Grassroots Community Organizer and Attorney Peter Earle April 5

Peter Earle, an attorney and grassroots community organizer, will discuss voting rights, partisan gerrymandering, and the role of the courts from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5 in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room at Western Washington University.

The event is free and open to the public.

Earle has been involved in the Whitford v. Gill case, which concerns partisan gerrymandering and is now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. In November 2016, a panel of three federal judges said that the Wisconsin Legislature’s 2011 redrawing of State Assembly districts to favor Republicans was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. If the Supreme Court were to affirm the ruling, it will directly affect the next round of state redistricting in 2021, which, in turn, will have a profound impact on congressional and state elections nationwide.

As an attorney, Earle has been selected for an AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell. In 2007, Earle was presented the William Gorham Rice Civil Libertarian of the Year Award by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin.

Earle’s legal work focuses on the areas of civil rights, employment discrimination, lead poisoning, products liability and redistricting.

To learn more about this event, visit https://chss.wwu.edu/events/giving-voice-our-votes-partisan-gerrymandering-and-courts, email bidisha.bsiwas@wwu.edu or call (360) 650-6596.