December marks the fifth anniversary of the Illinois Appellate Court for the Second District reversing the conviction of pro bono client Juan Rivera.  Mr. Rivera had been convicted of the 1992 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl.  The Illinois court found insufficient evidence to support his conviction in light of the DNA evidence excluding him as the perpetrator.

Click here to learn more about the case.

CATEGORIES: Moments in History, Wrongful Conviction

PEOPLE: Terri L. Mascherin, Andrew W. Vail, Thomas P. Sullivan

November marks the fifth anniversary of Jenner & Block being inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, now known as the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame.  The firm was honored as a “Friend of the Community.”

Click here to learn more.

CATEGORIES: Awards and Recognitions, Moments in History

October marks the fifth anniversary of the granting of asylum for pro bono client Jean Marc Nken.  Mr. Nken fled Cameroon in 2001 after having been jailed and tortured by the government for his participation in pro-democracy protests.  He lost his initial asylum case and several unsuccessful appeals and was set to be deported when Jenner &  Block Partner Lindsay C. Harrison took on his case. 

Click here to learn more about the case.

CATEGORIES: Asylum, Moments in History, US Supreme Court

PEOPLE: Lindsay C. Harrison

October marks the 25^th anniversary of the Illinois Appellate Court reversing the conviction of pro bono client David Dowaliby in a high-profile case that centered on the kidnapping of Mr. Dowaliby’s 7-year-old daughter Jaclyn in 1988. The Illinois Appellate Court ruled the prosecutors failed to prove that no one else killed Jaclyn and that the evidence against him was not sufficient.

Click here to learn more about the case.

CATEGORIES: Moments in History, Wrongful Conviction

September marks the third anniversary of the firm’s victory in the Second Circuit on behalf of a class of 22,000 tenants and Pinnacle Group, one of New York City’s largest residential landlords that owned scores of rent-controlled apartments. Capping a five-year legal battle, the Second Circuit affirmed a district court’s approval of a landmark settlement agreement between the parties.

Click here to read more and see a video about the case.

CATEGORIES: Moments in History

June marks the 13^th anniversary of the firm’s victory on behalf of pro bono client Kevin Wiggins before the US Supreme Court.  Mr. Wiggins had been found guilty of capital murder after a bench trial in 1989; a jury sentenced him to death.  But the two public defenders did not thoroughly investigate Mr. Wiggins’ background and, therefore, former partner Donald Verrilli successfully argued, failed to tell the jury of “powerful mitigating evidence” that could have spared him that fate.  

Please click here to read more and see a video about the case.

CATEGORIES: Moments in History, US Supreme Court

June marks the 48th anniversary of the firm’s victory on behalf of pro bono client William Witherspoon before the US Supreme Court.  The case would have major implications for how juries are selected in capital cases throughout the nation.  In 1960, a jury sentenced Witherspoon to death.  The jury was selected in a process that permitted the prosecution an unlimited number of challenges for cause with respect to any potential juror who expressed qualms about the death penalty.  As a result, the jury that sentenced Witherspoon to death was composed only of people who had no qualms about capital punishment.  Jenner & Block represented Mr. Witherspoon in a post-conviction review that successfully challenged the constitutionality of this process. 

Please click here to read more about the case.  Click here to read the opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in Witherspoon.  Click here for a recording of Mr. Jenner’s oral argument presented to the Court.

CATEGORIES: A Jenner, Death Penalty, Moments in History, US Supreme Court

Recognizing “Pro Bono Month,” we note Jerry Solovy’s pro bono work in People v. Kohrig. Appointed as a special assistant attorney general, he argued that the state’s then-15-month-old mandatory seat-belt law should be upheld. Read more...

CATEGORIES: J Solovy, Moments in History

Capping a five-year legal battle, the Second Circuit on this day in 2013 affirmed a district court’s approval of a landmark settlement agreement between a class of 22,000 tenants and Pinnacle Group, one of New York City’s largest residential landlords that owned scores of rent-controlled apartments.  Read more ...

CATEGORIES: Class Action, Moments in History

PEOPLE: Katya Jestin

On January 26, 2011, a team including Robert Stauffer, Andrew Vail and Kyle Palazzolo achieved a groundbreaking result in a pro bono post-conviction case on behalf of client Patrick Pursley.  Read more...

CATEGORIES: Matters of Note, Moments in History, Patrick Pursley

PEOPLE: Andrew W. Vail, Robert R. Stauffer, Kyle A. Palazzolo

The firm played a significant role in the state of Illinois’ journey toward abolishing capital punishment. On this week in 2003, then-Governor George Ryan issued clemency to approximately 160 inmates on the state’s Death Row, commuting their sentences to life in prison without parole. Read more...

CATEGORIES: Death Penalty, Moments in History, T Sullivan

A team working with attorneys from Northwestern University Law School’s Bluhm Legal Clinic Center on Wrongful Convictions and Stanford Law School Professor Lawrence Marshall represented Juan Rivera in appealing his third conviction of the 1992 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl, Holly Staker.  Read more...

CATEGORIES: Moments in History, Wrongful Conviction

PEOPLE: Terri L. Mascherin