ADVOCATING
Our commitment to advocating for the rights of all people can be seen through some of our most important cases, from advocating for transgender rights in Utah to supporting veterans and military families, we are dedicated to standing up for what is right. Our lawyers continue to embrace our firm’s values in and outside of the courtroom.
Living Our Values: Advocating for the Transgender Community
Jenner & Block has a long and proud history of advocating for the rights of LGBTQ+ communities, from winning the landmark case Lawrence v. Texas more than 20 years ago to fighting for bathroom access and gender-affirming care for trans people. Partners Howard Suskin and Adam Unikowsky and Associates Illyana Green and Lilly McGuire discussed their commitment to advocating for transgender individuals.
Laurie Edelstein: Challenging Laws That Aim to Dismantle Rights of LGBTQ+ Community
From helping clients get necessary medical care or advocating for their First Amendment rights to assisting with name changes, Partner Laurie Edelstein is motivated by her clients and their powerful stories.
“I aim to leverage my education, background, and legal skills to provide a platform for my clients’ stories and amplify their reach,” she says.
All the cases Laurie has worked on throughout her career have affected her in one way or another, but a recent one stands out: A 12-year-old trans boy in Oklahoma, who wants to be a zoologist when he grows up, is taking care of a group of spiders that live outside his window. Because of Oklahoma’s ban on gender-affirming care, he is concerned that he might have to move to another state so that he can continue to get the care that he needs. But what he’s most worried about is what will happen to his spiders when he moves away.
“Stories like these really have a way of touching people,” Laurie says. “They make you realize the concrete and direct effects of this ban on individual lives and personalizes them.”
In partnership with Lambda Legal and the ACLU, Laurie is part of a team challenging Oklahoma’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for trans adolescents, which also threatens providers who violate the law with a felony conviction and discipline from their licensing board.
Laurie, who clerked for Judge Myron Thompson for the Middle District of Alabama early in her career, says that he was influential in how she approaches the law and public service.
“He taught me what it’s like to fight for equality and how to use my skills and education to advance the rights of others,” Laurie says. “It is something he has done his entire career.”
When asked why she’s passionate about this type of work, Laurie says, “it’s crucial for people who are allies to show their support and participate in the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.”
Sara Cervantes: Dedicated to Serving Others Through the Practice of Law
Pro bono work and the idea of helping others through the practice of law is what drove Associate Sara Cervantes to the law profession in the first place. Sara is a first-generation lawyer and a first-generation college graduate.
“Giving back is incredibly important to me. It’s what motivated me to attend law school and was also one of the biggest factors that helped me decide which law firm I wanted to work for,” she says.
Sara is passionate about working on cases that focus on social justice issues such as immigration, asylum, reproductive freedom, and criminal defense.
One case that she has worked on while at Jenner & Block stands out.
When the United States withdrew the last of its troops from Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban regained control of the country, many Afghans attempted to flee. In response, Jenner mobilized cross-office teams to bring refugees to safety. Sara was a member of one of those teams. The Jenner team was tasked with helping a family with their humanitarian parole application, and later their asylum application. After three long years of dealing with roadblocks and challenges, they were successful in securing asylum for the family.
“This was an emotionally taxing case, but we got it done,” Sara explains. “I am incredibly proud of my colleagues at Jenner who worked on this case with me, and I’m so thankful that I work at a firm that provides us with the resources necessary to take cases like these on.”
Prior to joining Jenner, Sara provided pro bono legal services to death row inmates in Texas and Louisiana.
As a practicing visual artist, Sara also brings a unique perspective to the practice of law and its intersections with creative industries, such as arts and entertainment.
Veterans’ Rights
Jenner & Block has made significant strides in advocating for veterans’ rights, achieving notable victories that underscore their commitment to justice. In 2023, the firm secured a landmark win for US Air Force veterans and submitted a compelling amicus brief to the US Supreme Court in support of veterans' education benefits.
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In a pivotal victory, a Jenner team reached a settlement in a nationwide class action suit brought by Air Force veterans. This settlement mandates the reassessment of less-than-honorable discharges given to veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, or sexual trauma. In September 2023, the Department of the Air Force agreed to review these discharges, ensuring affected veterans can access benefits like VA medical care and home loans. This decision not only corrects past injustices but also sets a precedent for policy changes across military branches.
“This settlement marks a crucial step toward justice for veterans who have endured immense hardships,” said Partner Susan Kohlmann. “Proactive legal advocacy is essential to safeguard the rights of veterans who were wrongfully discharged. Our commitment is to ensure justice is served, honor is restored, and rightful benefits are secured”.
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In parallel efforts, Jenner submitted an amicus brief on behalf of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) supporting Army Veteran James R. Rudisill. The case argued for the fair application of post-9/11 GI Bill benefits over the older Montgomery GI Bill. This advocacy ensures veterans can fully utilize their educational benefits, promoting fair treatment and supporting military recruitment and retention.
“Few actions convey more about our nation and its values than the way we treat the people who voluntarily risk their lives to protect this country,” said Partner Michelle Kallen, who co-authored the brief with Partners Adam Unikowsky and Todd Toral and Senior Paralegal Cheryl Olson. The US Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of Rudisill, affirming that veterans can maximize their educational benefits without forfeiting entitlements.
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These cases, conducted on a pro bono basis in partnership with the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School, highlight Jenner & Block’s unwavering dedication to veterans. From securing re-reviews of unjust discharges to fighting for the preservation of education benefits, the firm remains steadfast in championing the rights of our nation’s heroes.
Partners Rémi Jaffré and Laurie Edelstein discuss their advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.
