Legal Research Intern - Criminal Justice

To be considered for this role, you must apply directly through our online application. 

About the Role

The Project on Criminal Justice focuses on reducing unconstitutional overreach in criminal laws, holding police and prosecutors accountable when they violate individual rights, and challenging the structural pressures built into plea-driven mass adjudication. 

Matthew Cavedon directs the project and has a background as a Georgia public defender; James Craven focuses on jury trial rights and official accountability; Mike Fox concentrates on Fourth Amendment violations and the scope of the federal criminal code, including recent congressional testimony on regulatory overcriminalization. The project publishes legal scholarship, amicus briefs, op-eds, and policy analyses, and engages in legislative outreach and public events within the criminal justice reform space.

Interns work across the team on legal research, brief drafting, and writing support — and may contribute to empirical research components depending on active projects.

Responsibilities

• Support amicus brief research and drafting, including case law synthesis, doctrinal analysis, and Bluebook cite-checking to publication standards.
• Conduct targeted literature reviews and fact-finding to support scholar op-eds, policy analyses, and blog posts.
• Monitor Supreme Court and appellate developments — cert petitions, merits briefing, significant rulings — and prepare written summaries for the team.
• Attend and provide reports on Hill briefings, policy panels, and conferences relevant to the project's work.
• Provide editorial support as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• JD or current JD candidate — applicants lacking legal training should consider other opportunities.
• Strong legal research and writing with clear synthesis of cases and statutes; publication-quality citation and meticulous source verification.
• Demonstrated interest in US criminal justice reform — especially in overcriminalization, coercive plea bargaining, jury rights, or police and prosecutorial accountability — grounded in and aligned with Cato's principles; applicants are encouraged to review the team's recently published work before applying.
• Proficiency in using LexisNexis and HeinOnline for legal research and legislative history.
• Professionalism, reliability, and attention to detail — this work requires accuracy in sourcing, citation, and written output, as well as consistent follow-through on assigned tasks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous legal research or practice experience directly related to criminal law, procedure, or constitutional litigation — through a clerkship, public defender’s office, law review, or policy organization with a legal focus.
• Familiarity with empirical or social science research methods, including interview design, qualitative data collection, or survey construction.
• Coursework or independent research in criminal law and procedure, Fourth Amendment law, or constitutional criminal originalism.
• Experience with law reviews or journals, especially as an editor or author

The Cato Internship Program

Cato’s paid internships are available for undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students, law students, and early-career professionals who are strongly committed to individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace—principles that together form libertarianism, also known as “classical liberalism,” “market liberalism,” or, to many of our international friends, simply “liberalism.” 

All Cato interns participate in the same intensive seminar series, which covers a wide range of topics in history, philosophy, policy, and professional development. Interns also assist with events and occasionally support Cato staff with other daily tasks. 

Interns receive competitive pay. Part-time roles are adjusted accordingly and require a minimum of 25 hours per week. Program participants must be able to attend in person in Washington, DC.

For more information about the internship program and experience, we encourage you to explore our website. If you have any questions, email studentprograms@cato.org.