What will Kentucky Book Festival visitors find on your table?

Our book, The Fear of Too Much Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Persistence of Inequality in the Criminal Courts (2023)

Whom do you invite to stop by? Who will benefit from reading your book?

Anyone interested in fairness in the criminal courts. The book is about the impact of race and poverty in how cases of poor people accused of crimes are prosecuted and decided. It addresses the exercise of discretion by prosecutors, the quality of representation by lawyers for the poor, political pressures on elected judges, racial discrimination in jury selection, the imposition of fines and fees on people who cannot afford to pay them and the resulting debtors’ prisons, the treatment of people with mental disorders, excessive sentences, and more constructive ways to respond to crime.

Could you please tell us something curious about you and/or your book?

Much of the book is drawn from Stephen Bright’s representation of people facing the death penalty for over 40 years. He tried capital cases before juries in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia, and argued four cases before the United States Supreme Court. At the same time, he was teaching based on his experiences at the law schools at Yale, Georgetown, Harvard, and other law schools. James Kwak was his student in 2009 and 2010. After graduating from Yale Law School, Kwak taught at the University of Connecticut Law School. They worked together to produce this book.

Is this your first time participating in Kentucky Book Festival? If yes – what are you looking forward to the most? If you’ve participated before – what was your favorite experience at the Festival?

Stephen Bright grew up on a farm near Danville, got a B.A. and law degree from the University of Kentucky, and now lives in Lexington after being away for over 40 years. He looks forward to meeting old and new friends at the Festival.

Stephen Bright teaches at the law schools at Yale and Georgetown Universities. He spent over 40 years representing people facing the death penalty. The Fear of Too Much Justice is an examination of injustices occurring in criminal courts today and a practical look at how they can be corrected.