Four Decades for Justice
On October 4, 2023, an immigration judge (IJ) granted asylum to Cravath pro bono client Johanna R., a transgender woman from El Salvador who had been abused by gang members based on her identity.
Cravath began representing Johanna in her application for asylum in May 2019. In advance of a 2020 master calendar hearing, Cravath submitted supportive documentation, including reports from a medical professional indicating that Johanna suffered from severe PTSD caused by her past abuse and from an expert on El Salvador gender issues opining that Johanna was likely to be persecuted if she returned to the country. That hearing was canceled because of the COVID‑19 pandemic, and a merits hearing was not scheduled until October 2023. In the interim, Cravath twice filed work permit renewal applications to allow Johanna to continue to work at a bakery and later at a beauty salon.
During the October 4 hearing, in addition to granting asylum to Johanna, the IJ held that she had been persecuted based on her status as a transgender woman, determined that the Salvadoran police were unwilling to protect her as a member of this group and held that she was a member of the class covered by the 2021 settlement agreement in Mendez Rojas v. Johnson (W.D. Wash.), whereby applicants who were not informed of the one‑year filing deadline while in detention could have their applications deemed timely.
The Cravath team was led by partner Antony L. Ryan and senior discovery attorney James E. Canning.
Deals & Cases
February 22, 2024
On February 13, 2024, the New York State Appellate Division, First Department, reversed the convictions of Tommy Davis, who was simultaneously prosecuted for two unrelated incidents involving firearms. Cravath represented Mr. Davis on a pro bono basis alongside co‑counsel at the Office of the Appellate Defender.
Deals & Cases
December 28, 2023
On November 28, 2023, the Queens County Criminal Court entered an order on consent resentencing pro bono client A.M. and securing her release. A.M. had been incarcerated since June 2010. She was originally sentenced in June 2011, pursuant to a plea agreement, to a 20‑year determinate sentence plus five years’ post‑release supervision for first‑degree manslaughter after her romantic partner, who had subjected her to severe domestic abuse, killed her former partner, who had sex trafficked her and also subjected her to severe domestic abuse.
Deals & Cases
October 19, 2023
On August 30, 2023, Judge Leo A. Finston of the Newark Immigration Court granted asylum to a Cravath pro bono client persecuted by gang members in El Salvador.
Deals & Cases
September 21, 2023
On September 19, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated a district court’s order denying class certification to all children who are or will be in the custody of New York City’s foster care system. Cravath, working on a pro bono basis, represents the putative class alongside co‑counsel at A Better Childhood (“ABC”).
Celebrating 200 years of partnership. In 2019, we celebrated our bicentennial. Our history mirrors that of our nation. Integral to our story is our culture.
Attorney Advertising. ©2024 Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP.