Chambers Appointed to Racial Inequity Commission

Professor Hank Chambers, an expert in constitutional and criminal law, was recently appointed to Governor Ralph Northam’s newly formed Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law. The Commission is tasked with reviewing the Virginia Acts of Assembly and the Code of Virginia “with the goal of identifying and making recommendations to address laws that were intended to or could have the effect of promoting or enabling racial discrimination or inequity.”

Northam established the Commission in an executive order signed in June 2019, and appointed the members in September 2019. “Identifying the vestiges of racial discrimination that still remain in Virginia’s laws today is critical to the work before us to build a Commonwealth that is equitable for all who call it home,” Northam said in a statement. 

“I am honored to assist in this effort to examine Virginia law and identify parts of it that reflect some of the more regrettable moments in the Commonwealth’s history and continue to thwart the promise of the fully equal and equitable society that all Virginians seek,” said Chambers.

Other members of the nine-member commission include attorneys, judges, and community leaders – including Richmond Law adjunct professor Mike Herring and alumna Carla Jackson, L’00.

A team of 12 Richmond Law students has also been tapped to help the commission with its research, in partnership with the Carrico Center for Pro Bono & Public Service.

An interim report of the Commission’s work is expected in November 2019.