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 MoreExoneree Michael Hansen Finds a Renewed Sense of Self in Tattooing
Kinship Collective Tattoo is a special place. Found downtown in quaint Northfield, Minnesota, the tattoo parlor is owned by Michael Hansen who leads a team of four additional tattoo artists. The space feels bright and energetic, with red and grey walls filled with framed paintings and oddities—many of which were gifts brought to Mike by…
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 MoreExonerated client Javon Davis reflects on fatherhood after freedom
Javon Davis was exonerated through work by the Great North Innocence Project in March 2020. A father of six children, Javon served five years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He is still awaiting compensation from the state for his wrongful incarceration. During this month of Father’s Day, Javon has reflected on…
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…
Read MoreDoes race matter in eyewitness identification?
Eyewitness testimony and identification can be some of the most persuasive pieces of evidence presented in court. They are used to help recreate events from the past for a jury and identify a possible suspect. It is understandably difficult for a jury to go against what someone close to a crime said they witnessed, especially…
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