Federal Failures Contributed to Racial Violence: 15 New Cases From Students’ Spring Clinic Grand Rounds
The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) at Northeastern University School of Law held its annual Spring Clinic Grand Rounds on April 15 and 16 of this year.
Reflecting on Five Decades of Civil Rights Practice: Flint Taylor
On March 30, 2026, esteemed civil rights attorney Flint Taylor of the Chicago-based People’s Law Office (PLO) and Tayleece Paul, an associate in the office, gave a talk, sponsored by CRRJ, to the law school community. Taylor, a founding partner of the PLO, took his audience on a journey across his remarkable career in civil rights litigation.
Eleanor Rush
Eleanor Rush, age 18, was killed by prison guards in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1956, as she protested the condones of her incarceration. This March 2026, Women’s History Month, we share Rush’s story, following the release of federal records by the Cold Case Civil Rights Records Review Board last month, and the publication of an article in The Assembly featuring her tragic case.
CRRJ in the Press: Tommy Lee Walker Declaration of Innocence for 1953 Killing
In partnership with the Innocence Project, CRRJ secured a declaration of innocence for Tommy Lee Walker, wrongfully executed for murder in Dallas, TX, in 1956.
Tommy Lee Walker: CRRJ and the Innocence Project Secure Declaration of Innocence in 70-Year-Old Texas Execution Case
Seventy years after his execution, CRRJ’s investigation leads Dallas County to acknowledge grave injustice in Tommy Lee Walker’s killing.
Civil Rights Law: In the Courtroom and the Community
This directed study introduces students to the fundamentals of civil rights litigation as a remedy for police and jail misconduct under Section 1983. Students examine the dockets of litigated cases to sharpen practical skills in fact development…
Race, Police Violence, and Law
This is an advanced seminar on race, policing, and the criminal justice system. It explores the phenomenon of police violence directed at racially marginalized communities in the US; considers historical and ongoing opposition to racialized policing; and…
New Season of Civil Wrongs Podcast Centers on Tennessee Killing Investigated by CRRJ
Civil Wrongs Season 6 now available, centers case of Phillip Hatley, killed in 1939.
CRRJ Summer Interns Present Cases
This summer, several interns joined the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) to support projects and expand our research.
How Many Cases do Students Investigate?
Typically, each clinic student receives a docket of about five cases. They pursue each case until either further research is not possible, or the semester ends.
Where Does CRRJ Find the Cases to Investigate?
Cases are typically sourced from a combination of newspaper records, the records of civil rights advocacy groups, federal records from the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the War Department.CRRJ’s staff…
What Happens to the Cases Once the Semester Ends?
Cases that have been researched in the clinic move from classroom study to long term stewardship. We reconcile the evidentiary record and prepare materials for permanent preservation to advance redress efforts. We preserve clinic case files in the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive. The…
How is the Clinic Assessed?
All students must complete a final essay, focused on cases they have researched or historical themes they have identified over the course of the semester, and these will be presented at Grand Rounds…
Emmett Till, Seventy Years Later
Emmett Till was lynched on August 28, 1955. This year marks the 70th anniversary of his killing. Margaret Burnham serves on The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board, responsible for their release.
70th Anniversary of Emmett Till’s Lynching: CRRJ Director on Cold Case Review Board, Release 6,500 Federal Records
Emmett Till was lynched on August 28, 1955. This year marks the 70th anniversary of his killing. Margaret Burnham serves on The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board, responsible for their release.
1948 Killing of Hosea Carter Featured in New CRRJ Documentary
Hosea “Shant” Carter was killed in 1948, Marion County, Mississippi, and CRRJ has produced a documentary film about his son’s journey to uncover the truth behind his father’s lynching, revealing a harrowing legacy of racial terror, silence, and resilience.
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You have expressed interest in joining a consortium of researchers, legal experts and advocates, all documenting and preserving the histories of racial violence in the U.S. What’s next? We will be in touch,…