FBA: Key SCOTUS Civil Rights Decisions from the 2021-2022 Term

Beyond the Headlines:
Key SCOTUS Civil Rights Decisions from the 2021-22 Term

July 13, 2022
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT

If you take even a cursory glance at the news, you know that the U.S. Supreme Court’s October 2021 term will go down in history as one of the most consequential terms this century, impacting the civil rights of millions of Americans.  In this CLE, on July 13, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, we’ll go beyond the headlines to identify and discuss not only the potentially groundbreaking Supreme Court decisions in the areas of abortion and gun rights, but also the Court’s deep docket of civil rights cases affecting the First Amendment, equal protection, police procedures, qualified immunity, remedies under federal civil rights statutes, education and disability rights, standing, and more.  The panelists will talk about important holdings and share their insights about what the cases from the term mean and their perspectives about future civil rights decisions at the Court.  The CLE will be perfect for civil rights practitioners, or just the civil-rights-curious who’d like to have a more comprehensive look at civil rights cases and trends at the Supreme Court.  The panelists of this CLE feature Tulane Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Sam Brandao and MacArthur Justice Center’s Supreme Court and Appellate Program Deputy Director Devi Rao, and Utah Attorney General Kyle Kaiser will be the moderator. The CLE is sponsored by the Civil Rights Section of the Federal Bar Association.

Presented by Civil Rights Law Section

About the Presenters



Kyle Kaiser, Assistant Utah Attorney General and Senior Trial Attorney, Utah Attorney General’s Office (Moderator)

Kyle Kaiser is an Assistant Attorney General and Senior Trial Counsel in the Litigation Division of the Utah Attorney General’s Office.  He has been with the office since July 2011.  Kyle is also appointed as a judge pro tempore for the Salt Lake City Justice Court, presiding over civil small claims matters.

Kyle’s practice centers on defending claims of constitutional or civil rights violations brought against the State of Utah, its agents, agencies, and subdivisions, and Utah colleges and school districts.  Before working for the Utah AG’s Office, Kyle was employed as Staff Attorney for Justice Dale Wainwright of the Supreme Court of Texas.  Before that, Kyle was a litigation and intellectual property associate with the law firm of Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and served as a law clerk for Richard Dorr, United States District Judge for the Western District of Missouri, in Springfield.

Kyle received his J.D., with high distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2003, where he was Senior Managing Editor of the Iowa Law Review, was awarded the Hancher-Finkbine Medallion, and was inducted into Order of the Coif.  Kyle received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Drake University, summa cum laude, in 2000.

Away from work, Kyle enjoys spending time with his wife Pearl, their daughter Cora, and their cat Milo; camping around Utah in a 1983 Chevy RV; competing in pub trivia events (mostly virtually this year); playing percussion with the local community band and piano in the privacy of his own home; and judging mock trial competitions.

Samuel T. Brandao, Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, Tulane University Law School – Civil Rights and Federal Practice Clinic

Sam Brandao is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Law with experience enforcing civil rights including fair housing, rights protected by the Fourth Amendment, and disability rights. He joined the Tulane Civil Rights and Federal Practice Clinic in 2016 after completing a two-year Skadden Fellowship, during which he served as a staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services in New Orleans. At SLLS, he litigated housing discrimination cases and advocated for policy changes on behalf of people with disabilities. Brandao clerked for United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon of the Eastern District of Louisiana and for Circuit Judge Jacques L. Wiener, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In the Civil Rights and Federal Practice Clinic, he assists Director Lucia Blacksher Rainer in supervising student-attorneys in a range of client representation, including federal cases involving the civil rights of incarcerated citizens, police misconduct, employment discrimination, housing discrimination, and other constitutional claims.



Devi M. Rao, Director, Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center

Devi M. Rao is the Director of the Washington D.C. office and Deputy Director of the Supreme Court and Appellate Program at the MacArthur Justice Center. She briefs and argues important civil rights and criminal justice issues in federal appeals courts across the country, and in the U.S Supreme Court, including qualified immunity, excessive force, municipal liability issues, habeas, access to the courts, and federal sentencing issues. She also teaches at Harvard Law School, co-directing the law school’s Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic and Seminar.

Prior to joining the MacArthur Justice Center, Devi was a partner in the Supreme Court and Appellate practice at a major law firm.

Devi previously served as a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court and for Judge M. Margaret McKeown on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Between her clerkships, Devi served as a Skadden Fellow at the National Women’s Law Center, where her work focused on using Title IX to combat sex-based discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

Devi received her J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2010, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Law Review, and her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Registration

[Register Online]

Registration Fees

Registration for this event will open on Wednesday, June 1.

  • FBA Member: $0

  • Nonmember: $75

Live Captioning: Closed captioning is available for all virtual webcasts.

Cancellation Policy: No refunds will be made for cancellations received after the close of business on July 6, 2022. No-shows will be billed. Substitutions may be made at any time upon notification. Please contact meetings@fedbar.org with cancellation and/or substitution requests.

Internet Requirements: Virtual programs require suitable internet strength to stream online panels. A minimum internet connection of 800 Kbps is recommended for an optimal attendee experience. Test your connection here

CLE

CLE: 1.0 CLE Credit

CLE Credit will be processed/reported approximately 4-6 weeks after the event date and available for credit in states that allow credit for live webinar presentations. You must attend the live broadcast, answer engagement polls, and accurately enter your bar number in our database to receive credit. Certificates and required documentation for self-reporting states will be issued via email, upon state bar approval. Thank you in advance for your patience, as state bars are experiencing significant delays with virtual program processing.

Click Here for more information on CLE Attendance and Reporting.

Email Communication Policy: By registering for this event, you agree to receive email communications from the Federal Bar Association and affiliated sponsors of the program concerning event details, Continuing Legal Education certification, programming changes, upcoming events, surveys, and post-event communications.

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If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact Ariel White, Program Coordinator awhite@fedbar.org 

Sarah Croft