Marsha Levick

Marsha Levick is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Temple University Beasley School of Law, and Columbia Law School. As co-founder, Deputy Director, and Chief Counsel of Juvenile Law Center—the oldest public interest law firm for children in the United States—she has been a nationally recognized leader in juvenile law for nearly five decades, advocating for children's and women's rights through landmark litigation and scholarship.

Her pioneering work focuses on juvenile justice reform, constitutional protections for minors, and systemic advocacy. Levick has authored influential scholarly articles and argued pivotal U.S. Supreme Court cases including Roper v. Simmons (abolishing juvenile death penalty), Graham v. Florida (eliminating juvenile life without parole for non-homicide offenses), J.D.B. v. North Carolina (requiring youth consideration in Miranda custody), Miller v. Alabama (striking mandatory juvenile life without parole in homicide cases), and Montgomery v. Louisiana (applying Miller retroactively). She also spearheaded the response to the Luzerne County "kids for cash" judicial corruption scandal, the largest in American legal history.

Her exceptional contributions have earned:

• Recognition from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and American Bar Associations
• Recognition from the American Association for Justice
• Philadelphia Inquirer 2009 Citizen of the Year Award (co-recipient)
• Inaugural 2013 Arlen Specter Award
• Philadelphia Award (2015)
• Philadelphia Citizen A.Leon Higginbotham Social Justice Champion of the Year (2025)

Levick serves on the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights board and the Dean’s Council of Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, extending her impact through institutional leadership and policy advocacy.