LAWGEN 119Q: Inside the Courtroom: Criminal Justice on Trial
General Education Requirements
Course Description
Although it aims to deliver justice, the American criminal legal system has wrongfully convicted thousands of innocent people. Since it began recording wrongful convictions in 1989, The National Registry of Exonerations has documented 3,284 innocent people punished for crimes they did not commit. How does the court system facilitate justice and injustice? What does a real criminal case look like from start to finish? How do the perspectives of the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the judge inform the procedures and outcomes of a criminal case? Does justice depend on race, gender, identity, and income?
This seminar will consider real case examples to foster discussion of whether an arrest is lawful, whether an accusation of crime is just, and whether eyewitness and forensic evidence is reliable. Students will read transcripts of testimony from real cases, evaluate evidence submitted as actual trial exhibits, and visit a local courthouse to witness live legal arguments. Through these materials, this seminar invites student discussion of the values and principles underlying criminal justice in the United States, including notions of fairness, justice, and freedom. Students from all disciplines are welcomed to consider and reflect on their potential future contributions to criminal justice, whether as expert witnesses in forensic science, journalists, attorneys, policy makers, scholars, or jurors.
Meet the Instructor: Carlie Ware Horne
“Before joining Stanford Law School, I worked as a public defender, defending people accused of crimes who could not afford to hire an attorney. This work was a perfect fit for many aspects of my personality: a healthy skepticism of authority, a deep belief in social justice, a genuine interest in hearing untold stories, a passion for performance and love of the spotlight of the courtroom, a disdain for incarcerating people and separating them from the warmth of their families and communities. As a trial attorney, I represented clients facing charges as minor as driving on a suspended license and clients facing charges exposing them to life in prison. My daily work brought me into jail cells and courtrooms, interacting with police, prosecutors, and witnesses from diverse perspectives. I am excited to bring the courtroom reality of these cases to this IntroSem.”
