Feature
Mario Cerame, Quinnipiac University School of Law By Teresa Cajot Despite the fact Mario Cerame is not scheduled to graduate from Quinnipiac University School of Law until 2012, he is already well known for his expertise on the subject of recording police conduct. Cerame, the president and founder of the Righttorecord.org, Inc., has gone before the Connecticut Legislature, been referenced by various media sources, and been invited to present on the topic.
This summer Cerame presented at the Second International Copwatching Conference at Winnipeg University. He copresented ‘’Criminalizing Copwatch’’ with Annie Paradise of Berkeley Copwatch and also presented a workshop entitled, ‘’How US Civil Rights Litigation Works and How it Doesn’t.’’ The event, which offered panel discussions, workshops, and videos on topics such as racial profiling, gangs and the police, sex workers and policing, and more, was hosted by the antipolice brutality group, Winnipeg Copwatch. Since August of 2010, Cerame has conducted extensive research on the right to record police in the state of Connecticut. During his exploration of the topic, he has reached out to attorneys within the state, as well as groups and individuals throughout the nation. His is primarily concerned with situations where individuals have been arrested for recording police activity. According to Cerame, a person has the legal right to record police behavior, as long as they are not posing a threat to police officers or to themselves. Cerame argues that First and Fourteenth Amendment Rights offer protection and allow for the freedom to create, write, or publish information on police conduct. In addition to attending and presenting at the Copwatching Conference, Cerame also dedicated much of his summer to a research internship at the Cato Institute in the Washington, DC area. During his time with the institute, Cerame worked in the Constitutional Studies Department, where he edited articles for the Cato Supreme Court Review and studied First,
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Second, and Fourth Amendment issues, including the right to record police. Further duties included writing opinion pieces and blog posts and drafting memoranda. From August 2010 until May 2011, Cerame served as a legal intern at the State of Connecticut, Division of Public Defender Services: Legal Services /Appellate Unit. In 2010, he spent four months as an intern at the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, where he prepared press statements and FOIA requests, performed client intake duties, and conducted research. Also in 2010, he interned for the Honorable Dominic J. Squatrito, a US District Judge, with the District of Connecticut. During his time at Quinnipiac University School of Law, Cerame has also served as the Publications Editor for the Quinnipiac Law Review and received a number of recognitions, including an ‘’Excellence in Clinical Education Award’’ from the Defense Appellate Clinic and a first place honor for distinction in written advocacy. He is also the founder and president of the ACLU Chapter at Quinnipiac Law. Additional activities and societies that Cerame is associated with include QU Law Mentor, QU LEADS, the Public Interest Law Project, and more. Prior to entering law school, Cerame spent six years teaching English literature within the New York State School District. As a teacher, Cerame served ‘’at risk’’ students and the education community as a whole, and as an attorney he fully intends to continue serving.
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