Levin College of Law

Center for Governmental Responsibility

Celebrating 50 Years of Public Service and Leadership

Events
 
About
 
Faculty
 

Events and Activities

CGR is active in many legal and policy arenas through lecture series, government consulting, amicus work, collaborative partnerships, and educational outreach. CGR also hosts multiple conferences per year on a variety of initiatives for lawyers, judges, policy-makers, students, and the general public.

 

EVENTS

The Center for Governmental Responsibility
appreciates everyone who attended
the 50th anniversary celebration on October 13, 2023.
Explore a few photos from the celebration below.

CENTER INITIATIVES

 

 

 

About

The Center for Governmental Responsibility at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law is the oldest and most influential legal research and public policy center in the State of Florida. Founded in 1972 by lawyers who opposed President Nixon’s refusal to spend Congressionally-authorized funds on housing and civil rights programs, CGR has leveraged its position in Florida’s flagship law school to promote government accountability, steer emerging democracies in their quest for the rule of law, and enable law and policy-makers to respond to changing times and environmental pressures.

In its first 50 years, CGR faculty and staff have received millions of dollars in grants to assist a variety of local and global legal initiatives and they have devoted countless hours to public interest work. CGR has testified before federal agencies and committees on occupational health issues; produced an Emmy-award winning documentary on the Everglades; trained lawyers in Poland to implement rule of law initiatives; provided assistance to Brazilian judges, prosecutors, and attorneys on effective administration of justice; developed a sustainable Everglades initiative; advanced bioregional policy in the Maya Forest; helped preserve the iconic Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine; and developed a shared plan to manage sea turtle populations, just to name a few.

CGR has received grants from entities as diverse as the MacArthur Foundation, Jessie Ball DuPont Fund, the National Park Service, the Everglades Foundation, the National Institution of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Academy of Sciences, USAID, and many others. As CGR begins its next half-century of public service, we look forward to continuing our role as thought-leaders and partners helping to find solutions to the policy challenges of the future.

Support CGR

Donors may make contributions by check made payable to UF Foundation with CGR in the memo line and mailed to:

Office of Development & Alumni Affairs
Levin College of Law
P.O. Box 117620
Gainesville, FL 32611

Donors who want to make a gift online using a credit card may do so here.

For gifts by any other mechanism, including wire transfers, 3-5 year pledges, and estate gifts, please contact farley@law.ufl.edu.

Faculty & Research

CGR Faculty, Staff, Fellows, and Affiliates are nationally and internationally recognized experts in their fields. They provide valuable assistance around the globe to governments, NGOs, non-profit organizations, and individuals through their wide-ranging expertise in law and public policy. CGR Faculty and Staff produce cutting-edge research on legal issues across the spectrum and strive to make legal research accessible to law-makers, litigators, and government and non-government staff. Click on a faculty member to learn more about their contributions to CGR and UF Law.

FACULTY

Photo of Jon Mills

Jon Mills

Bill of Rights Constitutional Law Cyber Law Equal Rights Amendment Executive Powers First Amendment Florida Constitution Florida Sunshine Act Fourteenth Amendment Latin America Legislation Presidential Powers Privacy Social Media Statutory Interpretation

 

Photo of Danaya Wright

Danaya Wright

Bill of Rights Constitutional Law Equal Rights Amendment Estates & Trusts Feminist Jurisprudence Fifth Amendment Fourteenth Amendment Future Interests Legal History LGBT Issues Marriage Equality Property Law Railroads and Railroad Law Sexual Orientation Takings Clause Jurisprudence Women, Gender and the Law

 

Photo of Timothy McLendon

Timothy McLendon

Bill of Rights Constitutional Law Florida Constitution Fourteenth Amendment Legal Writing

 

Photo of Jonathan Barry-Blocker

Jonathan Barry-Blocker

Civil Rights Clinical Legal Education Criminal Law Criminal Procedure Privacy Trial Procedure

 

Photo of Jasmine McNealy

Jasmine McNealy

Privacy Reputation Social Media Journalism Technology Surveillance Literacy Engagement Culture Intellectual Property

SENIOR RESEARCH FACULTY

Photo of Berta Esperanza Hernández-Truyol

Berta Esperanza Hernández-Truyol

Civil Rights Comparative Law Constitutional Law Cuba Human Rights Human Trafficking International and Regional Human Rights (Inter-America and Europe) International and Transnational Law LGBT Issues Marriage Equality Race & Race Relations Sexual Orientation Sovereignty Transgender Rights War and War Crimes Women, Gender and the Law

 

Photo of Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky

Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky

Artificial Intelligence Constitutional Law Defamation First Amendment Free Expression Freedom of Information Act Internet Law Media Law Privacy Torts Professional Responsibility Social Media Tort Law

 

Photo of Jane Bambauer

Jane Bambauer

First Amendment Fourth Amendment Freedom of Speech Internet Law Privacy Technology Law and Policy

UF FACULTY AFFILIATE

Photo of Hina Shaikh

Hina Shaikh

Critical Data and Algorithm Studies Feminist Studies of Space and Place Critical Muslim Studies

VISITING RESEARCH SCHOLAR

Photo of Ryan Tindall

RYAN TINDALL

Property Constitutional Law Takings Real Property Title History

AFFILIATE RESEARCH SCHOLAR

Photo of Belay Alem

BELAY ALEM

Heirs Property Urban Development Real Property Title

Research & Support

Faculty Scholarship

Click here for a recent article by Professor Danaya Wright on the terrible loss of wealth in low-income communities.

Grant Support

Heirs Property Clinic

 

Faculty in the News

Click here to read a Washington Post article quoting Jon Mills on privacy

Click here to read a Miami Herald article quoting Danaya Wright on the foreclosure crisis and the loss of land wealth in vulnerable communities.

Click here to read Danaya Wright on the impact of dying without a will in the Wall Street Journal.

Click here to read Danaya Wright on the Disney/DeSantis feud in CNN.

Click here to read Danaya Wright on intestacy and non-traditional families in The Atlantic.

Click here to read Jon Mills on Florida Supreme Court Justice Appointments.

 

 

History

The Center for Governmental Responsibility at the University of Florida College of Law began in 1972 as the result of a $66,000 grant from the McIntosh Foundation of South Florida. CGR was tasked with examining the reduction in housing and civil rights programs funding. CGR played a role in federal lawsuits, filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, and other high-profile cases. As a result of these achievements, the McIntosh Foundation continued to provide financial support to CGR.

CGR was organized permanently for research and public policy work under founding director Jon Mills, UF Law Dean Emeritus. Dean Mills continues to lead the center after fifty years along with constitutional law scholar and public policy advocate, Professor Danaya Wright.

Over the years, CGR has evolved to cover a variety of major projects, policies and programs. CGR expanded to include domestic and international programs in environmental law, social policy law, government law, and trade law. Each year multiple members of the UF Law faculty partner with CGR faculty and staff in various activities.

Likewise, CGR constituencies have expanded from Florida courts and lawyers to the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal agencies. Lawyers and students are involved on four continents.

Contact

 

Danaya Wright

wrightdc@law.ufl.edu

Jon Mills

mills@law.ufl.edu

Ruth McIlhenny

ruthm@law.ufl.edu