![youverdictcounts_banner_1](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/optimized/public/2026-09/youverdictcounts_banner_1.png?itok=1rZVUUeY) 

Special Event 

# Your Verdict Counts: 

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

Date and Time 

October 8, 2026 6 - 8:30 PM EDT 

Location 

Hilton Richmond Downtown - Miller Rhoads Gerhart Ballroom, 501 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 

Share This Event 

[Register](https://register.cato.org/your-verdict-counts) 

##### Featuring 

![Catherine Bernard_circle_cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-09/Catherine%20Bernard_circle_cropped.jpg?itok=ZJSjeujM) 

Catherine Bernard 

Defense Attorney, Bernard & Johnson, LLC

[![Matthew Cavedon-cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2025-11/Matthew%20Cavedon-cropped.jpg?itok=SqrUdWTd)](/people/matthew-cavedon) 

[Matthew Cavedon](/people/matthew-cavedon)

Director, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute

![Paul St. Louis_circle_cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-09/Paul%20St.%20Louis_circle_cropped.jpg?itok=h17U_Ze8) 

Paul St. Louis 

Fairfax County Juror

![Sheba Williams_circle_cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-09/Sheba%20Williams_circle_cropped.jpg?itok=xoNo_35Z) 

Sheba Williams 

Executive Director, Nolef Turns Inc.

![Your Verdict Counts Jury](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/2026-09/Your-Verdict-Jury.jpg?itok=bAmVz0PQ) 

***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](https://yourverdictcounts.org/) 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.

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## 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.

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**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](mailto:mcavedon@cato.org).

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

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