As the U.S. reflected on the 60^th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the College of Law marked the moment by bringing students to the heart of the conversation. The new Voting Rights and Policy residency, designed for hybrid online JDinteractive students and open to on-campus J.D. students, was held in Washington, D.C. for four days in December and was taught by Ryan Suto G’13, G’13, L’13, senior government affairs manager at FairVote.

The residency addressed the urgency surrounding voting rights in today’s political climate while also examining the law’s origins, impact and the ongoing challenges related to protecting Americans’ right to vote throughout history.

A Universal Right

In response to student interest, the College of Law reached out to Suto about creating this new residency. He designed the course to familiarize students with major federal and state court decisions and federal legislation, deepen their understanding of how federal and state governments interact with voting rights, and prepare them to critically assess and participate in future developments within the area of law.

A Valuable Topic

Ryan Dudley L’26 enjoyed attending the residency. He currently works as the state policy manager for the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

“One of the best parts, however, was the opportunity to have in-person interaction with others in my cohort,” he says. “The JDi program is great because, although we are all participating from all over the country, there is a real sense of friendship and camaraderie within our group, and it’s great to connect with others at the residencies.”

Highlights of this residency included several prominent speakers, including Sara Rohani, assistant counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Fred McBride, senior advisor, voting rights, for the Southern Poverty Law Center; and Robert Weiner, director of the Voting Rights Project, The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law.

Bringing Together Diverse Expertise

Even though many of these students may not pursue careers specifically in voting rights, they wanted to understand how the law shapes and impacts communities. And because JDi students tend to be working professionals attending law school to advance or change their careers, they also brought real-life experiences to the topic. For example, one student was an elected official in Pennsylvania, another worked in state government and another was a teacher, adding depth and practical relevance to the conversations in the room.

Michael Roach L’26 is the county judge of Stephens County, Texas.

“One of the most valuable aspects of the residency was exposure to practitioners working directly in the voting rights space, including our guest speakers who shared real perspectives for advocacy and enforcement,” Roach says. “And Professor Suto brought a unique level of insight, drawing on his experience at the forefront of drafting and advising on legislation designed to promote fairness, access and integrity in the electoral process. All of the information throughout the residency helped connect legal theory to real policy outcomes.”

Students Tasked to Write a Bill

According to Suto, the residency emphasized familiarity with voting rights and statutory drafting, instead of analyzing what someone else had already written.

“I like the exercise of saying, ‘This is the jurisprudential frame. What would you do in the middle of that?’ and asking students to see the gap between law and politics,” Suto says, adding that the final assessment of the residency was to draft a bill.

The inaugural Voting Rights and Policy residency was a success. According to Suto, he received very positive, informal feedback from those who participated. Given the headlines voting rights have been making in today’s political climate, he hopes to present a similar residency to students in the future.

See here for more information on upcoming JDi residencies.