MacArthur Justice Center Celebrates ‘National Celebration of Pro Bono’ 2025
This week, October 19-25, is American Bar Association’s Celebrate Pro Bono Week. MacArthur Justice Center is lucky to work with a plethora of amazing pro bono partners in our offices across the nation. Our work wouldn’t be possible without pro bonos, whose partnerships bridge the gap to justice for low-income clients, empower and meet the demand of our communities, and foster meaningful collaboration to promote systemic change. This year, we’re highlighting a few of our partners and the ways their work with MJC has impacted our clients.
Washington, DC
Our Supreme Court and Appellate Program (SCAP) is co-counseling with an outstanding team at Sidley Austin, led by partner Steven Horowitz, pro bono counsel Leslie Kuhn-Thayer, and associate Lukasz Grabowski, to represent Mr. Cordell Sanders in an appeal to the Seventh Circuit. Mr. Sanders brought this civil rights case against medical providers contracted by the Illinois Department of Corrections, whose deliberate indifference to Mr. Sanders’s serious mental illness caused him to suffer for years in solitary confinement. MJC’s team is led by Gregory Cui, who is delighted to be working again with his former colleagues at Sidley, where Greg worked before joining MJC.
Our SCAP team is also co-counseling with an excellent team at Jenner & Block LLP, comprised of partner Lindsay Harrison and associate Sophia Montgomery, to represent Brandon Timmons in an appeal to the Third Circuit. Mr. Timmons brought his case against a deputy superintendent at the prison who called him a “rat” and said he was a “snitch” in front of other prisoners, putting him at risk of assault, all because Mr. Timmons had filed complaints against prison staff. His lawsuit was erroneously dismissed by the district court based on a provision—exhaustion—in the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA). MJC’s team is led by Devi Rao, who is thrilled to be working with her former colleagues at Jenner.
A talented team at Orrick, made up of partner Andrew Silverman and managing associate Nicholas González, is co-counseling with SCAP to represent Ralph Harrison Benning before the Eleventh Circuit. Mr. Benning won an injunction in the district court, preventing the Georgia Department of Corrections from enforcing a policy that bars prisoners from emailing anyone who is not on a limited list of pre-approved contacts, because it violates the First Amendment. The Georgia DOC appealed and the Orrick team, joined by MJC’s Easha Anand, are ably defending that ruling.
SCAP is also working with partner Aileen McGrath and associate Joel Wacks from Morrison & Foerster LLP on an appeal on behalf of Dejwan Simms. Mr. Simms brought Eighth Amendment claims against two corrections officials alleging that they were deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs for rushing him back to the prison following nasal surgery at a hospital and ignoring his complaints of serious medical problems. The district court dismissed his case based on the exhaustion provision in the PLRA—even though it was clear that the internal complaint process at the prison was unavailable to Mr. Simms. The MJC team is led by Chrissy Monta.
Illinois
Akin Gump from Washington D.C. has been working with our Illinois Office to investigate the deplorable use of solitary confinement in Illinois prisons, including the total denial of exercise for people in segregation and on lockdown. We are so grateful to the Akin team for their dedication to the cause, their legal skill and creativity, and their collaborative spirit. We hope to continue the partnership for a long time to come.
The National Parole Transformation Project team at MJC’s Illinois Office is grateful to pro bono counsel at Latham & Watkins for their work developing litigation challenging denial of counsel in parole revocation hearings. Thousands of people every year are denied access to justice and forced to face a potential return to prison with no representation. Thanks to Christine Smith, Jess Hui, Chanelle Jones, and Samir Deger-Sen for partnering with us to build this litigation!
The NPTP team is also grateful to be partnering with Covington & Burling LLP as well as Kelly Guzzo PLC to litigate a class action lawsuit in Alabama. The state of Alabama is continuing to contribute to the high incarceration rates within our country by routinely over-detaining people entitled to mandatory parole. Thank you to Robert Gianchetti, Julia Keller, and Stacy Grigsby (Covington and Burling) and Pat McNichol (Kelly Guzzo) for their continued support in this endeavor.
Missouri
The St. Louis Office has been working alongside Nacente Seabury of Cummins, as well as Allison Minicky, Nikki Multer, and Margaret Fields of Husch Blackwell, in the representation of wrongfully convicted Arkansas client Robert Fields. MJC is grateful for their tireless partnership and fierce advocacy on behalf of Mr. Fields.
Thank you to all our pro bono partners, who aid in our pursuit of justice for people harmed by America’s oppressive criminal legal system.