Civil Rights Cases with Keith Givens

Mark York hosts a dynamic conversation with Keith Givens, managing partner of the Cochran Law Firm and a prominent attorney in various practice areas. Givens discusses not only the Cochran Law Firm but also the Ruth Bader Ginsburg portrait that is going to be auctioned this year to raise money for the Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. 

The Cochran firm works on everything from truck accident suits to civil rights cases. Givens touches on how they have navigated to this point as a firm and the value diversity holds. 

Roughly one thousand citizens are killed by law enforcement every year. And in recent years, police footage has expanded, be it by police body cameras or citizens’ cell phones. Givens and York talk through the impact this has today and will have in the future.

Throughout the conversation, Givens touches on the Johnson & Johnson Supreme Court decision, civil justice, and shifts within society that look to drive positive change.

Key Topics:

-Upcoming tort actions and civil rights trials.

-We're two or three votes away at any particular time from swinging the pendulum toward police accountability. 

-Impact of cell phone usage by citizens with police officers.

-Overlap between criminal justice and civil justice.

-Accountability and negligence associated with police officer activity.

-The Supreme Court’s decision on Johnson & Johnson’s talc appeal.

Quotes:

“The portrait is going to be granted to the auction format at MTMP in October in Las Vegas.” (1:08, Mark)

“The different offices that we have are involved across the spectrum of individual events. We have a lot of larger truck litigation across the country.” (4:40, Keith)

“We were the National Law Journal’s civil rights trial firm of the year before COVID. We tried nine civil rights cases that year. Of course, incidentally, this year's truck accident law firm of the year. So it gives you an idea of the diversity of our practices across our offices.” (6:08, Keith)

“There is a tremendous overlap between civil justice and criminal justice. And there is also an overwhelming disparity of the mistreatment or the injustice occurring to citizens of color.” (8:20, Keith)

“The biggest resort for justice appears to be in the criminal courts and it's inadequate. It requires an extremely high burden. It does not change the core. That's like occasionally taking a drug dealer off the streets, so to speak. It does nothing for the manufacturer of illegal drugs or distribution of those drugs.” (9:11, Keith)