Pro Bono: Teresa Woody

Litigation director , Kansas Appleseed

Kansas City

Teresa Woody has a simple perspective on the law.

“I think the justice system we have in the United States, though it is not perfect, is amazing and it is the reason that preserved our democracy over all these years and hopefully will continue,” she said. 

As for the imperfections, Woody’s work at the Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice is designed to address those. Often her efforts deal with class actions to create systemic change. 

Some matters relate to civil rights. She was instrumental in reining in the use of a gang database in Wichita, Kan., which employed questionable means like wearing a certain color or being friends with suspected gang members as criteria for inclusion. 

“You could be put on this list even though you hadn’t done anything criminal or even been suspected of criminal activity,” she said. “Yet they could put you on this list and say you were a member of a criminal street gang.”

Listees were subject to effects on employment or the ability to obtain housing as well as the way they might be treated by law enforcement. Thanks to her efforts the list dropped from thousands to only a few hundred names. 

The center, which hired Woody into her present position in 2019, has also worked on civil rights issues in the foster care system in Kansas.  

“We were successful in obtaining a settlement to end those practices and get a neutral or monitor who is monitoring that settlement to make sure that they live up to their obligations,” she noted. 

Her pro bono work also has had important effects, much of which center on abortion rights in both Kansas and Missouri, including work with the Center for Reproductive Rights. Ultimately, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a fundamental right. 

“Before that, I worked with Planned Parenthood in Missouri and actually developed their bypass litigation for minors who are trying to exercise their reproductive rights,” said Woody, a graduate of the University of California.