Photo: Florida A&M University College of Law. The four 2026 Stevens Fellows.
Four students at Florida A&M University College of Law, one of the nation's historically Black law schools, have been named 2026 Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellows. Announced on 24 June 2026, the four join a record national cohort of 158 Stevens Fellows, and each will spend a summer doing public-interest legal work that would otherwise be unpaid. Our congratulations to them and to the College.
"Earning the Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship reflects the passion, integrity, and dedication our students bring to public interest law," said Cecil Howard, Associate Provost and Interim Dean of FAMU College of Law. "We are incredibly proud of these students and are confident they will continue to make meaningful contributions that advance access to justice in serving those most in need."
The four fellows
- Cierra Broughton, a rising third-year student, will work at the Ninth Circuit State Attorney's Office in summer 2026.
- Bethany Humphrey, a rising third-year student, will work at the Ninth Circuit Public Defender's Office in summer 2026.
- Alexandria "Lexi" Atkins, a rising third-year student, will work at the Ninth Circuit State Attorney's Office in fall 2026.
- Gabrielle Henry, a rising second-year student, will work at the Fifth Circuit Regional Conflict Counsel in fall 2026.
The placements sit on both sides of the justice system, prosecution and defense, and in Florida's regional conflict counsel, which represents clients when a public defender cannot. "FAMU College of Law is honored by our long collaboration with the John Paul Stevens Foundation," said Mark Dorosin, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Legal Clinics and Field Placements. "The Public Interest Fellowship Program provides invaluable support to students that, by their commitment, exemplify the College's mission to be a catalyst for social change and provide legal advocacy to underserved individuals, families, and communities."
What the John Paul Stevens Fellowship is
The John Paul Stevens Foundation was established in 2010 by a group of Justice Stevens' former law clerks, as a living tribute to the Supreme Court justice on his retirement. Its Public Interest Fellowship Program gives law students the financial support to take full-time, otherwise-unpaid public-interest summer positions at government agencies and nonprofits, work that many students could not afford to do without it. The Foundation partners with 38 law schools to run the program.
The 2026 class is its largest ever: 158 Fellows, placed across 139 host organizations in 28 states and the District of Columbia, who together are expected to contribute more than 50,000 hours of legal advocacy. "We are thrilled to celebrate these four exceptional FAMU Law students as they join our 2026 national cohort of 158 Stevens Fellows across the country," said Sara L. Woods, the Foundation's executive director. "By providing these critical grants, we ensure that dedicated students can accept impactful, unpaid public service internships that would otherwise be financially out of reach."
Why it matters
Florida A&M University is a historically Black university founded in 1887; its College of Law, based in Orlando, carries a public-interest mission to serve, in its own words, "traditionally underserved people and communities." Four Stevens Fellows in a single year is a strong showing for that mission, and for a program whose entire purpose is to remove the financial barrier that keeps many students out of public-service work. As the Foundation frames it, the fellowships embody Justice Stevens' belief that the lawyer is, in the end, a guardian of the public's freedom.
For FAMU law students
FAMU College of Law students and alumni have complimentary access to LegalAlphabet, where they can search legal jobs and internships worldwide, including the public-interest and government roles these fellows are headed into. Visit the FAMU Law campus page, browse current openings on the United States legal jobs board, or read more from our Law School News desk.
Sources
This report is based on the announcement published by Florida A&M University, with additional background from the John Paul Stevens Foundation. Quotations are drawn from the FAMU announcement.
Has your law school's student, graduate, or faculty member done something worth celebrating, a fellowship, a clerkship, a competition win, an appointment? Tell us and we will put it on the record.