The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) will present a webinar on “Antiracist Expert Evidence: An Exploration of Racism” Thursday, October 23, from 1 to 2 p.m.
Demonstrating the influence of racism is vital to the practice of criminal defense, yet many attorneys do not know how to prove racism in court. NAPD surveyed more than 700 criminal-defense attorneys across the United States, and nearly half had never heard of expert witnesses testifying or submitting written reports on racism—what NAPD calls “antiracist expert evidence.” This finding would be unremarkable if such experts were unhelpful, but nearly 90 percent of surveyed attorneys expected that antiracist expert evidence would benefit their criminal-defense practices.
This webinar will present the findings of the article, “Antiracist Expert Evidence,” published in the Yale Law Journal in 2025 written by Professors Asees Bhasin and Jasmine Gonzales Rose.
This article conceptualizes, categorizes, and instantiates six different expressions, manifestations, or mechanisms of racism relevant to criminal defense: (1) racist affiliations and views; (2) racist language, sounds, and imagery; (3) racial stereotypes; (4) racial disparities; (5) implicit racial bias; and (6) the impact of racism on health and behavior. It also analyzes survey results showing criminal-defense attorneys’ levels of familiarity with antiracist expert evidence, their perceptions of its utility, and the barriers they anticipate to its introduction. This article then examines these barriers and identifies means of overcoming them.
The webinar will cover all of these facets and facilitate a discussion about the use of such evidence in criminal defense practice.
Cost for the webinar is $50. To register, visit https://publicdefenders.us/event/antiracist-expert-evidence-an-exploration-of-racism.
Demonstrating the influence of racism is vital to the practice of criminal defense, yet many attorneys do not know how to prove racism in court. NAPD surveyed more than 700 criminal-defense attorneys across the United States, and nearly half had never heard of expert witnesses testifying or submitting written reports on racism—what NAPD calls “antiracist expert evidence.” This finding would be unremarkable if such experts were unhelpful, but nearly 90 percent of surveyed attorneys expected that antiracist expert evidence would benefit their criminal-defense practices.
This webinar will present the findings of the article, “Antiracist Expert Evidence,” published in the Yale Law Journal in 2025 written by Professors Asees Bhasin and Jasmine Gonzales Rose.
This article conceptualizes, categorizes, and instantiates six different expressions, manifestations, or mechanisms of racism relevant to criminal defense: (1) racist affiliations and views; (2) racist language, sounds, and imagery; (3) racial stereotypes; (4) racial disparities; (5) implicit racial bias; and (6) the impact of racism on health and behavior. It also analyzes survey results showing criminal-defense attorneys’ levels of familiarity with antiracist expert evidence, their perceptions of its utility, and the barriers they anticipate to its introduction. This article then examines these barriers and identifies means of overcoming them.
The webinar will cover all of these facets and facilitate a discussion about the use of such evidence in criminal defense practice.
Cost for the webinar is $50. To register, visit https://publicdefenders.us/event/antiracist-expert-evidence-an-exploration-of-racism.
