Peter Edelman of Georgetown University to Deliver Virtual Lecture on Poverty Edelman’s talk will be held on Jan. 17 and is sponsored by the Blue Ridge Mile Clinic.

By Emily Innes
January 8, 2024

Peter Edelman, the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law and Public Policy at Georgetown University Law Center, will give a virtual lecture on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m.

Edelman’s lecture is sponsored by W&L’s Blue Ridge Mile Clinic, a student-led initiative within the Shepherd Program that aims to support clients in navigating the steps required to obtain or reinstate a driver’s license, learn about and attempt to address the systematic and personal challenges of these  processes, and gain an understanding of district court and Department of Motor Vehicles practices.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be delivered via Zoom, with an in-person viewing in Huntley Hall 221. Registration is encouraged, but not required.

Edelman joined Georgetown’s faculty in 1982, where he teaches constitutional law and poverty law and serves as faculty director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality. He has also served in all three branches of the federal government, including as counselor to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary under President Bill Clinton, legislative assistant to Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg.

Edelman’s research focuses on poverty, constitutional law, and issues about children and youth, and he has contributed to numerous law reviews, scholarly journals and edited volumes, as well as authored several books including “So Rich So Poor: Why It’s So Hard to End Poverty in America” (2012) and “Not a Crime to Be Poor: The Criminalization of Poverty in America” (2017).

In his talk, Edelman will discuss topics from “Not a Crime to Be Poor,” which explores the trends in some states to criminalize individuals who have low income by imposing high fines and court fees on driving-related offenses, and in some states, unpaid court costs result in license suspensions, which ultimately can result in jail time.

“In the scope of his book, Edelman identifies a systemic challenge relevant to the work of Blue Ridge Mile, which aims to encourage and support individuals in reinstating or obtaining driving privileges,” said Fran Elrod, associate director of the Shepherd Program at W&L and university adviser to the Blue Ridge Mile Clinic.

If you would like Blue Ridge Mile to purchase a copy of “Not a Crime to Be Poor” for you to pick up prior to the event, please complete the registration form here.