Demand the Impossible: One Lawyer’s Pursuit of Equal Justice for All
William S. Boyd School of Law and Professor Robert Tsai (BU Law) will discuss his new book, Demand the Impossible: One Lawyer's Pursuit of Equal Justice for All, which chronicles attorney Stephen Bright's remarkable career to explore the legal ideas that were central to his relentless pursuit of equal justice in America, particularly for low-income people prosecuted for crimes carrying sentences of death or life in prison. For nearly forty years, Bright led the Southern Center for Human Rights, a nonprofit that provided legal aid to incarcerated people and worked to improve conditions within the justice system. He argued four capital cases before the US Supreme Court—and won each one, despite facing an increasingly hostile bench. With each victory, he brought to light how the law itself had become corrupted by the country’s thirst for severe punishment, exposing prosecutorial misconduct, continuing racial inequality, inadequate safeguards for people with intellectual disabilities, and the shameful quality of legal representation for the poor.
Following Professor Tsai's presentation, a panel of local public defense practitioners will lead a discussion of the book, and how Bright's litigation legacy can impact the struggle for equal justice for low-income Nevadans charged with crimes.
Panelists Include:
- Death Penalty Attorney Randy Fiedler (No Path Forward)
- Clark County Public Defender Nancy Lemcke
- State Senator Melanie Scheible
- Leslie Turner, Co-Founder of Mass Liberation Nevada
Robert L. Tsai is a Professor of Law and Harry Elwood Memorial Scholar at Boston University of Law, where he teaches courses in constitutional law, presidential leadership, and individual rights. Professor Tsai has been named '24-'25 Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellow at the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University, where he will spend this year working on a new book titled, Reasoning from Injustice, the project brings together pragmatism and popular constitutionalism to develop a humanistic approach to politics capable of diagnosing injustice as a social practice and overcoming the forces of indifference.
Professor Tsai is the author of four books: Demand the Impossible: One Lawyer’s Pursuit of Equal Justice for All (W.W. Norton 2024); Practical Equality: Forging Justice in a Divided Nation (W.W. Norton 2019); America’s Forgotten Constitutions: Defiant Visions of Power and Community (Harvard 2014); and Eloquence and Reason: Creating a First Amendment Culture (Yale 2008).