Elizabeth Alexander, A Lawyer, Fights for Her Clients' Rights

    WASHINGTON, DC, January 17, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Elizabeth Alexander has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

A distinguished sole practitioner of her own law firm, Elizabeth Alexander has set herself apart through her tireless dedication to fight on behalf of her clients. Before Ms. Alexander attended law school, she spent a year at Yale University earning a master's degree in American studies. In 1967, during her time there, Yale sent out a call for people to go down to the New Haven Jail and write down information, getting a list of arrested individuals in order to arrange representation for them. Being there in the chaos that ensued made her realize there was a major need for prisoner rights representation in the area of law.

Ms. Alexander graduated from Yale with her JD in 1971, and began working as a supervising lecturer and attorney shortly thereafter. In the years prior to starting her own firm, she held a number of litigation and teaching roles, such as a lecturer and supervisor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, a lecturer at the University of Texas Law School, and associate director, later director, of the National Prison Project, an offshoot of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The case that Ms. Alexander is most proud of is one that needed to be expedited fairly quickly. The case involved a female prisoner being forced to give birth in shackles. Ms. Alexander argued in defense of this woman at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, citing the Eighth Amendment requirements against cruel and unusual punishment, which this certainly qualified as. In 2008, her work resulted in the first appellate decision recognizing the constitutional right of female prisoners not to be routinely shackled while in labor or giving birth.

In 2011, Ms. Alexander was elected to membership in the American Law Institute. She serves on the Board of Directors of Federal CURE and in the Public Interest. However, she is best known for the case of Farmer v. Brennan, which set the standards for what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment for prisoners. The case involved an inmate, Dee Farmer, a trans woman who had been incarcerated in the general male population at Terre Haute Penitentiary, and was subsequently beaten by another inmate. The subsequent lawsuit alleged that the prison administration acted with deliberate indifference to Ms. Farmer's safety when it transferred her to Terre Haute's male general population, with the knowledge that her trans status made her especially vulnerable to assault. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that such deliberate indifference, as alleged by Ms. Farmer, could be used to hold a prison official liable for violations of the Eighth Amendment, and that ruling has laid the groundwork for tens of thousands of lower court cases involving prisoner rights.

Ms. Alexander's advice to young lawyers would be to consider choosing work with a non-profit office that seeks to reform the law. Aside from the shorter hours, you'll get a chance to represent persons whose cause you believe in. Money isn't everything, and these days many public interest offices offer somewhat competitive pay Ms. Alexander's career was notable in that she never worked for a for-profit company. Her entire career has been spent as a member of a charitable organization. She hopes that her career will serve as an example to other who wish to see justice done and help others.

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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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