The Journal of Law & Public Affairs’ (JLPA) Spring Symposium entitled “The Sky Is the Limit… Unless There’s a Ceiling in the Way: Conversations in Employment Discrimination Law” occurred on March 24, 2021. The keynote address was delivered by Commissioner Charlotte Burrows of the EEOC.
Past Symposiums
On February 5, the JLPA hosted a day-long symposium, “Red Lines, Red Tape,” which delved into the issues of housing discrimination and unaffordability at the local and national levels. Organized with the support of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School’s Leo Model Government Service & Public Affairs Initiative, the Weitzman School of Design, and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, the symposium welcomed speakers from private and public sectors, as well as journalists, politicians, lawyers, researchers, and academics.
The JLPA Vol. 5 Symposium included keynotes by Professor Matthew Desmond, author of “Evicted,” and Philadelphia City Councilmember Helen Gym. Additional panel discussions focused on housing discrimination, affordable housing development, and inclusive growth.
Equality under law is a fundamental principle in American political and legal thought. In criminal justice, however, disparities remain across populations in spite of similar underlying conduct. Experts from different disciplines examine the problem from different points of view, each additional study adding a new level of depth to an already complex problem.
The JLPA brought these different perspectives together to discuss two critical questions: Which policies cause disparate criminal justice outcomes, and what reforms are needed to eliminate these disparities?
Speakers included:
—Rebecca Vallas, Managing Director of the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress
—Paul Heaton, Academic Director of The Quattrone Center
—Marc Mauer, Executive Director of The Sentencing Project
—John Hollway, Executive Director of The Quattrone Center
—Mary Catherine Roper, Deputy Legal Director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania
—Teressa Ravenell, Professor of Law at Villanova Law School
—Robert Alt, Buckeye Policy Institute
Co-Sposored by: Penn Federalist Society and American Constitution Society – Law School Chapter