The University of Notre Dame Law School’s Exoneration Justice Clinic has received a generous grant of $3 million from Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The grant is earmarked to fund a program focused on the defense of Mexican nationals involved in criminal cases within the United States.
The funds were formally presented at a ceremony on September 30th at the Mexican Consulate Office in Chicago. Officials in attendance included Vanessa Calva Ruiz, Director General of Consular Protection and Strategic Planning; Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil, the Consul General of Mexico in Chicago; and Professor Jimmy Gurulé, the founder and faculty director of the Exoneration Justice Clinic.
The collaboration between Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Notre Dame Law School will see the Exoneration Justice Clinic working alongside the 53 Mexican Consulate Offices across the nation. The primary goal of this partnership is to combat and overturn wrongful convictions of Mexican nationals across America, according to a statement made by Professor Gurulé.
More detailed information about the partnership and the intended use of the grant can be found in the official announcement from Notre Dame Law School.