Julie at a Benefit for Innocence event when the Great North Innocence Project was still called the Minnesota Innocence Project
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, we are thrilled that she is able to take this important step in her career.
“Julie is a giant. Big brain, big heart, tiny ego. In other words, one in a million. The thing about Julie is her combination of, on the one hand, toughness and smarts, and on the other, kindness and compassion,” shared GN-IP staff attorney Jim Mayer.
During her nearly 19 years with GN-IP, Julie has helped to free seven innocent men from prison, led the passage of critical legislation that prevents miscarriages of justice from happening again, taught numerous law courses, and developed deep, lasting relationships with clients, their families, and GN-IP supporters.
Julie receives a hug from GN-IP freed client Terry Olson who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he did not commit
“Julie is really what made this organization an actual institution that cohered over time, as opposed to a collection of loosely related endeavors. I think there is a real possibility this organization would not exist today but for her involvement. It certainly would look much different, almost certainly for the worse,” said staff attorney Andrew Markquart.
Julie cites that freeing clients is the best part of this work, and that the feeling of watching an innocent person walk out of prison is unparalleled. In particular, she remembers the very first person she helped to free with GN-IP (then called the Minnesota Innocence Project), Sherman Townsend, and the moment she received a recantation from the sole eyewitness who placed Sherman at the scene.
"We had been working on Sherman’s case for some time—it had been in the legal clinic since 2002 or 2003. Then, one day in 2007, I received a letter at the office. It was from the man who provided the eyewitness testimony that sent Sherman to prison. He wrote me admitting that he was the actual perpetrator of the crime and that when he lied about seeing Sherman fleeing the crime scene, he never expected that Sherman would actually be found guilty.”
According to Julie, the man had experienced a crisis of conscious 10 years after Sherman had been sentenced to prison. “It turns out that this person ended up in prison after committing another crime. When he arrived, he ran into Sherman inside. He couldn’t believe he had actually been convicted because there was such little evidence against Sherman aside from his eyewitness testimony. After he saw Sherman, he wrote to me and sketched out a perfect map of the crime scene. It was incredible.”
Julie’s clients express deep gratitude and admiration for her because of her unflinching advocacy on their behalf. Freed GN-IP client Terry Olson says of Julie that she is “a valuable asset wherever [she is].” Many of them still keep in touch with her even after their case concludes and share updates about their lives, their struggles, and their celebrations after gaining their freedom.
Julie with exonerated GN-IP client Koua Fong Lee and his wife Panghoua Moua at GN-IP’s annual Benefit for Innocence
After 19 years with GN-IP and several years working as a public defender, Julie has deep knowledge about the criminal-legal system’s interworking and how we could improve them to function more justly for all. When asked what one change she would make to the criminal-legal system if she had the power to do so, she didn’t hesitate. “I would mandate that there be equal funding and resources for public defenders. I don’t just mean more manageable caseloads, but that the defense would have equal resources for investigators and expert witnesses. This would help to level the playing field between the prosecution and defense.” Julie continued, “Most public defenders are hamstrung by the lack of funding and lack of access to many experts, but the prosecution represents the state and has access to state-funded experts and extensive investigative resources through law enforcement. The playing field is not set up in a way that’s truly fair.”
Looking ahead to her new role as fulltime law professor, Julie shared, "I'm most looking forward to getting law students excited about criminal law because it's so rewarding and interesting." She added, "I'm also looking forward to publishing research on juries. This is an opportunity for me to understand what juries are talking about in deliberations, and in some cases, how they get it wrong. I hope my research will contribute to ensuring jurors have a better understanding of their important role in the justice process."
Andrew knows firsthand that Julie will continue on to be an excellent educator of future lawyers. “She is a great teacher and mentor, allowing less seasoned lawyers to tap into her depth of experience and the judgment that comes with such experience. When we were working together in the office, I would constantly be poking my head around the corner to ask questions or work through ideas with her, and she was always receptive and remarkably generous with her time and attention.”
While Julie will no longer be a staff member of GN-IP, she will continue to work on two cases in partnership with GN-IP legal staff, be a resource and sounding board for GN-IP's litigation and public policy work, and prioritize GN-IP in her charitable giving.
Julie embraces GN-IP exonerated client Javon Davis upon his release from prison after serving five years for a crime he did not commit
GN-IP executive director Sara Jones shared words of gratitude and awe for Julie’s dedication to justice and her clients. ”She has built our organization and served as its backbone and North Star for almost two decades. We would be nowhere without her talent, dedication, perseverance, commitment to the rule of law, and willingness to teach and share her knowledge with so many people over all these years. One of the best things, however, that I've been able to witness up close, is her genuine care and concern for her clients. She goes above and beyond simple legal representation. She truly cares about the people she serves and doesn't quit caring when they're freed.”
Jim agrees, naming Julie as GN-IP’s “heart and soul.” Andrew added, “Julie is an absolute joy to work with. She has a fantastic sense of humor and approaches this work with both the seriousness that the subject matter demands and the levity needed to maintain one's sanity day after day. I think that being effective as a public interest lawyer requires a heavy dose of idealism tempered by an appropriate degree of skepticism. In my opinion, Julie strikes exactly the right balance.”
Julie, we will greatly miss you and are so proud of the next step in your journey. Congratulations!