Jasmine J. Johnson

Adjunct Professor

Staff Attorney, Federal Defender Program

Jasmine J. Johnson is a staff attorney in the Federal Defender Program in the Northern District of Illinois, specializing in criminal defense, criminal appeals, grand jury investigations, and complex litigation. She was selected as one of the Top 40 under 40 for Criminal Defense, National Trial Lawyers (2023), and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Her prior experience includes working as a research and writing specialist with the Federal Defender’s Office in the Western District of Louisiana, serving as an assistant public defender with the Caddo Parish Public Defender’s Office, and working as a staff attorney and law clerk for the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal. She is admitted to practice in Illinois and Louisiana, the Northern District of Illinois, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Seventh Circuits.

Jasmine holds a B.A. in English (magna cum laude) from Claflin University, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Southern University. She received her JD from Southern University Law Center, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Race, Gender & Poverty, a Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Fellow, and a volunteer tax preparer for low-income individuals.

In addition to practicing criminal defense, Jasmine is an Adjunct Professor at DePaul University School of Law teaching the Public Interest Externship Seminar and focusing on practice management, ethical considerations, professional responsibility, and other skills needed for practice-ready graduates. She is also a pro bono attorney for Administer Justice, a legal aid ministry, an associate member of the Illinois Farm Bureau, and a volunteer speaker for CARE Chicago, a non-profit organization devoted to advancing financial literacy.

Education

BA, magna cum laude, Claflin University, 2005
MPA, Southern University, 2011
JD, Southern University Law Center, 2012

Professional/Community Affiliations

Staff Attorney, Federal Defender Program

Courses Taught

Professional Identity Formation