Former DOJ Official, Johnathan Smith, Joins the Team as the Organization’s First Vice President and Legal Director. 

Washington, D.C. – The Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center (MJC) named Johnathan Smith as its first vice president and legal director. In this new role, he will serve as deputy to the executive director and as a thought leader, manager, and litigator to develop and execute MJC’s legal strategy. Smith will join the Center on April 29, 2024.

“We centered our search for this role on finding someone who has both the unique skill set to help propel the organization forward and the proven track record for advancing civil rights — Johnathan is that person,” said Amir Ali, president and executive director of MJC. “Johnathan’s career has been dedicated to advancing social justice, making him the perfect choice to help MJC most effectively pursue its mission to vindicate rights and increase accountability in the criminal legal system.” 

Smith comes to MJC with extensive leadership experience in the legal advocacy sector and both federal and state government agencies. Most recently, he served as deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he helped oversee the Division’s investigatory, enforcement, and policy efforts. 

“For over 40 years, MJC has been on the frontlines of cutting-edge civil rights litigation and social justice advocacy to reform the criminal legal system and I’m thrilled to join this storied organization,” said Johnathan Smith. “I’m excited to work with this innovative group of attorneys and professionals to continue MJC’s important and groundbreaking advocacy efforts.”

“Under Johnathan’s leadership, MJC will continue to be a leader of cutting-edge civil rights advocacy, and his experience will allow the organization to grow and maintain our extremely high standards to protect the civil rights of all Americans,” said Ali. 

Smith previously served in the New York State government as the Governor’s deputy secretary for civil rights and workforce and as the interim commissioner for the New York State Division of Human Rights. He has also worked as the legal director at Muslim Advocates, a staff attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and a litigation associate at Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP. Additionally, Smith served as a lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School. He received his JD from New York University School of Law, and his Masters in Education and Bachelors in Arts from Harvard University. 

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The Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center is a national, nonprofit legal organization dedicated to protecting civil rights and fighting injustice in the criminal legal system through litigation at the trial, appellate, and Supreme Court levels. www.macarthurjustice.org