The Great North Innocence Project (GN-IP) announced today that it has received a two-year, $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that will fuel the ongoing work of Minnesota’s first-ever Conviction Review Unit (CRU). This DOJ grant represents an increased investment from the previous $300,000 two-year grant GN-IP received to launch the CRU in…
Read MoreEnterprising undegrad student joins GNIP as development & special events intern
St. Thomas University senior Kiley Golberg recently joined GNIP as our development and special events intern. During her tenure at GNIP, Kiley is supporting the planning and implementation of the 2022 Benefit for Innocence along with other critical advancement processes to support GNIP’s mission. Great North Innocence Project: Tell us about yourself. Where are you…
Read MoreMeet GNIP’s New Law Clerk: Fionna Ek
During fall 2022, Fionna Ek is joining the Great North Innocence Project as a student law clerk. Fionna will be our office’s intake specialist and screen applications for potential new cases of innocence. Great North Innocence Project: Tell us about yourself. Fionna Ek: My name is Fionna Ek, and I’m a lifelong Midwesterner from the…
Read MoreGNIP visits Dakota Women’s Correctional and Rehabilitation Center
The Dakota Women’s Correctional Rehab Center (DWCRC) in New England, North Dakota, is an unassuming building that looks more like a school than a prison were it not for the barbed wire fencing surrounding the sprawling building. Situated in the rolling hills of a small agricultural town, the prison grounds include large gardens where the…
Read MoreNew attorney joins GNIP legal team
GNIP is thrilled that Anna McGinn is joining the organization’s legal team as a Bank of America Fellow. A recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School, Anna will work with GNIP for two years and increase our capacity to investigate claims of innocence, litigate cases where an innocent person has been wrongfully…
Read MoreLaw clerk Alexa Stebbins talks her first investigative trip & legal ethics
Summer law clerks Alexa Stebbins and Madison Wadsworth got their first taste of conducting legal investigations with a road trip to South Dakota this month to interview witnesses in a current GN-IP case. Prepped by GN-IP attorney Andrew Markquart, Alexa and Madison travelled to Hartford (a suburb of Sioux Falls) and Pine Ridge Reservation where…
Read MoreGNIP Celebrates Juneteenth
Last week, GN-IP celebrated Juneteenth alongside community members during the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation-hosted Juneteenth Celebration at Bethune Park in North Minneapolis. Juneteenth, officially celebrated on June 19, commemorates the day when Union soldiers reached Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and that slaves were free. During the Minneapolis event, community…
Read MoreThomson Reuter’s Partnership Levels Up GNIP’s Communications Strategy
For the second consecutive year, GN-IP staff collaborated with an all-star team from Thomson Reuters for the annual Thomson Reuters Social Impact Hackathon. This initiative offers an opportunity for Thomson Reuters employees from around the world to leverage their skills to contribute to the communities in which they live and work in pursuit of justice, truth,…
Read MoreBidding Farewell to a GNIP legend, Legal Director Julie Jonas
This month, we bid farewell to the Great North Innocence Project’s trailblazing, inspiring, and longtime legal director, Julie Jonas, as she begins her new role as a full time, tenure-track professor at the St. Thomas University School of Law. While we will greatly miss Julie and her legal expertise, passion for innocence work, and institutional knowledge,…
Read MoreLaw Students with Passion for Criminal Law and Advancing Justice Join GN-IP this Summer
This summer, two law students are joining GN-IP as law clerks to support the legal team’s work screening and investigating potential cases of innocence. Myranda Sandberg will be starting her 3L at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in the fall and graduating with her law degree in December. Madison Wadsworth is a rising 3L law…
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