Catherine E. Lhamon


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

Early life and education

Lhamon was born and raised in Takoma Park, Maryland. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College and Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.

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. 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.
In 2013 she became the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. 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.
In December 2016 Lhamon was appointed Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. In 2019, Lhamon was appointed California Legal Affairs Secretary by Governor Gavin Newsom. In 2019, Lhamon was mentioned by liberal group Demand Justice as one of their recommended Supreme Court nominees.

Personal life

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