Former Washington University Faculty Member Selected to Lead the Center’s Work on Behalf of Civil Rights and Law Reform in the Region

ST. LOUIS – The Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center, a public interest law firm that advocates for human rights and social justice through litigation, has opened an office in St. Louis where the Center’s civil rights attorneys will fight against injustice in the region.

Since its 1985 founding in Chicago by the family of J. Roderick MacArthur, the MacArthur Justice Center has played a prominent role in bringing police misconduct to the public’s attention and helped wrongfully convicted men and women win multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements as compensation for the time they were imprisoned.

Mae C. Quinn, most recently the Director of the Juvenile Law and Justice Clinic and a tenured Professor at Washington University School of Law, has been named Director of the new office in St. Louis.

“This region has recently received national and international attention – and scorn – because of problematic court, incarceration, and policing practices, including the shooting death of unarmed Michael Brown by Ferguson law enforcement,” said Locke E. Bowman, Executive Director of the MacArthur Justice Center, which is based at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in Chicago. “St. Louis was an obvious choice for our newest initiative, and we’re fortunate Mae Quinn, an experienced litigator with a deep understanding of the region’s history, will lead our efforts.”

Quinn, a well-known national expert in criminal and juvenile law, has represented adult and child clients in trial-level and appellate courts across the country over the last two decades.

“I could not be more pleased and proud to make this transition,” Quinn said of her new role.  “The MacArthur Justice Center has a tremendous reputation for truly and effectively fighting to bring about change.  Its offices are staffed by some of the most committed and creative civil rights advocates in the country.  I am deeply honored to join its leadership to engage in strategic system improvement efforts in Missouri and the Midwest region more generally.’

“Unfortunately, despite all that St. Louis has to offer, we are in great need of a legal revolution that reflects 21^st century views and values,” she added.  “With a state public defender system ranked 49^th in the country for funding and very little in the way of government or other watchdog groups to call out unconstitutionality, outdated court, prosecution, and police practices have been allowed to flourish here. Sadly, the poor, youth, and persons of color are most frequently impacted by such a culture.”

“In this region, it has become almost a rite of passage for youth of color to be targeted, arrested, and shuttled through our municipal and other courts for ordinary adolescent behaviors and other low-level missteps,” Quinn said.  “As a result, the system has perpetuated a pipeline to detention centers, jails, and prisons that benefits some while relegating others to second-class status and citizenship.  This is no longer acceptable – and I am hopeful the new MacArthur Justice Center at St. Louis will contribute to turning the tide.”

The Chicago office’s work in the St. Louis region has included a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Trevon Yates, a teen held for nine months in the St. Clair County Jail in Belleville, IL, following a forced confession. The MacArthur Justice Center helped the youth reach a $900,000 settlement – the highest civil rights settlement in the history of the county – from St. Clair County government. The MacArthur Justice Center also represents the estates of two men who committed suicide in the same jail and are seeking damages for their wrongful deaths.

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About the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center                                                       

Founded in 1985, the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center is one of the premier civil rights law firms in the United States. In addition to St. Louis, the MacArthur Justice Center has offices in Chicago, New Orleans, and Oxford, MS. For additional information, visit the website of the MacArthur Justice Center at St. Louis (www.STL.MacArthurJusticeCenter.org). Follow us on Twitter (@MacArthrJustice) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/macarthurjusticecenter) for timely updates.