Proof Over Precedent

Episode 72: Building Judiciary Trust Through Open Court Data

The seven-year-old Open Government Data Act has supported accessible, and useable, data from federal agencies, but it did not extend to the judiciary. This week's Proof O

Episode 71: When and How to Study Attorney Influence in Asylum Cases

It helps to have a lawyer in court, no question. But in immigration court, where the vast majority of individuals are self-representing and not enough immigration lawyers

Episode 70: Exploring a Lawyer's Impact on Immigration Proceedings

No counsel, worse outcomes in immigration proceedings? This week on Proof Over Precedent, Access to Justice Lab Faculty Director and occasional podcast host Jim Greiner i

Episode 69: Study Interrupted—In-Person v. Remote Hearing Modalities

We like to use Proof Over Precedent as a platform to highlight our evidence-based findings, as well as others' studies, from randomized control trials in the field of law

Episode 68: Evaluating Procedural Fairness in Court and on Zoom

Self-represented litigants primarily measure procedural justice by whether they had a voice, were listened to, and were treated fairly in court. Do these basic marks of o

Are Death-Qualified Juries Qualified?

Jury selection should aim for a balanced and thoughtful panel; in capital cases, that balance is further underscored. This week's "Student Voices" post argues that "death

Episode 67: Capital Jury Selection's Hidden Biases

Serving as a juror fulfills one's civic duty to ensure a system of checks and balances in the U.S. In capital cases, however, "death qualification" ensures that prospecti

Episode 66: Heirs' Property's Fragile Hold on Land Ownership and Justice

Just because an individual may own property, does not guarantee that the person may keep that property—that’s the warning stemming from this week's podcast episode featur

Episode 65: Access vs. Efficiency—Supreme Court Weighs Frivolous Filings

"Martinizing", the controversial Supreme Court practice of denying court fee waivers for indigent litigants, is meant to reduce frivolous filings, but at what cost? This

Episode 64: Can AI Resolve Brazil's Judicial Backlog?

More than 100 million pending cases await Brazil courts, so it may not be surprising that the country's Supreme Court Justice has a reportedly rosy view of AI in the cour

Episode 63: Texas Two-Step Bankruptcy--Corporate Restructuring or Legal Loophole?

The Texas Two-Step is a fairly simple dance, but in the world of corporate bankruptcy, it's the name of a sophisticated maneuver that some profitable companies employ to

Episode 62: Navigating Immigration Law Post-Trump v. CASA

Trump v. CASA did not directly address immigration and birthright citizenship when it ruled against universal injunctions, and yet...The aftermath of the ruling left the

Episode 61: The Promise and Pitfalls of Active Judging

Pro se litigants have reason to hope for a better civil courtroom experience with active judging. If done right, this reform promises more clarity and mercy for those unf

Episode 60: Beyond Gideon—Rethinking Access to Justice

Is it time for an inquisitorial legal system? How about a redesigned "lawyer-less" court? This isn't the wild west of the legal world, but rather a lively discussion amon

Episode 59: Legal Aid on the Front Line of Immigration

When it comes to immigration, the legal aid sector has pivoted its resources from affirmative relief for immigrants to defense deportation and detention center intakes. I

Episode 58: Labor Innovations Bridge Access-to-Justice Gap for Immigrants

Labor movements have had to get creative when it comes to labor justice for immigrant workers. That's where worker centers fill the niche not covered by traditional labor

Episode 57: Libraries and AI—Partners for Accessible Justice?

In this "Student Voices" episode, HLS student Grace Gao interviews Ari Scourtas, Product and Research Manager of the Library Innovation Lab at Harvard Law School, about m

Episode 56: The Conflicting Sides of Police Procedural Protections

This bonus episode of Proof Over Precedent looks at the access to justice issues around the Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights (LEOBR) statutes and contract provision

Episode 55: Navigating Workplace Justice Through an AI Lens

Workplace justice issues take center stage in this Proof Over Precedent "student voices" episode focused on Reclamo AI, an AI chatbot, developed to help workers--especial

Episode 54: Will Clearing a Criminal Record Lead to Happiness (and Housing)?

"My criminal record doesn't reflect who I am anymore." This sentiment overwhelmingly topped the list of reasons why expungement study participants wanted to clear their r