Catherine E. Lhamon

Catherine E. Lhamon is an American attorney and government official who is currently serving as chairwoman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Catherine Lhamon
Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights
Assumed office
December 2016
President
Preceded byMartin Castro
Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights
In office
2013–2016
Personal details
Born (1971-08-05) August 5, 1971
Takoma Park, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationAmherst College (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Early life and education

Lhamon was raised in Palo Alto, California. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College and Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.[1][2]

Career

Lhamon began her career as a law clerk for William Albert Norris of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, then joined the Appellate Litigation Program at Georgetown University Law Center.[3] For ten years, she was an attorney at the ACLU of Southern California. Following that, she was with the pro bono law firm Public Counsel.[3]

In 2013 she became the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.[4][5] During her tenure, that office issued "Dear Colleague" letters and other controversial guidelines to school officials, clarifying that a school's failure to appropriately respond to sexual violence or its mistreatment of transgender students can constitute sex discrimination in violation of Title IX, outlining how schools can ensure that student discipline complies with laws prohibiting race discrimination, and explaining how the use of restraint or seclusion can result in unlawful discrimination against students with disabilities.[6][7][8]

In December 2016 Lhamon was appointed Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.[9] In 2019, Lhamon was appointed California Legal Affairs Secretary by Governor Gavin Newsom.[10] In 2019, Lhamon was mentioned by liberal group Demand Justice as one of their recommended Supreme Court nominees.[11]

Personal life

Lhamon is married to Giev Kashkooli, the political and legislative director of the United Farm Workers union.[12] The two have two children.[13]

References
  1. "Catherine Lhamon, Assistant Secretary, Office for Civil Rights | Biography". www2.ed.gov. January 20, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  2. "USCCR: About Us > Commissioners > Catherine E. Lhamon (Chair)". www.usccr.gov. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  3. "Catherine Lhamon Biography". U.S. Department of Education website. United States Department of Education. January 19, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  4. "Getting to Know Catherine Lhamon". HOMEROOM. United States Department of Education. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  5. Keierleber, Mark. "74 Interview: Catherine Lhamon Takes On Trump With Probe Into Cutbacks on Student Civil Rights". Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  6. Savage, David G.; Phelps, Timothy M. (August 17, 2015). "How a little-known education office has forced far-reaching changes to campus sex assault cases". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  7. State of Oklahoma (May 13, 2016). "Letter in Response to Colleague Letter on Transgender Students" (PDF). Oklahoma government website. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  8. U.S. Dept. of Education, U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Reading Room
  9. "Catherine E. Lhamon". Washington Monthly website. Washington Monthly. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  10. "USCCR: About Us > Commissioners > Catherine E. Lhamon (Chair)". www.usccr.gov. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  11. "Demand Justice - Demand Justice Releases Supreme Court Shortlist of Diverse, Progressive Lawyers". Demand Justice. October 15, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  12. "Executive Board". UFW. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  13. https://blog.ed.gov/2014/02/getting-to-know-assistant-secretary-for-civil-rights-catherine-lhamon/
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