Anna Espinoza, Connor Stevens, and Elizabeth Wehby have been named George Barrett Social Justice Fellows for the Vanderbilt Law Class of 2026.
Their appointments as George Barrett Social Justice Fellows were announced by Dean Chris Guthrie. The Barrett Social Justice Fellowship honors the legacy of renowned Nashville civil rights attorney George “The Citizen” Barrett ’57 by enabling a Vanderbilt Law graduate to carry out a one-year public interest project under the supervision and sponsorship of a host organization. The law school funds the fellows’ salary and health insurance at the host organization.
Through her Barrett Fellowship, Espinoza will join the litigation and legal advocacy team of Oregon-based Innovation Law Lab, focusing on immigration habeas through filings, habeas strategy, and legal research, with an overall goal of reducing the number of Oregonians unlawfully held in immigration detention. The Innovation Law Lab leverages law, technology, and organizing to advance immigrant and refugee rights.
As a Barrett Fellow, Stevens will work with the Harpeth Conservancy to develop a multidimensional approach to reducing PFAS and lead contamination in the waters of Middle Tennessee, with a particular focus on identifying and addressing harms suffered by underserved communities disproportionately impacted by these substances. The Harpeth Conservancy is a science-based conservation organization dedicated to restoring and protecting clean water and healthy ecosystems for rivers in Tennessee.
Wehby will serve as a Barrett Fellow with Children of Incarcerated Caregivers (CIC), a Minnesota-based organization that researches, identifies, and implements solutions to enhance the lives of children affected by a parent’s incarceration. Wehby will work with CIC to expand its work to the pretrial arena, advocating for systemic changes in law, policy, and practice that prioritize release on recognizance, or community-based alternatives, for parents of minor children.
“The George Barrett Social Justice Fellowship launches careers that will change the world,” said Professor Daniel Sharfstein, Dick and Martha Lansden Chair in Law and Director of the George Barrett Social Justice Program. “Anna, Connor, and Elizabeth are brilliant young lawyers whose commitment to the public interest represent the best of Vanderbilt Law School. Their fellowship projects identify important interventions in immigration, environmental, and criminal law that will help underserved communities across the country claim the justice and fairness that everyone in the United States deserves.”