LGBTQ+ Rights
Throughout the firm’s history, Jenner & Block has achieved remarkable advancements in championing LGBTQ+ rights, with key successes that demonstrate our unwavering dedication to equality. Specifically, over the past year, Jenner advocated for transgender students, state transgender employees in North Carolina, and secured a temporary block on Iowa’s book bans and “Don’t Say LGBTQ” provisions.
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September 10, 2024 – A Jenner & Block team recently filed pro bono briefs in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Sixth, and Tenth Circuits on behalf of a group of First Amendment scholars in defense of the Department of Education’s Final Rule that extends Title IX’s protections against severe or pervasive harassment to transgender students.
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April 29, 2024 – On April 29, the Fourth Circuit agreed with an amicus brief from Jenner & Block when it held that North Carolina’s denial of medical care benefits to transgender state employees violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
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December 29, 2023 – Days before Iowa’s ban on books and “Don’t Say LGBTQ” provisions were set to be enforced on January 1, 2024, a federal district court temporarily blocked those two parts of SF 496, a wide-ranging law that targets LGBTQ+ students and content for erasure in schools. The decision was a victory for Jenner & Block, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU of Iowa, which challenged SF 496, pro bono, on behalf of Iowa families and students.
Reproductive Rights
In the years since the US Supreme Court’s decision that overturned a near half-century of established law in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Jenner & Block’s multidisciplinary team has continued to help our clients find clarity in this complex legal landscape and pave a path forward. For years, Jenner & Block has supported reproductive rights through extensive advocacy and has since created a Post-Dobbs Task Force with more than two dozen lawyers as active members to continue this work.
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June 7, 2024 – 72 hours after the US Supreme Court decided Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Partner Joanna Wright and the Center for Reproductive Rights secured the first legal win in the country for reproductive healthcare, enjoining abortion bans in Louisiana.
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April 24, 2024 – A Jenner & Block team filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of St. Luke’s Health System, the only Idaho-based, not-for-profit, community-owned and community-led health system, asking the Court to find that Idaho’s near-total ban on abortions is preempted by the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
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April 24, 2024 – In an article for Slate, Partner Lindsay Harrison and co-author Dahlia Lithwick discuss Idaho’s near-total abortion ban and the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which conflict with one another. The article drew the attention of Supreme Court Justice Kagan, who mentioned it during an oral argument.
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January 30, 2024 – A Jenner & Block team filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of 237 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations asking the Court to reverse the Fifth Circuit decision that rolled back access to mifepristone.
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January 17, 2024 – A Jenner & Block team authored an amicus brief on behalf of the National Council of Jewish Women and 17 additional religious groups in the Texas medical exceptions case, Zurawski v. Texas.
Voting Rights
As the fundamental tenets of democracy are challenged, our lawyers strive to preserve and strengthen US democracy. At Jenner & Block’s core is a commitment to free elections, fair and equitable districting maps, and a government that truly reflects the will of the people. For decades, we have won landmark election law and redistricting cases in federal and state courts across the nation, including the US Supreme Court . In a recent victory, judges in the highest courts of New York and Wisconsin ordered that new electoral maps be drawn in time for the 2024 elections.
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January 18, 2024 – On behalf of the Brennan Center, Campaign Legal Center, the Protect Democracy Project, and the League of Women Voters, a Jenner & Block team filed an amicus brief in the case of Donald J. Trump v. Norma Anderson where Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court to reverse a Colorado ruling barring him from the state’s primary ballot.
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December 22, 2023 – Jenner & Block’s Election Law and Redistricting Practice secured two major victories in the highest courts of New York and Wisconsin. In both matters, judges ordered that new electoral maps be drawn in time for the 2024 elections.
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December 12, 2023 – The New York Court of Appeals sided with three clients who belong to the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) and ruled that the IRC should fulfil its constitutionally mandated duty. In its opinion, the four-judge majority held that the IRC should submit to the legislature a new congressional redistricting plan.
Immigrant Rights
Each year, Jenner & Block devotes thousands of hours to hundreds of cases involving asylum and immigration matters. This past year, the firm has managed to mobilize cross-office teams to bring refugees to safety as well as celebrate our clients who finally took their oath of citizenship.
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September 12, 2024 – Client Contracts Counsel Michael DeMar secured the termination of removal proceedings against a 15-year-old client from Guatemala in the New York Immigration Court, a pro bono matter that the firm is handling for Safe Passage Project.
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July 2, 2024 – A Jenner & Block team has secured asylum for three Afghan siblings whose mother and two youngest sisters were murdered by the Taliban in February 2022. The team initially became involved in the matter after the firm took on numerous Afghan Humanitarian Parole (HP) cases following the Taliban’s capture of Kabul. In October 2021, the team began helping the entire family with their HP applications.
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June 12, 2024 – Immigrants’ rights groups, in partnership with Jenner & Block, today sued the Biden Administration over a new proclamation that severely restricts asylum and puts thousands of lives at risk.
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May 15, 2024 – Jenner & Block lawyers assisted client Dulce Carranza in becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States. She recently took the Oath of Citizenship to officially become a US citizen.
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April 30, 2024 – A pro bono client who was initially referred to the firm in 2017 by the Human Trafficking Legal Center in Washington, DC, finally received her long-awaited green card.
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April 17, 2024 – A pro bono client and her three teenage children have an optimistic future in United States after being granted asylum through efforts of a partnership between Jenner & Block, JPMorgan Chase, and the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC).
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February 15, 2024 – Pro bono client Carlota Salinas took the Oath of Citizenship at a ceremony.
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February 7, 2024 – A team of Jenner & Block lawyers secured asylum for a pro bono client and his family who were forced to flee their home country of Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021.
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February 2, 2024 – United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) granted asylum to a pro bono client who was evacuated from Afghanistan in August 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW).