NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Vanderbilt is taking steps to help those who may be innocent in some criminal cases but are still sentenced to serve time.
They're working to build a clinic that'll support exonerating those who are wrongfully convicted in Tennessee.
The Gail Anderson Cañizares Innocence Clinic is set to launch in the spring semester of 2026. Students will work on exoneration cases under the supervision of a long-time Federal Public Defender.
The clinic will also coordinate with the Tennessee Innocence Project to source cases. The university says the main focus for this is to support the exoneration of wrongfully convicted people in Tennessee while also providing students with hands-on case experience through an educational course.
Vanderbilt Law received nearly $7 million as a gift to get this off the ground from Gail and Rob Canizares. Rob served as President of MSA International and the Senior VP of Trane in Asia and Europe during his career. Gail is an educator who graduated from Vanderbilt and has worked with the innocence project for more than 15 years.
She says continuing to work with the Tennessee Innocence Project through a legal clinic at Vanderbilt University Law is the ideal way for her to support Vanderbilt and the vital work of freeing the innocent.
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This is a story I immediately went home and showed my boys - young athletes with big dreams. The Vanderbilt football team's success has stolen the spotlight - what I love about Steve Layman's story is he reveals the individual hardships it took to get there. As Clark Lea says, "we all have scuff marks." This team proves perseverance pays off!
- Carrie Sharp
