A Law School Challenges the St. Louis Legal Establishment

The killing of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer on August 9, 2014, shook the entire St. Louis legal community. Two professors at Saint Louis University School of Law (SLU Law) and a recent graduate played a large role in challenging that legal establishment, which counted many SLU Law alumni among its judges, public officials, and private bar members. Through litigation and public advocacy in the immediate aftermath of the Brown killing, three individuals spearheaded the pursuit of public justice: Professor John Ammann, who served for 22 years as supervisor of the Litigation Clinic at SLU Law; Professor Brendan Roediger, who joined him at the clinic in 2009; and Thomas Harvey, a 2009 SLU Law graduate who cofounded ArchCity Defenders.