04.17.24 —Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, one of the nation’s most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible, will deliver a special presentation at Northeastern Law’s 16th annual Brown Forum for Women in the Law Conference on May 3, 2024.
Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State. In this role, she has become one of the nation’s most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible. Benson’s work overseeing Michigan’s 2020 and 2022 general elections, both of which drew record-breaking turnout and were more secure than any prior election in state history, earned her national recognition, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She also implemented new voting rights for all eligible Michiganders prior to the 2020 election, including the right to vote absentee, and oversaw more than 250 audits after the election, all of which affirmed its integrity and accuracy.
Believing that a healthy democracy is one in which government works for everyone, Benson has also transformed the customer service operations of the Secretary of State’s office. She doubled the number of services available online, installed more than 160 self-service stations statewide, mostly at grocery stores, and ended the take-a-ticket-and-wait system that had resulted in hours-long lines at offices for years.
A graduate of Harvard Law School and expert on civil rights law, education law and election law, Benson served as dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. She is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, the first major book on the role of the secretary of state in enforcing election and campaign finance laws. In 2015, she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame and in 2016, she became one of a handful of women to have completed the Boston marathon while eight months pregnant.
“We’re excited that Secretary Benson will join us for the Women in the Law Conference this year,” said Mielle Marquis, director of alumni/ae engagement and co-founder of the Judith Olans Brown Forum for Women in the Law. “She has been an impressive defender of democracy for Michigan and across the nation and her special presentation will inspire women lawyers and professionals.”
This year’s Brown Forum for Women in the Law Conference will focus on women, media and the law with an eye to upcoming elections on every level and a lens on issues critical to women’s health and to voters. Top voting rights and election protection experts will explore the power of the media, state officials, women lawyer news contributors and how it is vital to do your own vetting, sourcing and listening to balanced news sources.
About Northeastern University School of Law
The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,000 employers worldwide in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.
For more information, contact d.feldman@northeastern.edu.