WASHINGTON — Following the Supreme Court’s landmark civil rights ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, the American Lawyer highlighted an amicus brief filed by Wilkinson Stekloff litigators Chanakya Sethi, Angela Cai, and Rakesh Kilaru. The ruling was a major victory for LGBT employees, recognizing that they are protected under the 1964 Civil Rights Act from employment discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. AmLaw quoted Wilkinson Stekloff’s brief, featuring it among “a stellar crop of briefs from many of the top law firms in the country.” Wilkinson Stekloff filed the brief on behalf of a group of nine leading historians who focus on the history of gender, sexuality, and law in the United States. The brief showcased original research by the historians demonstrating that LGBT individuals brought claims seeking protection under Title VII’s ban on discrimination “because of sex” shortly after the law was enacted, and that some officials …
ICYMI: Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Alexandra Walsh and Rakesh Kilaru share their SCOTUS clerk stories
May 5, 2020
Super Lawyers highlights stories from court’s last 70 years WASHINGTON — Founding Partner Alexandra Walsh and Partner Rakesh Kilaru were two of the seven D.C. lawyers who shared their experiences working as SCOTUS clerks with Super Lawyers Magazine. Founding Partner Alexandra Walsh spoke with Super Lawyers about the moment she was called in for an interview to work for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Stephen Breyer from 2003-04. Alexandra recalled the moment to Super Lawyers stating, “I had less than 12 hours to prepare. Breyer called me late afternoon and I went in the next morning. In some ways, that was liberating. I said, “Well, we’ll just see how it goes.” It felt a little bit like winning the lottery.” Partner Rakesh Kilaru described his time working in the office of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Elena Kagan from 2011-12. Rakesh tells Super Lawyers, “We’d often have some pretty fun debates, where Kagan would ask …
Supreme Court Issues Landmark Affirmative Action Decision in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin
June 23, 2016
Wilkinson Stekloff partner Lori Alvino McGill played a leading role representing the University in Fisher v. University of Texas. In a 4-3 decision authored by Justice Kennedy, the Supreme Court upheld UT’s undergraduate admissions policy, which considers an applicant’s racial background as one of many factors. The decision reaffirms that universities have a compelling interest in seeking the educational benefits of a broadly diverse student body, and that they may use race-conscious admissions policies tailored to that goal. The decision–which praises the University’s efforts to achieve diversity through other means, and its reasoned conclusion that those efforts were inadequate–also marks the first time that Justice Kennedy has voted to uphold a race-conscious admissions policy as consistent with the Equal Protection Clause. The Court’s ruling will allow UT and other universities to continue to “defin[e] those intangible characteristics, like student body diversity, that are central to [their] identity and educational mission.” To learn more …