James Forman Jr.
If you heard anything about the latest round of Pulitzer Prizes announced yesterday, it was likely that Kendrick Lamar won one for his album “DAMN.” And you should absolutely care about Lamar’s achievement. Besides making the award relevant to folks under 50, it was the first music Pulitzer awarded to a rapper and the first to a non-classical, non-jazz work. So kudos all the way around.
But legal nerds also have reason to celebrate — one of their own has taken home the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction. Yale Law School professor James Forman Jr.’s book “Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America” won the award. The book traces the role of African-American politicians in policies of mass incarceration and their impact on communities of color. Forman has said his work before legal academia played a role in inspiring the book, specifically his time as a public defender:
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“I decided to become a public defender in Washington, D.C., in 1994 because I viewed over-incarceration as the civil rights issue of my generation. When I got to D.C. courtrooms I encountered lots of African-American police officers, judges, prosecutors, and court employees, many (though not all) of who seemed quite comfortable with locking up my clients, who were overwhelming African-American. I thought there was a story to be told.”
Forman also has a prestigious Supreme Court clerkship on his résumé. A former O’Connor clerk, he’s said he disagreed with the justice when it came to issues of criminal justice:
“That was a hard, hard year. She’s a wonderful person,” Forman said. “And I loved how she treated me as an individual, as a clerk. She still to this day … asks after my family when I see her. And she’s connected to her clerks in that way. She cares about us, and she cares about our success. But I disagreed with her on most issues that came before the court having to do with civil rights or criminal law and criminal justice.”
Folks back at Yale are pretty proud of their professor, with Dean Heather Gerken saying:
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“We couldn’t be prouder of James and his work. The book is an important intervention in one of the biggest debates in American society, and it’s wonderful to see it getting the recognition it deserves.”
Congrats to Professor Forman on the Pulitzer.
Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).