For more than two decades, UCLA School of Law professor Joanna Schwartz has been a leading authority on civil rights, with a focus on police misconduct. In 2020, with the murder of George Floyd and the national reckoning that followed, her work was thrust into the national spotlight.

A candidate’s messaging, charisma and likability may all factor into a voter’s decision on election day. But the rubber hits the road when those candidates get sworn into office and begin to write, pass and block legislation that affects citizens’ everyday lives. Beyond the legislation that elected officials may pass, other issues loom large in the midterms, including election integrity and the evolving role of social media.

Here, UCLA School of Law’s faculty experts share what they’re paying attention to.

In March 2021, the California Supreme Court ruled that setting bail at an amount a person cannot afford to pay is unconstitutional. Attorneys and other observers heralded the In re Humphrey ruling as a historic decision and predicted it would lead to more people being released prior to trial.

UCLA’s Criminal Justice Program (CJP) and The Bail Project (TBP) are partnering to host an inaugural Pretrial Justice Fellow. Isabelle Geczy, UCLA Law class of 2022, is the first to serve in this position.