Public Service

It’s been eight years since Massachusetts voters decriminalized the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana. On Tuesday, they’ll decide whether to tax and regulate the sale and adult consumption of it. The initiative, known as Question 4, would legalize and create a commission to regulate marijuana in Massachusetts.

At 96 years old, the Hon. John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice (Ret.) Supreme Court of the United States, returned to the bench to preside over the final round of Harvard Law School’s 2016 Ames Moot Court Competition.

During Harvard Law School's Fall Reunion weekend, David R. Gergen '67, professor of public service and co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and senior political analyst for CNN, delivered a keynote address on the 2016 presidential election, sharing his thoughts about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and the state of the presidential election.

Sarah Hurwitz has quietly helped craft some of first lady Michelle Obama's most memorable speeches--first working with her on her speech to the 2008 Democratic convention in Denver, and eventually going on to work with the first lady almost exclusively for nearly six years.

Harvard Law School has produced plenty of senators, Supreme Court justices and two presidents, but no graduate has ever served as vice president. This election has presented the first opportunity in decades to end that drought with both Democrat Tim Kaine ’83 and Libertarian William Weld ’70 on the ballot as vice presidential candidates.

Even when he was 5, Joel Motley '78 knew his late mother was doing important work; now, he has co-produced "The Trials of Constance Baker Motley," a short film about the woman who became the first black female Manhattan borough president, New York state senator, and federal judge.

In late October Harvard Law School celebrated National Pro Bono Week with a number of events to honor the outstanding work of lawyers who volunteer their time to help people in their communities.

HLS hosted the fourth Celebration of Black Alumni in September, featuring the theme “Turning Vision into Action.” The actions of alumni who attended have resonated in courtrooms and classrooms, in elected office and the corner office, in communities and in the culture. The Bulletin spoke with five CBA participants about where their vision has led them and where they hope to yet go.

Since 2001, a select group of Harvard Law School students have undertaken public service internships under the auspices of the Chayes International Public Service Fellowship. Chayes Fellows spend eight weeks working within the governments of developing nations, or with the inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations that support them.

As part of Boston’s HUBweek, HLS Clinical Professor Susan Crawford addressed a gathering of more than 100 people and made the case for her new Responsive Communities Initiative, a three-pronged program aimed at addressing issues of social justice, civil liberties, and economic development involving high-speed Internet access and government use of data.

Last spring, the Criminal Justice Policy Program developed an initiative to provide representation to incarcerated people petitioning President Obama for clemency. Twenty-six Harvard Law students volunteered to work with a team of pro bono attorneys to represent clemency petitioners, in what has become the largest law student-based clemency initiative in the country.

Hours before the first presidential debate Tuesday, a different kind of discussion took place at Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall. Dubbed the debate before the debate, the Faneuil Forum drew hundreds of people to take part in a lively civic dialogue led by prominent Harvard Professor Michael Sandel on the future of democracy.

To commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution, Professor Noah Feldman, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at HLS and one of the nation’s leading public intellectuals, gave a lecture on Friday, Sept. 16 titled “Madison, Slavery and the 3/5 Compromise.”

Robert L. Wilkins '89, a U.S. circuit court judge, discussed his recent book, “Long Road to Hard Truth,” which focused on his efforts to build the National Museum of African American History & Culture on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. He discussed his book during a talk at Harvard Law School on Sept. 19.

Professor Jau-Yuan Hwang LL.M. ’91 S.J.D. ’95 was named to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Professor Gonçalo de Almeida Ribeiro LL.M. ’07 S.J.D. ’12 was appointed to the Constitutional Court of Portugal.

Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and former Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan ’86 returned to campus on Sept. 8 to trace the trajectory of her career and offer advice to newly minted students in a talk with HLS Dean Martha Minow.

Family, friends, and colleagues of the late Harvard Law School Clinical Professor David Grossman gathered at HLS to celebrate his life, honor his community activism, and support his fight for social justice.

With the U.S. presidential election weeks away, Harvard Law Today offers a look back at what scholars from campus and beyond had to say in recent months about democracy's challenges in a series of talks on Election Law.

Harvard Law School’s Criminal Justice Policy Program and the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) have released Confronting Criminal Justice Debt: A Comprehensive Project for Reform, a collaborative project that focuses on the financial costs of the criminal justice system.

In commemoration of the 15th anniversary of 9/11, Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow asked faculty, alumni and staff to share brief personal reflections about that day and the post-9/11 world in which we live.

In a speech lasting six minutes and one second, Khizr Khan, LL.M. ’86, whose son Capt. Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq, stepped out from behind the curtain of private pain and into the public spotlight, attracting worldwide attention.