L-R: ADL Regional Board Member and Civil Rights Committee Co-Chair Adam Ross, Regional Board Member and Civil Rights Committee Co-Chair Laura Perlov, RMIAN Executive Director Mekela Goehring, Esq., Emma Shinn, Esq., Regional Board Member and Civil Rights Committee Co-Chair Sacha Millstone and Regional Board Member and Civil Rights Committee Co-Chair Ben Figa
On February 12, the Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region honored Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) and Emma Shinn, Esq., Co-Founder and Past Executive Director of the Colorado Name Change Project, at its Civil Rights Awards Reception. About 200 community members, elected officials and other supporters joined the gathering held at Chambers Grant Salon at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. ADL also recognized the winners of its Summer Associate Research Program Memo Competition: Jordan Cohen and David Willner (Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck) and Alexandra Haggarty (Otten Johnson Robinson Neff + Ragonetti PC).
Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) exists to promote a more humane immigration system and believes all people should be afforded due process and an understanding of their legal rights. RMIAN provides free legal representation in immigration proceedings, promotes knowledge of legal rights, and works to improve detention conditions, including promoting alternatives to detention. Executive Director Mekela Goehring, Esq. accepted the award on behalf of the organization.
Emma Shinn is an attorney, U.S Marine officer and prior enlisted infantry platoon sergeant, and a zealous advocate for defending the Constitution and civil liberties. For the past five years, she ran her own criminal defense practice and represented service members and civilians in state and federal courts in Colorado and military courts across the globe. Shinn has just returned to active duty in the Marine Corps as a judge advocate. Shinn is Co-Founder and past Executive Director of the Colorado Name Change Project, a nonprofit helping transgender Colorado residents legally change their name and gender marker on state and federal identity documents.
L-R: ADL Mountain States Regional Board Chair Melinda Quiat, ADL Memo Competition Winner Alexandra Haggarty, ADL Regional Board Member and SARP Co-Chair Laura Perlov, ADL Memo Competition Winner David Willner, ADL Regional Board Member and SARP Co-Chair Erin Nave and Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin.
ADL also honored the winners of its Summer Associate Research Program memo competition. Alexandra Haggarty’s memo on banning hate speakers on social media and Jordan Cohen and David Willner’s memo on First Amendment challenges to state laws regulating the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement rose to the top of a competitive field to win this year’s competition. Haggarty was a 2019 summer associate at Otten Johnson Robinson Neff + Ragonetti PC, and Cohen and Willner were summer associates at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
ADL thanks the Regional Board Members who serve as co-chairs of its Civil Rights Committee Adam Ross, Laura Perlov, Sacha Millstone and Ben Figa. ADL also thanks the co-chairs of the 2019 Summer Associate Research Program, Laura Perlov and Erin Nave.
ADL is grateful to the following sponsors for their support of the event: The Curtiss-Lusher Family, Epstein Patierno Family Law Attorneys, David & Laura Merage Foundation, The Millstone Evans Group of Raymond James, Foster Graham Millstein & Calisher LLP, Holland & Hart LLP, Ibex Investors, Gregory Rosenblum and Feldman Mortuary.