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Contact NIJC Communications Director Tara Tidwell Cullen at (312) 833-2967 or by email.

The Chicago Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society will honor Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center Executive Director Mary Meg McCarthy with the Ruth Goldman Award.

The award recognizes a woman in the Chicago legal community who has made significant contributions to advance the status of women in the legal profession and the goals of ACS, a national organization of legal professionals dedicated to restoring respect for human dignity, access to justice, equality, and individual rights and liberties under U.S. law.

“We could not be more thrilled to have Mary Meg McCarthy receive the award this year,” said ACS Board Member Suyash Agrawal, director of the Legal Legends Luncheon. “Her unwavering commitment to immigrant and human rights advocacy and her extraordinary contributions to advancing the dialogue and debate on immigration reform exemplify all of the qualities for which the Ruth Goldman Award stands.”

ACS will present the award during its 2015 Legal Legends Luncheon on July 28.

“I am honored to receive this award on behalf of immigrants fighting for constitutional and human rights; children and adults who have fled violence and persecution, only to be detained and turned back when they reach the United States,” said McCarthy. “Instead of protection, they are met with deep structural injustices in a world where violence, hatred and greed trump justice, and due process. This is the constitutional issue of the day, and why the American Constitution Society’s work is critical to our democracy.”

Under McCarthy’s leadership, NIJC has become a leading immigrant and human rights advocacy organization, contributing to national and international debate and reform of immigration law and policy. She has built a network of 1,500 pro bono attorneys who provide legal services to thousands of individuals each year. McCarthy has testified before Congress and is quoted often in major news outlets such as MSNBC and The New York Times. Prior to joining NIJC, she practiced civil litigation and was an NIJC pro bono attorney. Earlier in her career, she worked in Chile to help safeguard the rights of individuals living under the dictatorship.