UC Berkeley Publishes PJLC Analysis on Movement
Lawyering

The Berkeley Journal of Criminal Law has published an article by the Peace and Justice Law Center’s Executive Director examining how movement lawyering can be used to implement California’s Racial Justice Act (RJA) and reduce racial disparities in criminal prosecutions. The article appears in a special issue connected to Berkeley Law’s Racial Justice Act Symposium, which brought together lawyers, scholars, and advocates working on statewide RJA implementation.

The article, A Case for Movement Lawyering in Racial Justice Act Implementation, builds on remarks delivered during the symposium’s Structural Change panel. It argues that while the RJA is often used case by case, the law’s stated purpose is systemic change—and that achieving that goal requires coordinated strategies that extend beyond individual representation.

Drawing from PJLC’s work in Orange County, the piece explains how movement lawyering can help translate the RJA into real-world outcomes. It describes efforts to organize community partners, pursue public records litigation to uncover racial disparities in prosecutions, and reframe racially biased charging and sentencing practices as violations of the law rather than unavoidable social conditions.

The article also highlights the limits of current RJA implementation, including the lack of funding for systemic work and the slow pace of appellate litigation. It calls for greater coordination among defenders, community organizations, scholars, and movement lawyers, as well as sustained investment in strategies that use data, litigation, and public education to enforce the law’s promise.

Publication in a leading criminal law journal reflects PJLC’s dual role as both a litigation organization and a contributor to statewide policy and strategy discussions. By grounding scholarship in lived experience and active campaigns, PJLC aims to help shape how the Racial Justice Act is understood, implemented, and strengthened in the years ahead.

PJLC will continue pairing movement-centered legal advocacy with research and public education to push for measurable reductions in racial disparities across California’s criminal legal system.