Ongoing Initiatives

Rap on Trial Training for Defense Attorneys

Professor Outlaw is conducting Rap on Trial trainings around the country for public defenders and criminal defense attorneys.   The trainings educate the attorneys about the history of criminalizing Black music, how prosecutors are using rap expression as criminal evidence, and strategies for challenging the use of rap expression as criminal evidence.  Professor Outlaw has conducted trainings in Washington, D.C., Maryland, New York City, and Atlanta.  Additional training sessions are scheduled for multiple locations in California in early 2026.  

Litigation Support

CJC students continue to assist defense attorneys representing clients in cases where the government seeks to use the clients’ rap expression as criminal evidence.

Rap, Race, and Criminal Law

Professor Outlaw and his students are composing a legal textbook exploring the intersection of rap, race, and criminal law.   The textbook will feature cases that are the foundation for how rap expression is used as criminal evidence, and cases where courts grappled with whether to allow the government to use rap expression as criminal evidence. It will also highlight legal and other scholarship regarding rap expression as evidence, particularly scholarship that approaches the issue through a racial justice lens.  The textbook will be offered online and free of charge.  The goal is to publish and launch the online textbook by the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.