Catherine is part of a team of attorneys pursuing litigation that protects and advances civil liberties and constitutional rights. Catherine’s priorities include racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, prisoner rights, and strengthening individual rights and liberties against police authority. Prior to joining the ACLU-MN, Catherine was in private practice for more than 20 years. During that time, she was part of a team that received the Texas Defender Service’s 2018 Light of Justice Award for securing the vacation of Douglas Tyrone Armstrong’s death sentence by the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals.
Catherine graduated from Columbia University School of Law and Smith College. Minnesota Lawyer named Catherine a Diversity and Inclusion Honoree in 2020 and Attorney of the Year in 2018. Catherine received the 2023 Advocate Award from Minnesota Justice Foundation for her work founding and directing UPLIFT Legal Institute for Teens – a nonprofit pipeline program offering mock trial and mentoring opportunities to middle and high school students from schools serving underresourced communities.