Lewes, DE, 7 April 2022
Attorney Jason Downs will join Lewes Public Library’s Distinguished Lecturer Ronald Collins for a live, online
discussion titled “Upgrading Justice for All” Thursday, April 21 at 5:00 PM Eastern time.
Jason Downs has rich experience in civil rights law in both the public and governmental sectors. No stranger to
high-profile litigation, he was a part of the team that investigated and settled the Freddie Gray civil rights matter
for $6.4 million. He also served as lead counsel on the Terrence Sterling civil rights matter in the District of
Columbia that settled for $3.5 million. A highly respected civil and criminal litigator, he has fought for the most
vulnerable people in the justice system.
“In many and varied ways, Jason Downs is the face of a new generation of exceptional lawyers committed to
social justice,” said Collins. “He knows the issues and what is at stake, and he is not afraid to make those hard
choices that can reverse the arc of injustice.”
The program is part of the library’s Lives in the Law discussion series, which brings together noted figures in the
world of law— lawyers, professors, journalists, and activists—to join in dialogue about their lives in the law
along with how their work bears on some of the most controversial issues of our time.
Registration for the Zoom-based event is required at the Lewes Public Library’s website. Visit the Virtual
Programs for Adults page at lewes.lib.de.us to register.
Jason Downs is currently a shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where he is co-chair of the State
Attorneys General practice group. A former chief deputy attorney general for the D.C. Office of the Attorney
General, he also serves as trial advocacy workshop faculty at Harvard Law School and is an adjunct professor at
the University of Maryland School of Law.
Ronald Collins is the former Harold S. Shefelman Scholar at the University of Washington Law School. He served as a Supreme Court Fellow for Chief Justice Warren Burger and is editor of the weekly blog “First AmendmentNews.”
Collins also serves on the editorial board of SCOTUSblog and is the author of books ranging in topics from free speech to artificial intelligence and campaign finance law. He is co-director of the History Book Festival and is the library’s first Distinguished Lecturer.
