Crafting Equitable Policy for Children and Families

This presentation will explore how California Courts are interpreting the Racial Justice Act in its early years and where those interpretations have fallen short. Drawing from hands-on experience, it highlights emerging legal challenges, litigation trends, and the urgent need for courts to adopt bolder, more meaningful remedies that actually confront racial harm in the criminal legal system.

Karina Alvarez is the Racial Justice Attorney for the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara and Golden Gate University, School of Law. Karina was born in Santiago, Chile and is bilingual in English and Spanish. She has been litigating RJA motions since January 2021 when she filed one of the first Racial Justice Act motions in the county, resulting in a favorable outcome for her client. She has been a public defender for a decade. She serves on the DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging) committee and enjoys mentoring new attorneys. She regularly conducts internal and external trainings and has presented at multiple conferences throughout the state. Karina was awarded the 2024 Skip Glenn Award for Excellence in Advocacy by the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ) and is the co-author of “Collaborative Efforts to Combat Racism: Academics and Criminal Defense Lawyers in the Pursuit of Racial Justice in California,” published in the Santa Clara Law Review (2025).

Lunch will be served in Room 170 starting at 12:50 PM. RSVPs will be prioritized.

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