News

Statewide lawsuit regarding IDOC COVID-19 response settled today ILLINOIS – Today, a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), Richard v. Jeffreys, which calls for the release of prisoners who are medically vulnerable to COVID-19, reached a settlement (available here). Lawyers from Equip for Equality, Illinois Prison Project, Loevy & Loevy, MacArthur Justice Center, Northwestern University...

NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal issued its opinion on March 17, 2021, affirming the ruling of Judge Ethel Julien of the Civil District Court for Orleans Parish that former District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro is liable to New Orleans attorney Emily Washington for the arbitrary and capricious failure to produce public...

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) and the Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center (MJC) have filed a brief appealing a September 2020 district court decision dismissing its jury discrimination case, Attala County NAACP v. Evans. LDF and MJC had filed suit on behalf of the Attala County, Mississippi branch of the...

VIRGINIA – After suffering for more than 600 days in extreme solitary confinement, a mentally ill Virginia prisoner has achieved an important legal settlement that awards him monetary relief and secured his transfer to a new facility closer to his mother and legal guardian. “This is the start of a new chapter for Tyquine Lee...

On Friday, the ACLU of Virginia, the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center and a team of pro bono lawyers finalized a settlement agreement in Reyes v. Clarke et al., a federal case challenging the treatment by the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) of a person with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) who had been held in solitary...

CHICAGO– A coalition of community organizations and activists recently asked a federal court to intervene and force the City of Chicago to address the systemic abuse of unlawful warrants and home raids. This request marks the very first time that the court has been asked to enforce the 2019 consent decree meant to guide reform of the...

Lawsuit aims to end Baton Rouge’s cash bail system after another person dies awaiting trial at local jail   BATON ROUGE, LA – Last night, Fair Fight Initiative, MacArthur Justice Center and Advancement Project National Office sued East Baton Rouge officials in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, seeking to...

60 People – – including members of Black Lives Matter, #LetUsBreathe Collective, GoodKids MadCity – – join together to file an unprecedented lawsuit seeking justice after they were viciously attacked by Chicago Police Officers at the historic protests against racist police violence this summer. CHICAGO – 60 protesters have joined together to file a civil...

Two dozen mandated reforms empower parolees subject to imprisonment and include requiring the Department of Corrections to appoint state-funded attorneys to eligible parolees MISSOURI – A federal court has issued an order mandating over two dozen reforms required by the Missouri Department of Corrections (MDOC) to reform the administration of the state’s parole revocation process. The order...

St. Louis – After a settlement was reached in August of this year, the United States District Court Judge Nanette K. Laughrey gave final approval to the landmark settlement reached between the plaintiffs, represented by MacArthur Justice Center, Wilkinson Walsh LLP, and ACLU of Missouri and defendants Missouri Department of Corrections (MDOC) and Corizon Health, the...