Chicago-Kent College of Law Professor Carolyn Shapiro Appointed to Illinois Task Force on Constitutional Rights and Remedies

CHICAGO, October 4, 2021—Chicago-Kent College of Law professor and co-director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States Carolyn Shapiro has been appointed to the Illinois Task Force on Constitutional Rights and Remedies by Illinois Senate President Don Harmon.

The 19-member task force was created by the Illinois General Assembly to “develop and propose policies and procedures to review and reform constitutional rights and remedies, including qualified immunity for peace officers.”

“I am honored to serve on this task force and to contribute to the important work of developing policy to protect the constitutional rights of all Illinois residents and to improve law enforcement accountability,” Shapiro says. “Ultimately, such efforts are likely to enhance law enforcement’s effectiveness by improving their relationships with the communities they serve.”

Shapiro focuses her research on the Supreme Court, its relationship to other courts and institutions, and its role in our constitutional democracy. She clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer in 1996-1997, and has argued cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Seventh Circuit, the Illinois Supreme Court, and the Illinois Appellate Courts. Shapiro also served as Illinois Solicitor General from 2014-2016.

Chicago-Kent alumni Joel D’Alba ’69, Larry Rogers, Jr. ’94 and Michael Wilder ’06 have also been appointed to the task force.