Justin Simard’s Citing Slavery Project Highlights Diversity Week at MSU Law

By Jake Jenkins

April 24, 2023

Third-year student research assistants engage in Q&A after presentation to answer all of audience’s questions about findings

Michigan State University College of Law professor Justin Simard, along with his student research team, hosted an open house last Tuesday to highlight their work and findings surrounding courts citing slave cases during their own hearings and how it impacts the legal field.

This project has provided opportunities for MSU Law students to engage in this scholarly work to help reshape the way people address the legacy of slavery in the legal system.

“Citing slave cases have legal harms and they aren’t as reliable precedents as judges perceive,” said Simard. “It causes dignitary harm as well as it dehumanizes those who were involved in the case.”

There were a variety of third-year law students who made up the research team that assisted Simard with the project, including:

• Audrea Dakho
• Taylor Hall
• Ilina Krishen
• Bret Bicoy
• Patrick Marr

“I had a large team collecting cases and analyzing them,” Simard said. “Presenting, building the website and social media. Collecting 11,000 cases on my own would have been impossible but the students played an important role, especially with finding new ways to present this information with people.”

Mary Ann Ferguson, MSU Law Dean and Founder of the Diversity & Equity Services Office (DESO), was in attendance as this event was a part of MSU Law’s annual Diversity Week.

Starting in 1994, the event was created by a group of law students and the administration to highlight diverse cultural backgrounds through various activities.

Today, different student organizations in the law college who represent diverse backgrounds partner with DESO to create a week of fun and education for members of the MSU Law community to come and partake in what is being offered.

“It’s a week full of presentations, great foods, and it involves members of the faculty, staff, and members of the legal profession we invite here,” Ferguson said. “These professionals come here to have conversations on the importance of DEI in the legal field and in law school.”