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Your Verdict Counts:

A free documentary screening and community conversation about the power every juror carries into the courtroom

Date and Time
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Location
Hilton Richmond Downtown - Miller Rhoads Gerhart Ballroom, 501 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA
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Featuring
Catherine Bernard_circle_cropped
Catherine Bernard

Defense Attorney, Bernard & Johnson, LLC

Paul St. Louis_circle_cropped
Paul St. Louis

Fairfax County Juror

Sheba Williams_circle_cropped
Sheba Williams

Executive Director, Nolef Turns Inc.

Your Verdict Counts Jury

Note: This event will not be live-streamed

If you’ve ever received a jury summons—or ever will—this evening is for you.

Join the Your Verdict Counts campaign and Richmond community partners for a free screening of our short documentary featuring real jurors, real defendants, and real cases in which a verdict changed everything. Then hear directly from the people who lived those stories in a panel conversation about the rights and responsibilities every Virginian brings into the jury box.

No legal background is required. Just bring your questions—and your conscience.

Evening Schedule

6:00 - 6:30 PM

Welcome Reception

Doors open. Join us for hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and conversation with neighbors, community advocates, and people featured in the video.

6:30 - 7:30 PM

Video Screening and Panel Discussion

Watch the Your Verdict Counts documentary, followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A with:

  • Catherine Bernard—Georgia defense attorney who has seen firsthand how informed jurors can stand between their neighbors and injustice.
  • Matthew Cavedon—Director of the Project on Criminal Justice at the Cato Institute, and director of Your Verdict Counts. 
  • Paul St. Louis—Fairfax County juror whose story anchors the film. Paul served on a jury that sent a young man to prison for 40 years—and only learned afterward what he could have done to prevent the injustice.
  • Sheba Williams—Executive Director at Richmond’s Nolef Turns Inc.
7:30 - 8:30 PM

Closing Reception

Stay to talk with the panelists, connect with Richmond organizations working on justice issues, and pick up free resources—including a wallet card outlining your rights as a juror.

What You’ll Take Home

Every attendee leaves with free, plain-language materials covering the constitutional rights of jurors, what courts aren’t required to tell you, and what to expect from jury service.

For more information, please contact Matthew Cavedon at mcavedon@​cato.​org.

**Your Verdict Counts is a project of the Cato Institute. Learn more at yourver​dict​counts​.org.

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