Speaker Bios
James Binnall: Dr. Binnall is a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at California State University Long Beach, where his research centers on civic marginalization of those with criminal convictions. Dr. Binnall is the Executive Director of Project Rebound, an organization that works to ensure the success of formerly incarcerated students. He is also the co-founder of the California System-Involved Bar Association, which is comprised of formerly incarcerated or system-involved lawyers.
Mary Rose: Dr. Rose is currently a professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches courses on social science and law as well as social psychology and research methods. Her research examines lay participation in the legal system and perceptions of justice, and she has written on a variety of topics, including the effects of jury selection practices on jury representativeness and citizens’ views of justice, jury trial innovations, death penalty decision- making, civil damage awards, and public views of court practices. She is also an investigator on the landmark study of decision-making among 50 deliberating juries from Pima County, Arizona.
William Snowden: Mr. Snowden is the founder of the Juror Project. Will's legal career began as a public defender in New Orleans, LA, where he witnessed the discriminatory practices of removing jurors from the jury panel and took his fight from the courtroom to the community and created The Juror Project. Will presents at high schools, colleges, churches, and other community gatherings discussing the importance of jury service and the factors at play in removing diversity from the jury, putting the fairness of our criminal legal system in jeopardy. Will completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota and earned his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.
Moderator (Michael O’Hora): Michael is a second-year law student at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and is one of the NLG’s Haywood Burns Fellows for Summer 2023.
Timed Agenda (90 minutes)