On May 14, 2020, Reflective Democracy Fellow Premal Dharia was interviewed by NPR about the thousands of legal cases tossed into limbo as district and state courts shut down across the country due to the pandemic. What does this mean for all of people connected to those cases?

She also authored a piece in Slate bringing light to the fact that many courts are making it harder, not easier, for people to pass through to trial in response to COVID-19. This has the duel effect of encroaching on their rights and holding them in over-crowded facilities.

In both pieces, Dharia advocates for the release of as many people as possible from jails and prisons as a way to help protect them from a virus the jail and prison systems are ill-equipped to handle.

As a Reflective Democracy Campaign Fellow, Dharia founded the Defender Impact Initiative, which works with public defenders to challenge injustice within the criminal system.

The Reflective Democracy Campaign was founded by WDN on the belief that we won’t achieve real democracy until all of us are reflected in the halls of power. Now we’re at the forefront of the growing movement for leaders who truly reflect the American people.