"A fast-talking Minneapolis native who still lives in the Twin Cities part time, Cook is one of a handful of attorneys who have dropped everything to aid (for free) those caught up in the federal crackdown - protesters, immigrants and detained citizens - too many of whom have found themselves facing deportation, arrest or even been disappeared, at least for a time."
"While it's the images of clashes in the streets that captivate media and audiences, it's lawyers like Cook who are fighting an existential battle in the background to preserve the rule of law in a place where it is increasing opaque, to put it gently. The legal work behind detentions has largely been an overlooked battlefield that will likely rage on years after ICE departs the streets, leaving in its wake hundreds if not thousands of long-and-winding court cases."
James Cook, an Oakland civil rights attorney and Minneapolis native, has worked in Minnesota for months providing free legal aid to protesters, immigrants and detained citizens. Several attorneys dropped everything to help people caught in a federal crackdown, many facing deportation, arrest or temporary disappearance. Minnesota school board member Chauntyll Allen, arrested inside a church and charged with conspiracy to deprive constitutional rights, praised these attorneys as leaders helping people through the process. Lawyers like Cook are fighting to preserve the rule of law and to force transparency and accountability through civil litigation. The legal work behind detentions will likely continue for years and involve hundreds or thousands of complex cases.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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