Commonwealth of Massachusetts Awards $150,000 Grant to Support Second Year of Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship Program

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has awarded $150,000 to fund a second year of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship Program.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Awards $150,000 Grant to Support Second Year of Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship Program

07.26.24 — Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has awarded $150,000 to fund a second year of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship Program, which celebrates the legacy of the late Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants, a champion of access to justice and equity in the Massachusetts legal system. The Gants Scholarship provides law students from diverse backgrounds with the financial support needed to secure judicial internships in Massachusetts courts. The scholarship funds are managed and administered by the Boston Bar Foundation.

“Our goal is to broaden and diversify the pool of applicants for post-graduate clerkships and judicial positions, ultimately fostering a judicial system that truly represents the diversity of Massachusetts,” said Professor Deborah Ramirez, CLEAR faculty co-director and chair of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Fund.

To date, scholarships of $8,000 each have been awarded to 19 law students across the commonwealth, including Northeastern Law students Owen Engler ’26, Meghan Leong ’25, Anna Olsson ’24 and José Vallejo-Jimenez ’25.

The scholarship program launched in the spring of 2023. Recipients are selected based on undergraduate and law school academic performance, personal achievement, a personal statement, demonstrated leadership ability and public service experience.

For more information about the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship, please visit the program website.

About the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR)

Worldwide, recent attention on the role of law and legal systems in creating and perpetuating seemingly intractable racial inequalities and disparities provide an opportunity to create real change. At Northeastern Law, the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) brings together our pioneering programs and faculty — long engaged in theoretical and translational research, innovative pedagogy and collaborations with external communities — to address today’s challenges and provide tomorrow’s solutions for the nation’s most complex social challenges. As one of the law school’s five Centers of Excellence, CLEAR offers an interdisciplinary convening space for faculty and students across the university who want to have an impact on these issues.