The Mesquite Online News - Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Graybill, ACLU of Texas leads discussion on Death Penalty

Students and faculty gathered April 20 to hear Linda Graybill, legal director of the ACLU of Texas, lead an open discussion on the death penalty. Photo by Cornelio Ontiveros. 

By Emma Carr

The legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas led an open discussion on the death penalty Wednesday in the Gym, attracting more than 100 students, primarily from the criminology and psychology departments.Lisa Graybill, a native San Antonian and a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law clerked for Judge Stephen Orlofsky of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, then joined the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice through the Attorney General’s Honors Program.  She has been the legal director of the ACLU of Texas since 2005.

The  ACLU of Texas fights in federal and state courts to protect Texans’ civil rights under the U.S. Constitution, federal and state law.  Graybill’s recent legal victories have contributed to the release of immigrant children held in detention at the T. Don Hutto Family Detention Center; the teaching of an unconstitutional Bible curriculum in Odessa; and protecting public community college students’ rights to free speech and school children’s rights to practice their faiths free of government intrusion.

Graybill spoke to students, then began an open discussion focused on the death penalty, also touching on civil liberties. Graybill polled the students on their feeling about the death penalty, then steered the discussion away from  “the emotion of the issue to focus on the numbers and statistics” to ask if the system can be corrected. Graybill provided statistics on the high percentage of minorities on death row.

Adjunct criminology professor Sissy Bradford planned Graybill’s campus visit six months in advance.

“As with all guests I invite to campus, I have only one goal, that my students are exposed to viewpoints and ideas that are challenging and relevant to what they are studying in my class,” Bradford said. “I want my students to see connections between what they are studying and the ‘real world’”.

About the Author

Emma Carr
This is my last semester at Texas A&M San Antonio and am excited to graduate and put my hard earned degree to use. I am majoring in Communication/Journalism and would enjoy going into TV news/morning shows.

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