Constitutional Attorney Addresses Gerrymandering
Yurij RudenskyConstitutional attorney Yurij Rudensky, a national authority on voting rights and redistricting issues, will speak at Alma College as part of the annual Constitution Day observance.
Rudensky, Counsel with the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York City, will discuss “The Constitution and the Right to Representation” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27 in the Dunning Memorial Chapel at Alma College.
Admission is free and open to the public.
“A proposal to end partisan gerrymandering is on the Michigan ballot this fall, and Mr. Rudensky’s talk will provide a unique opportunity for voters to learn about this issue and how it affects their constitutional rights,” says Kristin Olbertson, associate professor of history and pre-law program coordinator at Alma College.
Prior to joining the Brennan Center, Rudensky was an attorney at Columbia Legal Services in Seattle, where his practice focused on civil rights and economic justice. Specifically, his work took on issues of homelessness, voting rights, debtor’s rights and access to housing.
Before Columbia Legal Services, Rudensky served as a law clerk to the Honorable Salvador Mendoza Jr., U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Washington, and the Honorable Steven Gonzalez, justice on the Washington Supreme Court. He also has taught constitutional law at the University of Washington-Tacoma as adjunct faculty.
Rudensky earned his JD from the University of Washington School of Law, where he was a William H. Gates Public Interest Law Scholarship recipient. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Slavic literature from Yale College.
Constitution Day is an annual federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens.