How Berkeley Law’s faculty, students, staff, and alumni are defending democracy’s bedrock principles
Berkeley Law faculty, students, and alumni are leading legal and educational efforts to defend democratic principles amid federal policy shifts, including a class-action lawsuit restoring over $700 million in grant funding and a new immigration practicum securing detainees' releases.
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Clinical Professor Claudia Polsky initiated a class-action lawsuit after federal agencies abruptly terminated research grants, alleging violations of the Administrative Procedure Act and First Amendment. The lawsuit, joined by Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and alumni including Elisabeth Cabraser, has restored over 1,000 grants totaling more than $700 million across the UC system and barred six agencies from terminating additional awards. The legal team, operating pro bono, includes researchers from Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment as named plaintiffs.
Polsky emphasized the lawsuit’s motivation as a commitment to upholding the rule of law, comparing it to a doctor’s duty to protect health. She criticized institutional reluctance to challenge policy changes, noting the fear among those with significant resources. The ongoing litigation spans U.S. District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, with Chemerinsky highlighting the law school’s obligation to support constitutional principles amid unprecedented challenges to the rule of law.
In response to anticipated mass deportations following the 2024 election, Berkeley Law launched the Immigration Liberation Practicum, led by supervising attorney Sophia Wang. The practicum, created in collaboration with alumni defending undocumented immigrants, trains students to assist detainees through habeas corpus petitions, the primary legal tool for securing releases from detention.
The practicum has already secured the release of four immigrants, prevented the re-detention of a Bay Area resident, and won a bond hearing for an asylum-seeker detained for over a year. Wang acknowledged the overwhelming need for representation but praised the resilience of clients and the growing national advocacy network. Students, including Sandhya Nadadur ’24, described the work as both challenging and empowering, emphasizing the critical role of legal intervention in protecting immigrants’ rights.