Law Faculty Expert to Lead Panel Discussion on Wrongful Convictions

Law Faculty Expert to Lead Panel Discussion on Wrongful Convictions

A faculty expert will lead a panel discussion on wrongful convictions and the human toll of a flawed justice system at The University of Toledo College of Law on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Nathan Goetting is a professor of law and author of the recently released book "The Supreme Court's Actual Innocence Problem: How the Supreme Court of the United States Has Failed to Reduce Wrongful Convictions." He will lead the panel titled "Actually Innocent" beginning at noon in the McQuade Law Auditorium.

Goetting argues in his new book that the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently failed to address the systemic issues that lead to wrongful convictions, even amid the advance of forensics based on DNA, and identifies seven key areas where reform is urgently needed.

In "Actually Innocent," Goetting will engage panelists Tracey Brame and Ann Garant, dean and professor of the Cooley Law School and co-directors of the Cooley Innocence Project, and Gilbert Poole Jr., who spent more than three decades in prison on a wrongful murder conviction before he was exonerated through the work of the Cooley Innocence Project in 2021.

"Gil's case helped inspire me to write 'The Supreme Court's Actual Innocence Problem,' so I'm especially glad that he and his Cooley Innocence Project lawyers will be joining me at the College of Law," Goetting said. "The DNA revolution has shown that there are several criminal investigation methods and trial procedures that cause our system to break down in ways that lead to wrongful convictions, and I look forward to discussing this topic with our panelists and with students, faculty and the community."

For more information, go to the event website.

Visitor parking for the free, public panel discussion requires payment through the ParkMobile app, a parking meter or a daily permit via ParkUToledo. Visit the ParkUToledo website for more information.