Students participate in an ACLU of Texas investigation of Travis County “magistration” hearings by watching live or recorded hearings on YouTube and entering information from their court observations into a spreadsheet. “Magistration” is conducted at the Travis County Jail and is the first hearing after an arrest, when bail is set. Many people arrested in Travis County languish in jail for days or weeks because a magistrate judge set unaffordable money bail or issued a detention order before the arrested person had a meaningful opportunity to advocate for their release. Arrested people in Travis County who cannot afford a lawyer are forced to appear at these key initial hearings without counsel, even though counsel at magistration is a constitutional right and these hearings can affect the entire trajectory of their case.
Organization
ACLU of Texas
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is the leading civil rights organization in the Lone Star State. Since its formation in 1938, the ACLU of Texas has worked in the courts, the legislature, and through public education to protect civil rights and individual liberty.
Project Details
- Website
- http://www.aclutx.org
- Project Start Date
February 2024
- Approximate hours of work requested
- A minimum of 10 hours between February 15 and March 15
- Training
- Thursday, February 15, 2024, 5pm – 5:45pm (Zoom); training materials will be provided to those whose schedules do not allow them to attend the training
- Skills used
- Court watching skills and analysis
- Project location
- Virtual
- Address
- PO Box 8306, Houston, TX 77288
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 15
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- To Apply
- Register at https://aclu2-15-24.eventbrite.com