In our second episode, Vanderbilt University provost C. Cybele Raver explores civil justice inequities with Lauren Sudeall, law professor and director of Vanderbilt’s Access to Justice program. Through her groundbreaking research in rural Alabama and Georgia, Sudeall reveals how low-income individuals navigate eviction proceedings—with or without legal representation—and advocates for a more “person-centered” judicial system. The conversation examines how courts handle eviction cases across jurisdictions, the impact of food and housing insecurity, and why many defendants value fairness over winning. Sudeall also shares her perspective as a legal scholar from Boston conducting research in impoverished rural communities in the U.S. South.
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David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law and Director, Vanderbilt Access to Justice Initiative (Vanderbilt)
Credits
The Quantum Potential podcast is produced by Vanderbilt University. The leadership team includes Metanoya Z. Webb, director of content and editorial strategy and editor-in-chief of Vanderbilt Magazine, and Sydney Jones-Wright, director of academic affairs communications. Patrick Sams is the senior social media specialist, and Maisie Wilson is the senior creative project manager. Mike Todd is the university visual media manager.
Special thanks to Jad Abumrad, Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology and the executive producer of the Quantum Potential podcast and video series.
For more information about Quantum Potential, go to vanderbilt.edu/quantumpotential/podcast.