Quo Judkins
Associate Professor of Law & Director of the Criminal Defense and Racial Justice Clinic
Quo Judkins is an Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal Defense and Racial Justice (CDRJ) Clinic at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Joining the faculty in 2024, Professor Judkins brings a unique perspective from her extensive experience as a trained clinical social worker and over two decades of social justice and indigent criminal defense practice in D.C. As the director of the CDRJ Clinic, she supervises students representing indigent clients charged with misdemeanors in D.C. Superior Court. Prior to joining UDC Law, she co-led the Criminal Justice Clinic at Howard University School of Law (2022-2024).
Professor Judkins’s career has been dedicated to social justice and equity, starting with her work as a licensed social worker specializing in clinical therapy for children and young adults in the neglect and foster care systems. After graduating from Pennsylvania State University Law School in 2006, she joined the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS), where she handled over 400 cases, spanning misdemeanors to homicides. She served as member of the PDS Forensic Practice Group, specially tasked with learning scientific topics and assisting colleagues in drafting witness cross-examinations involving forensic science. After PDS, Professor Judkins spent a year as an adjunct at DC Law Students in Court (now Rising for Justice) where she trained aspiring litigators and simultaneously opened the Judkins Firm, a law firm dedicated to zealously advocating for clients facing criminal charges.
Professor Judkins’s teaching and scholarly interests focus on criminal law, social justice, and the intersection of mental health and the legal system.
She holds a B.A. from Mills College; M.A. from Smith College School for Social Work; and a J.D. from Pennsylvania State University Law School.