Category: Legal Matters

Watch out world - here comes Thursday Williams! She might be 17, but Thursday has an impressive list of credits to her name. She's participated in a variety of debates at Brooklyn Law School and NYU; completed a judicial internship through the Sonia & Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program, is president of her high school, is an explorer and member of the Youth Community Council for the 103rd Police Precinct in Queens. And although she's not a professional actress, Thursday was a cast as a debater in the highly acclaimed, successful Off-Broadway play, "What The Constitution Means to Me." Clearly, Thursday can hold her own any day of the week!

Although state courts handle more than 95% of all court cases in the U.S., a report from the American Constitution Society found that white men comprise 58% of state court judges; less than 33% are women and 20% are people of color. You're about to meet one of the 33%. Although recently retired, Joan Lobis spent more than 30 years on the bench, 26 as a New York State Supreme Court Judge. Her election to Civil Court in 1988 made Joan the first openly gay female judge in New York and then on the Supreme Court. She was one of the founding members of the New York City Bar Association's Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights. We cover a lot of territory during a conversation you won't want to miss.

In her decades long career as an award-winning investigative journalist, former television executive and documentary filmmaker, much of Civia Tamarkin's focus has been on criminal and social justice. She's covered stories all around the world, including the fall of Vietnam. Her latest project is "Birthright: A War Story." This riveting, feature length documentary tells the story of "how women have become collateral damage in the aggressive campaign to take control of reproductive health care and to allow states, courts and religious doctrine to govern whether, when and how women will bear children." This is yet another conversation you can't afford to miss.

Founded in 1992, The Innocence Project is the #1 organization working for criminal justice reform in the United States. To date, 344 people have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 20 who served time on death row. Deputy Director Meryl Schwartz leads the work of the legal team, policy advocates and research staff. It's a perfect match. Meryl has always focused on issues rooted in income inequality, criminal and juvenile justice, education reform and youth and workforce development. Tune in to this not-to-be-missed conversation.

You're in for a riveting, eye-opening, disturbing conversation with Donna Ferrato. The internationally acclaimed and awarding-winning photojournalist is behind the groundbreaking documentation of the hidden world of domestic violence. Her book, "Living With the Enemy," went into 4 printings and along with exhibitions and lectures, sparked a national discussion on sexual violence and women's rights. This is a conversation that should not be missed.