Summary
Learn how we work in the courts and through public records to defend Maine people.
Join staff attorneys Anahita Sotoohi and Max Brooks to hear how they work in the courts and through public records requests to defend people in Maine from unconstitutional immigration enforcement and ensure due process for all.
Staff Attorney
As the staff attorney, Anahita works to further the work of the legal team by litigating cases involving Maine’s Freedom of Access Act and the Freedom of Information Act. She joined the organization in the fall of 2021 as a legal fellow and became a staff attorney in 2024. Prior to joining the ACLU, Anahita was a government defense litigator in Denver. Before litigating, Anahita clerked for Judges Emily Anderson, Michael Goodbee, and Rayna Gokli of the Colorado District Court. Anahita attended the University of Iowa College of Law. During law school, Anahita served as contributing editor for the Iowa Law Review and was awarded the Kenneth J. Cmiel Human Rights Scholarship.
Staff Attorney
Max Brooks joined the ACLU of Maine in the summer of 2025. As a staff attorney, Max focuses on immigrant rights issues, including challenging unlawful detentions by ICE and fighting for public records showing how local authorities in Maine are working with ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Before coming to the ACLU of Maine, Max worked on immigrant rights issues on the southern border for five years, including as a staff attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas, where he defended detained immigrants in removal proceedings, and as a staff attorney at the ACLU of New Mexico, where he litigated immigrant rights issues. Max is originally from the Bangor area and began his legal career in the state, clerking for Judge Nancy Torresen at the federal court for the District of Maine. Following his clerkship, Max worked for five years at Johnson & Webbert, LLP, litigating civil rights and employment cases in Maine. During this time, Max also worked with the Southern Maine Workers Center and the Volunteer Lawyers Project to help launch and run a free Workers Rights Legal Clinic. Max earned his Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and his Juris Doctor from the Boston University School of Law. During law school, Max received the Clinical Legal Education Association’s Outstanding Clinical Student Award for his work defending indigent clients in criminal proceedings in the Boston Municipal Court. Max enjoys biking, spending time with his dog Jazzy, and getting lost in books, movies, and music.
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