The Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program

The Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program's mission is to mentor a new generation of lawyers dedicated to redressing historic inequalities, resisting injustice, and protecting democratic institutions.

The Program, which awards fellowships to a select third-year students, provides opportunities to engage in extensive research, get hands-on experience in litigation and policy work, and forge lasting connections with leaders in the field. The heart of the Program is the Fellows and their engagement with lawyers, advocates, and communities through their term-time internships and seminar discussions aimed at defending civil rights and civil liberties.

Recent Fellows have worked with attorneys at the ACLU, NYCLU, Center for Constitutional Rights, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, NOW Legal Defense Fund, Lambda Legal Defense Fund, Children’s Rights, Inc., the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the Center for Reproductive Rights, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, Compassion and Choices, the Legal Aid Society, as well as public defender offices, legal services organizations, and civil liberties-oriented law firms.

Many Hays alumni are or have been directors or legal directors of public interest organizations, including several ACLU affiliates, the Legal Aid Society, legal services offices, and National Defender organizations. Others have become law professors, often combining civil liberties activism with academic careers. Since its founding in 1958, the Program has trained more than 300 lawyers for professional service on behalf of civil liberties and civil rights for all.