guide-civil-rights[1]

CareersinCivilRightsandCivilLiberties2007SummerFellowPeterHill2006SummerFellowsKatieBerlentAndreaGomesKateJoyceLevanMoultonCaitlinSullivan2001SummerFellowJasonK.StearnsBernardKoteenOfficeofPublicInterestAdvisingHarvardLawSchoolPound329Cambridge,MA02138(617)495-3108Fax:[phone]©2007bythePresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollegeTableofContentsAcknowledgements...........................................................................................3Chapter1:AnIntroductiontoCivilRights......................................................4Chapter2:WhereShouldIWork?....................................................................12Chapter3:IssueAreas......................................................................................15Chapter4:PreparingforaCareerinCivilRights/CivilLiberties....................22Chapter5:PersonalNarratives.........................................................................26Chapter6:SelectedCivilRights/CivilLibertiesOrganizations.......................34Chapter7:Fellowships......................................................................................53Chapter8:ExtracurricularActivitiesatHLS...................................................55AcknowledgmentsThisguideisbasedonthe2001CivilRights/CivilLibertiesGuidecreatedby2001OPIASummerFellowJasonK.Stearns.Inthesixyearssincethelastupdate(andsinceSeptember11,2001),muchhaschangedintheareaofcivillibertiesandcivilrights,includingthepassageofthePatriotAct.Inresponsetorecenttrends,afewcontentareashavebeenaddedandallsectionsoftheGuidehavebeenre-evaluated.OPIA2006SummerFellowsKatieBerlent,AndreaGomes,KateJoyce,LevanMoulton,andCaitlinSullivanoverhauledthisGuidetomakeitpertinenttothejobmarketoftodayandPeterHill,2007OPIASummerFellow,updatedandrevisedtheGuideforpublicationin2007.Wewouldliketothankthefollowingpeoplefortheircontributionstothisguide,pastandpresent:SamBagenstos,MiriamGohara,JonathanSkrmetti,SarahHarrington,AmandaMaisels,NadineStrossen,ElizabethWestfall,JimFreeman,TomMela,PatriciaMendoza,JulieSu,MargaretFung,LenoraLapidus,LisaOtero,ChristineLadd,KaryMoss,JohnRelman,MichaelRosman,ShannonLiss-Riordan,JohnPalfrey,JonathanZittrain,JimWalsh,EricHalperin,MarthaMinow,MargaretSchlanger,PhilTegler,AustinSarat,CoreyStoughton,PaulHoltzman,HusseinSadruddin,StephenShapiro,CarmiaCesar,LeeTien,LaraFlint,CarolynLerner,andAngeloAncheta.SpecialthanksalsotoOPIAstaffSheilaHubbard,TracyLanders,JudyMurciano,JoanRuttenbergandLisaWilliamsaswellasourco-fellowsAaronSpolinandGlenRiceforsupportingusthissummer.Ofspecialnote,wewouldliketothankAlexaShabecoffforhermajorcontributionsinupdatingtheGuide.WehopethatyoufindthisGuidehelpfulinyoursearchforjobsincivilrights/civillibertieslaw.TheBernardKoteenOfficeofPublicInterestAdvisingSummer2006&2007Fellows31CHAPTERAnIntroductiontoCivilRightsandCivilLibertiesInterpretationsoftheconstitutionalrightsguaranteedbytheBillofRightsandfederalcivilrightsstatuteshavevariedwidelythroughtimeandasthelawevolves.Whilemanygroupsviewthemselvesascivilrightsandcivillibertiesadvocates,theyusetheiradvocacyresourcesindifferentways.TheACLUcallsupontheUSHouseofRepresentativestorejectdefectiveimmigrationbills;inDenver,agroupoflow-incomeentrepreneursfilesacivilrightssuitagainstthecity,claimingexcessivelystringentlicensingrequirementsfortaxibusinesses;theNAACPreachesasettlementwiththeSt.LandryParishSchoolBoardandCouncilthroughalawsuitaddressingvoterredistrictingplansthathadbeeninviolationofthe1965VotingRightsAct.Civilrightsandcivillibertieslawyersplaymanyroles,forexamplepetitioningthegovernmentforgreaterinvolvementincivilrightsprotectionsthroughaffirmativeactionprograms,ortryingtoprotectindividualsfromgovernmentintervention.Whetherthroughthegovernmentoranongovernmentalorganization(NGO),forasummerorforacareer,issuespertainingtocivilrightsandcivillibertiesofferawiderangeofoptionsforlawstudentsandlawgraduates.CIVILRIGHTSv.CIVILLIBERTIESThoughcivilrightsandcivillibertiesrepresenttwodifferentareasoffocus,thereisnodistinctlinebetweenthetwo.AccordingtoCoreyStoughton(HLS’02)oftheNewYorkCivilLibertiesUnion(NYCLU),whichisprimarilyinterestedwithcivilliberties,“Idon’tthinkofmyselfasjustacivillibertieslawyer.Itdoesn’tmatterifit’sa1stor14thamendmentissue.”However,therearesomegeneralrulesthatdeterminewhetheranorganizationoranissuefallsundercivilrightsorcivilliberties.Thetermcivilrightsgainedpopularityinthe1950sand’60sandhasbecomeassociatedwithMartinLutherKing,Jr.,theMontgomeryBusBoycott,andtheMarchonWashington.ThemomentumofthestruggleagainstJimCrowlawsandsegregationacrossthenationcarriedoverintoothermovements.Oneofthestrikingcharacteristicsoftoday’scivilrightsmovementisitsbreadthanddiversity,encompassinggayandlesbiangroups,disabilityadvocacy,andimmigrants’rightsorganizations.Allshareacommitmenttocreatingajustsocietythroughlegalmeans.CivillibertiestypicallyfallundertheauspicesoftheFirstAmendment’srighttofreeexpression,assembly,andreligion.TheACLU,forexample,hasprotectedtherightofmusicianstodistributetheirmusicwithoutbeingcensored,or,morecontrov