Civil Rights Clinic Student Christine Hanon '23 Argues Before Ninth Circuit Panel

On Feb. 8, Christine Hanon '23 argued on behalf of a UC Davis Law Civil Rights Clinic client before a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco. Ninth Circuit Judges Jay S. Bybee, Ryan D. Nelson and Senior District Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the Southern District of New York comprised the panel that heard the appeal.

The clinic represents a federal prisoner in his appeal from a district court's dismissal of an action alleging excessive force, deprivation of medical care, and failure-to-protect claims. A central issue in the appeal is whether the prisoner’s Bivens claims remain viable in light of the recent Supreme Court decision in Egbert v. Boule.

Emily Dennis ’22 and Abigail Miles ’22 drafted the briefs for this case while enrolled in the Civil Rights Clinic during the previous school year. Last semester, Hanon drafted a supplemental briefing after the Supreme Court decided the Egbert case. Lena Foellmer ’23 was co-counsel in preparing for the oral argument. Professors Holly Cooper, Katherine Florey, Irene Joe, Carlton Larson, Brian Soucek, and Aaron Tang helped Hanon prepare for this argument.

Professor Carter White, director of the Civil Rights Clinic, supervised the students’ work on the case. The Civil Rights Clinic will celebrate its 30th anniversary later this year. Coincidentally, this is the 30th case Clinic students have briefed in the Ninth Circuit.

View the video of the Ninth Circuit argument.