Galloway, N.J. – Alina Das, a defender of the immigrant rights movement for the past two decades, will be the keynote speaker at Stockton University’s 20th annual Constitution Day at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29 in the Campus Center Event Room.

Das is a Professor of Law and James Weldon Johnson Professor at NYU School of Law, where she serves as co-director of the NYU Immigrant Rights Clinic. She has defended the rights of immigrants facing detention and deportation, including activists and leaders of the immigrant rights movement. She specializes in litigation and advocacy at the intersection of the U.S. immigration and criminal legal systems. Her legal scholarship has been published by leading law journals and cited by the U.S. Supreme Court. She is the author of “No Justice in the Shadows: How America Criminalizes Immigrants,” which was published in 2020.

Das is the recipient of numerous awards for her advocacy and teaching, including the Immigrant Defense Project Champion of Justice Award, the Daniel Levy Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Immigration Law, the New York State Youth Leadership Council Outstanding Attorney Award, the NYU Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Faculty Award, and the NYU Law School Podell Distinguished Teaching Award. She clerked for the Honorable Kermit V. Lipez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and is a graduate of Harvard University, NYU Wagner School of Public Service, and NYU School of Law.

Attendees much register in advance. More information about the event can be found on the Constitution Day website. 

On Sept. 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the United States Constitution. Stockton began celebrating this important occasion in 2006 as a result of a new federal law designating Sept. 17 as Constitution Day. The law requires public schools, universities and governmental entities to offer educational programs to promote a better understanding of our Constitution. 

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy sponsors the annual event, along with the American Democracy Project (ADP) at Stockton, the Stockton University Foundation, the Office of Development and Alumni Relations and the Office of the Provost. 

About the Hughes Center 

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University serves as a catalyst for research, analysis and innovative policy solutions on the economic, social and cultural issues facing New Jersey, and promotes civic life through engagement, education and research. The nonpartisan center is named for the late William J. Hughes, whose distinguished career includes service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ambassador to Panama, and as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Stockton. The Hughes Center can be followed on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X, with recorded events available on YouTube.