James Cadogan, former counselor to the U.S. Attorney General, joins Laura and John Arnold Foundation

Washington, D.C. – Cadogan will lead the LJAF criminal justice team’s expanding pretrial justice work and strategic litigation portfolio. The foundation is a national leader in efforts to safely reduce pretrial incarceration levels that disproportionately impact the poor and people of color.

“James comes to us with an incredible depth of experience driving policy change through research, community engagement, and litigation,” said Kelli Rhee, President and CEO of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. ​“We are pleased to have his leadership as we roll out our risk assessment nationwide and deepen our commitment to pretrial justice reform.”

Before coming to LJAF, Cadogan was the Director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Thurgood Marshall Institute, where he led advocacy and research efforts in the fight for civil rights. Prior to that, Cadogan was Counselor to Loretta E. Lynch, the 83^rd Attorney General of the United States. In that role, he focused on criminal justice policy, helping lead the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) review of solitary confinement, driving reform of federal reentry policies, and developing the first National Reentry Week and National Community Policing Week.

Cadogan was a member of the Windsor Team, responsible for implementing, across all federal agencies, the 2013 Supreme Court decision that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. He has testified on behalf of United States at the U.N. Human Rights Council (regarding constitutional policing) and U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (regarding Title IX and combatting sexual assault). He earned his B.A. in English from Princeton University and J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

“We are delighted James Cadogan has joined our criminal justice team,” said Jeremy Travis, Executive Vice President of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. ​“His extensive experience in justice reform at the highest levels will be invaluable as we expand our work on pretrial justice reform and build new litigation partnerships.”

Cadogan joins LJAF during a period of significant growth and strategic planning. Within the last year, the criminal justice team announced a new strategy to drive reform in five key areas: pretrial justice, policing, community supervision (probation and parole), reintegration, and prisons.

“I’m thrilled to join the Foundation’s stellar criminal justice team at this exciting time,” Cadogan said. ​“I’ve long admired their commitment to evidence-based policy reform and look forward to helping maximize the impact of their work.”

Cadogan will be based in LJAF’s Washington, D.C., office.

Learn more about our Criminal Justice work here.

About the Laura and John Arnold Foundation

The Laura and John Arnold Foundation’s core objective is to improve the lives of individuals by strengthening our nation’s social, governmental, and economic systems. Its investments are focused on criminal justice, education, health care, and several other key areas. LJAF has offices in Houston, New York City, and Washington, D.C.