Commissioners Gail Heriot and Peter Kirsanow, two members of the bipartisan eight-member United States Commission on Civil Rights, are looking for a Commission intern for the summer of 2020. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

I (Alison Somin) work as a special assistant and counsel to Commissioner Gail Heriot.  Gail is an independent who was appointed to the Commission on the recommendation of Senator Mitch McConnell. She is also a law professor at the University of San Diego; Commissioners are part-time and travel to Washington approximately once a month to attend to Commission business.

The Commission was founded in 1957 and is charged with appraising laws and policies “with respect to . . . discrimination or denials of equal protection under the laws of the Constitution of the United States because of color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice.” In the ad that Commissioner Heriot posted several years ago advertising the position that I now hold, she noted that the Commission can be contentious, but that “Nobody works on more interesting issues than the Commission.”   I’ve come to agree wholeheartedly. I can’t say for 100% certain what issues will be on our plate this coming spring and summer, but I expect to look at racial disparities in maternal mortality, bail reform, and payment of sub-minimum wages in sheltered workshops for persons with disabilities.

The intern will assist the two Commissioners and their respective special assistants and counsel (Carissa Mulder is the special assistant/counsel to Peter Kirsanow) with research for essays published in Commission reports; Commissioner letters, which are generally sent to members of Congress, the President, and/or executive branch officials; and possibly with Congressional testimony.  The intern will also work less frequently with some of the appointed-by-Democrat members of the Commission and their special assistants and counsel.

Qualifications include:

(1)     Strong academic credentials

(2)    Broadly defined, philosophical and intellectual compatibility with Commissioners Heriot and Kirsanow.  To get a sense of where Commissioners Heriot and Kirsanow stand, I recommend that candidates peruse some of the Heriot and Kirsanow writings found elsewhere on this website, newamericancivilrightsproject.org; however, perfect agreement with materials found here is not essential. Someone who is a good fit is likely to identify as a conservative, a libertarian, or some mix of both. It is not required that the intern be affiliated with a particular political party or a supporter of any particular politician or elected official.

(3) Strong interest in the civil rights issues that the Commission studies; previous work or academic experience with these issues is preferred, although not essential.

(4) Must be willing and able to work out of the Commission’s Washington, D.C. office for most of the summer (occasional remote work because of job or clerkship interviews, etc. is generally okay and details can be worked out on a case-by-case basis.)

I am willing to consider current law students or current undergrads. I would tailor the intern’s duties to match his or her background; for example, if the intern is a law student, I would assign more legal research and writing than I would to an intern who is considering law school.

The Commission is not able to hire recent graduates as interns under the regulations governing federal internships. In the past, Commissioners Heriot and Kirsanow have been able to help place recent graduates at non-Commission organizations with which they work on non-Commission civil rights projects, such as amicus curiae briefs or law review articles. Please send me your resume at alison.somin@gmail.com if you fall into this category, and the Commissioners and I will do what we can to help.

The Commission internship is unpaid. But if the intern is eligible to receive funding from school or from another source, I am happy to work with the person to get the funding and/or to receive course credit for the internship.

Please note that the Commission does not enforce any civil rights laws, so we may not be the best fit for someone looking for litigation experience.

Any student who is interested in the Commission opportunity should send a standard resume and cover letter explaining why he or she is qualified and a good fit for the position to me at aschmauch@usccr.gov. I’m also happy to receive e-mails with questions at this address.

— Alison E. Somin