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IN THIS ISSUE

Front Page

Ms. Paterson Goes to Washington

Statewide Coalition Forms to Keep Extremists Off the Federal Bench

Notes on the Right: Extraordinary Circumstances: The Assault on the Judiciary

Linking Progressive Corporate Law with Social Justice Movements: A "First of Its Kind" Conference

EJS Amicus Brief Charges Unlimited Campaign Spending
Unfair to Communities of Color and the Poor

The Big Money Behind Ward Connerly

Law Review Summaries: Affirmative Action

Staff/Board News and Notes

Newsletter Editors:
Elaine Elinson
Joe Lucero

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Staff/Board News & Notes: EJS Welcomes New Director of Law and Public Policy, Bids Farewell to Susan Serrano

The Equal Justice Society is pleased to welcome Kimberly Thomas-Rapp who joins EJS as the Director of Law and Public Policy.  We also say goodbye to Susan Kyomi Serrano, EJS Research Director, who, as the first staff person of EJS, has played a key role in building the organization over the last five years.

Susan Kiyomi Serrano, EJS Research Director, has helped shape the key policies and projects of the organization since its founding in 2000.  That year, after completing the Thurgood Marshall Fellowship at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Serrano joined EJS as the founding staff member through a generous grant from Jack Londen of Morrison & Foerster.  For a year and a half, she was the only EJS employee.  According to EJS President Eva Paterson,  “She is a phenomenal writer and researcher.  Without her, EJS would not be where it is today.”

Serrano was a central planner and organizer of the EJS annual conferences, creating agendas for the conference on federalism at  Harvard Law School, on the intent doctrine at  the University of Michigan, and the politics of racial and ethnic data collection at UCLA.   In 2003, Susan edited and coordinated the publication of Preserving Diversity in Higher Education: A Manual on Policies and Procedures After the University of Michigan Decisions, with pro bono assistance from Bingham McCutchen LLP, Morrison & Foerster LLP and Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP.  As Paterson noted, “Our manual has been sent to countless admissions offices around the country and will result in many more people of color being admitted to colleges and universities.”

Serrano has also authored, co-authored and edited several key articles, legal analyses and amicus briefs  for EJS, as well as grant proposals that led to funding of major projects. Though she is leaving her full-time position at EJS, Serrano will continue working on efforts to dismantle the intent doctrine enunciated in Washington v Davis and is co-authoring  with Paterson a chapter in a book called We Dissent.

“Susan’s hard work and political commitment have helped make EJS a strong force for good in the world,” said Paterson, adding, “On the personal level, Susan is truly remarkable.  Her love for the culture of her ancestors is reflected in all aspects of her life.  She taught us how to do the hula at one of our office retreats at the Zen Center in Marin.

"Last summer a bunch of us EJSers went to see Susan's hula dance troupe perform an amazing array of modern hula.

“Once you are part of the EJS community, you remain so for life - so we are not truly losing Susan.  She is just transforming her transforming her connection to EJS,” Paterson said.

Welcome to Kimberly Thomas-Rapp and Johnson Lee, Intern

Kimberly Thomas-Rapp, the new EJS Director of Law and Public Policy, is a graduate of Stanford Law School.  Thomas-Rapp has worked with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the East Bay Community Law Center, a public interest/legal services organization in Oakland, California. Thomas-Rapp has also worked at a private litigation firm, as well as with HR Integrity, a private management consulting firm where she conducted mediation and fact-finding investigations in workplace settings. Her extensive background in education equity issues will make an important contribution to EJS’ new project focusing on unconscious bias in the classroom, being conducted in partnership with the California Teachers Association.

Johnson C.W. Lee, a second-year law student at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, has joined EJS as the Summer 2005 Legal/Policy Intern.  Originally from Hawai`i where he worked for the Hawaii State Judiciary, Lee graduated from New York University in 2003 with a degree in Politics. He is active in the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and is also a member of the Asian American Bar Association.