Professor White to Receive Joe Ramsey Award for Pro Bono Service
On Tuesday, Nov. 9, the Sacramento Chapter of the Federal Bar Association will honor Professor Carter C. White with its 2021 Joe Ramsey Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service. The award will be presented during a noontime virtual ceremony emceed by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California Chief Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.
In a congratulatory letter to White informing him of the award, Mueller noted White’s “outstanding service” to the court as a longstanding member of its Civil Rights Pro Bono Panel:
“You have consistently demonstrated your commitment to pro bono service by working with law students, introducing them to federal pro bono practice and planning and executing several pro bono training events. As the supervising attorney for the Civil Rights Clinic at UC Davis School of Law, you are a valued source of institutional knowledge and a supervisor and mentor within the law school community. As Clinic Director, you were the very first person to accept a pro bono appointment in the Eastern District of California! Since then, you and the Clinic have been appointed in no less than 16 pro bono cases -- 9 in a general capacity and 7 for a limited purpose. Of those cases, 13 have closed: 8 settled, 3 went to trial and 2 closed for other reasons. You have always fulfilled your appointment obligations, and you currently have 2 appointments that remain active.”
Professor White has been the supervising attorney of the UC Davis School of Law's Civil Rights Clinic for 23 years, continuously since 2001. He has been a trial and appellate lawyer for more than 35 years, emphasizing civil rights and the rights of the incarcerated.
As a member of the clinical faculty at King Hall, White is a Lecturer with Continuing Appointment. He has also taught courses in Civil Rights and Pretrial Skills.
White graduated from Oberlin College and the University of Texas School of Law. After law school, Carter was a law clerk for Justice Bob Gammage of the Texas Third District Court of Appeals in Austin. He directed the ACLU South Texas Project and was in private practice for several years.
White has tried many cases in California and Texas and has supervised law students in more than 15 civil rights jury trials and two bench trials in federal district court. He has handled appeals in the Fifth and Ninth Circuits, the Texas Supreme Court, and California and Texas Courts of Appeal. Under his supervision, law students have argued more than 20 cases in the Ninth Circuit.
White has been active with the Eastern District of California’s Pro Bono Panel and has accepted multiple appointments for many years. For the past 15 years, he has been significantly involved in the planning and execution of several pro bono trainings and luncheons and the Pro Se Help Day events. During this time, he has regularly consulted on an informal basis with members of the Pro Bono Panel, providing encouragement, guidance, and sample forms.