The Dr. Thomas A. Dooley Award - 2020: Mary Meg McCarthy, J.D., ’80
2020: Mary Meg McCarthy, J.D., ’80
Mary Meg McCarthy is the executive director of the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC, immigrantjustice.org), one of the nation’s preeminent immigrant and human rights advocacy organizations. Through its unique approach integrating advocacy, impact litigation, legal counsel, and public education, NIJC has advanced asylum protections while expanding access to counsel for immigrant and refugee children and adults. Under Ms. McCarthy’s leadership, NIJC has grown from a $1M to a $14M organization with a 135-person staff and a network of 2,100 pro bono attorneys who are essential to providing legal counsel to 10,000 low-income immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers annually.
Frequently quoted in major news outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN, Ms. McCarthy is an internationally recognized immigration law expert who has testified before Congress and at the United Nations. Ms. McCarthy is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the American Bar Association, where she chaired its Commission on Immigration.
Ms. McCarthy spoke at the “Father Ted Said” speaker series during Notre Dame’s 2019 Reunion celebration and the Strategic Litigation for Change Conference in Belfast, and delivered the 2017 commencement address at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Earlier in her career, Ms. McCarthy worked in Chile as a Holy Cross Associate to help safeguard human rights. She earned her B.B.A. from Notre Dame and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Her honors have included the Justice John Paul Stevens Award from the Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Inn of Court 2015 Don Hubert Public Service Award, the Pax Christi 2013 Teacher of Peace Award, and the Damen Award from Loyola University Chicago. She received an honorary degree in law from Knox College (Galesburg, Ill.). She is a former trustee of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
“I am deeply humbled and greatly honored to receive the Dr. Thomas A. Dooley Award. His extraordinary legacy of humanitarian care for refugees and other people in need is an inspiration to me. His life’s work and mission continue to bring healing and hope — it reminds each of us of our responsibility to bear witness and to respond to the marginalization, injustice and oppression that burdens the lives of so many.”