About the Center for Civil and Human Rights

The Center provides an institutional framework to promote the work of faculty and its partners in the area of civil and human rights.

The Center:

• puts on an annual conference on the pursuit of justice, attracting national and international audiences interested in civil and human rights, including scholars, judges, practitioners, and activists.
• offers a series of workshops and presentations where faculty from Gonzaga and other institutions share ideas and works-in-progress on topics related to the Center’s goals.
• hosts an annual speaker series, bringing nationally recognized scholars for public forums regarding civil and human rights.

As an interdisciplinary project, the Center also works with other schools and departments, both within Gonzaga and beyond, to raise awareness about the ways in which the law can promote civil and human rights and serve the public good.

The Center provides an academic home for several legal clinics at the Law School, and it also sponsors events and programs to engage members of the local, regional, and national community on issues of discrimination, inequality, and injustice. The Center:

• Houses the Lincoln LGBTQ+ Rights Clinic, the first law clinic of its kind in Washington and one of only a handful in the country. The clinic support those who are marginalized and underserved because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression;
• Houses the Catholic Charities Immigration Clinic. The clinic provides legal help on family reunification, humanitarian protection, citizenship advocacy, asylum applications, and other matters;
• Partners with civil legal aid organizations to provide pro bono opportunities to students in the area of civil and human rights.

Jason Gillmer, J.D., LL.M.

Founding Director, Center for Civil and Human Rights; John J. Hemmingson Professor of Civil Liberties; Professor of Law
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Sarah Harmon, J.D.

Staff Director, Center for Civil and Human Rights Clinic
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