Suja Thomas | DEV-College of Law | Illinois

Thomas receives grant from Ford Foundation to advance her documentary project on the justice system

Krista Gaedtke — Tue, 20 May 2025 19:49:56 +0000

Professor Suja Thomas has been awarded a grant from the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms program, which will fund her documentary project on the American justice system. The Foundation’s investment will support 46 film projects and initiatives, highlighting its unwavering commitment to advancing narrative power and justice through the art of storytelling. Learn more about JustFilms and the projects that have been funded at fordfoundation.org.

New York Times quotes Thomas on Greenpeace case

Chris Davies — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 18:59:02 +0000

In March, a North Dakota jury awarded a Texas-based pipeline company more than $660 million in damages related to protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Greenpeace is expected to appeal the decision, in part because of their issue with jurors who had ties to the oil industry. Professor Suja Thomas, an expert in jury trials, told The New York Times North Dakota courts do not use “blanket disqualifications of jurors just because they might have some kind of interest.”

Read the full article from The New York Times.

Thomas speaks at Survival of the Jury symposium

Chris Davies — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 19:54:22 +0000

On Friday, October 25, 2024, Professor Suja Thomas spoke at the Survival of the Jury at George Washington Law School in Washington, DC. The symposium focused on the past, present, and future of the jury in the U.S. legal system and Professor Thomas spoke about how federal judges in the U.S. dismiss far more employment discrimination cases before trial than judges in the United Kingdom.

See the full symposium schedule.

Thomas presents at Employment Lawyers convention

Law News — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 19:15:00 +0000

Professor Suja Thomas presented on Court of Appeals cases decided this past year as part of “The Year in Review: Significant Developments in Employment Law” at the Annual National Employment Lawyers Association Convention in Philadelphia on June 29, 2024. The convention is designed to provide continuing legal education for the plaintiffs’ bar, including attorneys, paraprofessionals, law students, and other workers’ rights advocates.

Thomas discusses Trump trials and juries with Illinois News Bureau

Law News — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +0000

“I hope all of the criminal Trump trials highlight the importance of juries,” Professor Suja Thomas told the Illinois News Bureau in a recent interview. She spoke at length on what impact former President Donald Trump’s trials may have on the public perception of jury duty. Though there has been a decline in jury trials due to plea bargains in criminal cases and private arbitration or dismissals in civil cases, Thomas emphasized the crucial role of jury trials in checking governmental power and ensuring fair justice, noting systemic biases favoring the wealthy in the current criminal justice system.

Read the full interview on the Illinois News Bureau site.

Thomas quoted by WSJ: In Win for Workers, Supreme Court Opens Door to More Discrimination Claims

Law News — Fri, 17 May 2024 15:15:00 +0000

The Supreme Court issued a decision in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis on April 17, 2024, ruling in favor of a female police sergeant who said she was unlawfully transferred from the intelligence division to a less prestigious patrol position because she is a woman. The case had previously been dismissed by a federal appeals court; the Supreme Court said that “while an employee must show more than trifling harm from an employer’s discriminatory action, the appeals court had raised the bar too high.” While the decision is seen as a win for workers, employment discrimination expert and professor Suja Thomas worries that workers still face many hurdles getting discrimination claims before juries. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal about the decision, she said, “Unfortunately, there are lots of other ways courts are dismissing these cases.”

Read the full story.

Thomas wins CAAM Ready, Set, Pitch contest

Law News — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 14:45:00 +0000

Professor Suja Thomas’s documentary worked received another boost this fall when she was announced as the winner of the annual Ready, Set, Pitch! contest. Put on by the Center for Asian American Media, the contest showcased diverse Asian American storytelling from emerging documentary filmmakers from the Midwest and South. Thomas’s as-yet-untitled documentary on the U.S. court system and the importance of democracy was awarded $10,000 in support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which will help her complete her project. This honor follows a year-long CAAM Fellowship for Thomas, which paired her and other fellows with established professionals in the field.

Thomas presents documentary film at National Employment Lawyers’ Association meeting

Law News — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 15:45:00 +0000

Professor Suja Thomas presented her documentary film at the National Employment Lawyers’ Association (NELA) annual meeting on October 7. The theme of the 2023 NELA meeting was “Defeating Summary Judgment in the Face of Evolving Defense Tactics.” She also presented a panel called “Cutting Edge Issues in Summary Judgment,” where she and her co-presenter discussed topics such as using Bostock to make causation inquiries easier to fighting summary judgment through a deeper understanding of bias, decision-making, and economic and social science research.

Thomas co-authors amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis

Law News — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 15:45:00 +0000

Last week Illinois Law Professor Suja Thomas and Illinois Law alumna (Class of 1998) and Ohio State Visiting Law Professor Amy Wildermuth co-authored an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in the Muldrow v. City of St. Louis case. They had the research assistance of Illinois third year law student Hannah Sosenko. The case concerns whether an employer can legally act against an employee—such as transferring them—because of the employee’s protected trait—such as their sex or race. The courts have said an employer can discriminate against an employee except where the employer’s action would cause a significant disadvantage to the employee. Professors Thomas and Wildermuth have argued the plain language of the law—Title VII—prevents an employer from acting against an employee because of a protected trait, and the law’s text does not require the employer‘s action cause a significant disadvantage to the employee to be illegal.

Read the full amicus brief online.