Defending Democracy Clinic
The Defending Democracy Clinic focuses on teaching the basic skills needed to be a civil rights lawyer. Students are involved in the litigation of pending cases involving a range of substantive issues under federal and California civil rights law.
Students in the Defending Democracy Clinic handle court hearings, depositions and other litigation events. The clinic uses the cases and weekly class sessions to teach the substance of civil rights law focusing on constitutional claims brought under 42 U.S.C. §1983 and similar California statutes.
The Defending Democracy Clinic recently helped achieve three significant appellate victories. First, the Eleventh Circuit overturned summary judgment in a human rights case, Doe v. Chiquita, in which thousands of victims of extrajudicial execution in Colombia are seeking to hold Chiquita responsible for its involvement in the violence. The victory paved the way for jury trials starting in early 2024. Next, the California Court of Appeal issued a major published opinion allowing the Defending Democracy Clinic's challenge to the Orange County District Attorney’s DNA collection program to proceed. In this action, clinic students, working in partnership with the Criminal Justice Clinic, are challenging the constitutionality of the DA’s collection of DNA from individuals in misdemeanor cases. Finally, the Ninth Circuit issued a broad-ranging opinion allowing a civil case under the Alien Tort Statute to proceed against Cisco for its alleged complicity in the Chinese government’s persecution of Falun Gong members.
Clinic students also worked on many other cases over the past year, including challenges to police misconduct arising from the George Floyd protests in Los Angeles in 2020.
News Features
- UCI Law Clinic Students Part of Historic Victory with Human Rights Lawsuit
- L.A. County Superior Court: UCI Law Civil Rights Litigation Clinic wins wrongful conviction case
- The Intercept: UCI Law clinics’ highlighted for involvement in lawsuit against OC District Attorney over DNA database
- Daily News: UCI Law clinic students and Prof. Hoffman, Prof. Tinto, and Prof. Partow highlighted for involvement in examination of fatal use of force by L.A. Police
- LAist: UCI Law clinics to assist in L.A. District Attorney’s review of past police shootings
- Orange County Register: UCI Civil Rights Litigation Clinic sues OC D.A. over DNA collection from misdemeanor defendants