, which drew a packed house at Wasserstein Hall in October.
Lee Gelernt: A fierce advocate reuniting separated families
On Oct. 22, Lee Gelernt, the ACLU lawyer who spearheaded a national class action lawsuit against the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy on immigrants and asylum seekers attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, spoke to HLS staff and students about the litigation’s claims and the ongoing efforts to reunite families.
Harvard’s sacred spaces
A new space at HLS is one of several on campus offering students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to engage in meditation and prayer. Also new at Winthrop House is the Tufnell Park Meditation Room, which reflects Faculty Deans Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. and Stephanie Robinson’s commitment to students finding agency for self-care.
A cautionary tale for Silicon Valley
The Wall Street Journal investigative reporter whose new book chronicles the spectacular collapse of the blood-testing company Theranos and its alleged fraudulent activity told a Harvard audience that the fall is a cautionary tale for other high-tech firms aspiring to disrupt the health care industry.