Studying state and local laws to protect civil rights

Stanford Law School student David Millman envisions building a bottom-up democracy by engaging Gen Z in local politics.

Undergraduate experiences in student government and zoning regulations gave David Millman a unique perspective on the power of local politics. While many of his peers understandably distrust the government, he believes it’s important to get involved and shape policies in ways that benefit people and their communities.

As a JD candidate, David spends much of his time working with The Survivors Pro Bono, an advocacy group that supports survivors of sexual assault on campus. His note about protecting civil rights through state constitutional law is forthcoming in the Stanford Journal on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. 

David says that if more young people engaged with town and city politics, it would be possible to solve big problems, from housing reform to educational disparities.

How did you become interested in civil rights and political advocacy? 

I grew up in a family of storytellers — both of my parents were in theater. As a kid, I was an actor and I loved being on stage, using my voice to help tell a narrative. For a brief time, I even thought I wanted to be a YouTube star. 

But I didn’t use that voice initially to make social change. Fast-forward to college: In my first year as an undergraduate at Dartmouth, one of my friends was sexually harassed by another student. Title IX protects students from gender-based violence as part of its mandate to provide educational equality, but I saw my friend go through a painful legalistic process without support. In the end, the perpetrator hired a lawyer and transferred to another university without any repercussions. 

I became aware of an urgent need for political change, and I joined The Every Voice Coalition to help prevent sexual violence. I used the skills I’d developed in acting to testify and lobby for causes I believed in at the New Hampshire State House.

Shortly after, I successfully ran for student government at Dartmouth and worked on issues like food insecurity, student safety, and mental health services, eventually being elected Student Body President for my senior year. While an undergraduate, I wanted to tackle the town/gown divide, so I proposed including a student liaison on the town council. When the town objected, I decided to run as a candidate in the local election. 

While I lost by a close margin, my eyes were opened to the power of local government. Instead of serving on the council, I researched, wrote, and worked with my friends to push for a new town zoning ordinance to address the need for more student and workforce housing, and the initiative passed! I saw how we succeeded in making a fundamental change with a significant benefit to our community. From these experiences, I learned that hope and optimism — almost a radical hope in the possibility of change — can lead to transformative results.

What factors influenced your decision to attend Stanford for law school?

After completing my undergraduate studies, I accepted a scholarship for a master’s in local economic development at the London School of Economics. There, I was fortunate to be able to research homelessness and economic growth, and I was invited to present to the UK Parliament on my work. During this year, I applied to several law schools with a goal of understanding from a deeper perspective how government, law, and policy function and interact.

Stanford has exceptional local and state government law programs, and the university had just started a campus survivors organization where I could apply my skillset to help people directly. Ultimately, getting accepted to Knight-Hennessy Scholars was the deciding factor. The financial support allows me to focus on my interests in civil rights and policy advocacy. I am so grateful that I’ll have the flexibility to pursue my passions in this way. 

How do you spend your time, on and off campus?

As a second-year law student, I’m busy with classes, and I’m a student co-director for the Survivors Pro Bono initiative. We launched a policy team within this organization this year, and I recently wrote and pitched a bill with fellow Stanford student Riya Ranjan to the California state legislature to improve civil rights protections for campus survivors. It was just introduced by Assembly Member Mike Fong, so we are hard at work to make sure it passes! 

At Stanford, I’ve found new ways to be on stage. Last year, I played a lead role in the Law School Musical, which features original, student-written pieces. This year, I’m a producer for the show. I’m also on an intramural basketball team. 

Aside from these commitments, there’s so much Knight-Hennessy programming every week. For example, I’m on the Scholar Experience Committee, and we held a winter-themed “cozy connections” event. I also recently heard a Nobel Laureate speak and I attended a Lunar New Year celebration — both organized by scholars.

How is Knight-Hennessy Scholars supporting your journey toward a future in public service? 

My guiding principle is to use the law to inform policies that help people, and I appreciate the many ways that Knight-Hennessy supports me in this mission — from honing my storytelling skills to academic enrichment funding to supporting me in placing an opinion piece in USA Today about getting Gen Z engaged in local politics.

In the Knight-Hennessy community, I feel surrounded by people who are immune to apathy. They strive to make a difference in their areas of interest, and each scholar is doing incredible things. It’s exciting to be tapped into this energy.