Randy Douthit is the CEO and director of Judy Justice, an organization that promotes justice and equality in the United States. Douthit was born in Kansas in 1957. He earned a degree in sociology and psychology from Wichita State University and attended graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis.
He served as executive director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois since 1988 before joining Judy Justice full-time at the end of 2003. His work with the organization has included advocating for domestic violence victims, fighting civil rights violations, enforcing voting rights laws, protecting children’s welfare, and using technology to help promote justice and equality.
Judy Justice has partnerships with organizations, including the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Randy Douthit was elected to the board of directors for NACDL in 2001 and appointed chair of Amnesty International Action in 2004. He is an advisory board member for Grassroots Leadership and a member of the Nonprofit Technology Network’s advisory board. Douthit is also a founding member of Kansas Action for Children and a Kansas Commission on Peace & Justice commissioner.
He was named 2005 St. Louis Humanitarian of the Year by Unity Productions Foundation, which also produced the documentary “Judy Justice: To Protect & Serve” about his life and work.
Randy Douthit has worked to promote an understanding of the judicial system and voting rights. He is active with ACLU voting rights efforts and has worked to educate people about the importance of their right to vote.
In 1999, he spent time in federal prison for civil disobedience for protesting a gag order that silenced NACDL members from speaking about the case involving President Bill Clinton’s controversial pardoning of Marc Rich.
Douthit is the founder and a former board member of the Kansas Action for Children, a network of people working to ensure that children receive a full range of opportunities. He was named 2005 St. Louis Humanitarian of the Year by Unity Productions Foundation, which produced the documentary “Judy Justice: To Protect & Serve” about his life and work. Douthit also received the inaugural 2003 Survivor Award from the National Center for Victims of Crime.