Introducing Our 2022 Affirmative Leaders Fellows!

Our fellows hail from all over the country with all kinds of backgrounds — as humans and as lawyers. We asked them, ‘what does equitable enforcement mean to you?’

PRP founded the Affirmative Leaders Fellowship to advance justice and equality at the state, local, and tribal levels of government, and that means finding the right lawyers to make that vision possible.

Through our partnerships with governments across the country, this year’s cohort of 23 attorneys will work on a wide range of civil rights, economic justice, and environmental justice issues that directly impact underserved populations—locally in their communities, and across the country.

Here at PRP we believe that helping state, local, and tribal governments build capacity to proactively protect the rights of marginalized groups builds power, visibility, a healthier democracy, and fosters much-needed trust between government the people they’re designed to serve.

Our Fellows By The Numbers:

After searching across the nation, Public Rights Project selected a talented and diverse cohort of fellows from 19 state and local government offices in 11 states and the District of Columbia.

70% of fellows identify as women and 40% identify as people of color. Fellows are alumni of 18 accredited law schools.

6 of our fellows boast more than 11+ years of experience, and 5 have been in government service for more than 6.

We’re delighted to welcome them and proud to have them in our fray.

Without further ado, here’s what 6 of our fellows had to say about the meaning of equitable enforcement and how it dovetails with their work, their worldview, and a vision for justice.

Mel Walker

is a Legal Specialist for the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights in the Strategic Initiatives and Enforcement Unit. Her unit proactively enforces the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination by conducting investigations, amending and creating regulations; she leads issues in race and disability, and co-leads health equity.

Equitable enforcement means providing a solution to the disease of injustice and not the symptoms. It means understating in inequalities and disparities that persist in society, and working towards eliminating them. I grew up in a low-income BIPOC area where the symptoms of injustice manifested as high asthma rates, lead poisoning, and more.

The high asthma rates lead to young students having many absences from schools, which prevents them from keeping up with their peers. Childhood lead exposure has been tied to harmful effects, including neurological damage and anti-social behavior. These health inequalities are one of the many ways people are forced into poverty and crime, at no fault of their own.

Equitable enforcement would address those issues and see humans experiencing injustice.

Scott Brown

is a Deputy Corporation Counsel for Milwaukee County. He has a broad practice that include transactional matters, advisory work, as well as some litigation. He came to Milwaukee County from private practice; prior to that he was an Assistant Defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia for many years.

It is the application of law and public policy in a manner that recognizes systemic inequity and seeks to alleviate rather than compound that inequity.

Cesar J. del Peral

has been a Senior Deputy Counsel with the Los Angeles County Counsel’s office for two years. Before joining LA County Counsel, Cesar was a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where he helped enforce the federal statutes prohibiting discrimination in the workplace for nine and a half years.

It means the application and enforcement of existing laws in a way that furthers the goal of achieving an equitable society; that is, protecting those who need protection and holding to account those who wield disproportionate power and influence and use it to prevent equitable opportunity in our society.

Iris Bromberg

is a Legal Specialist in the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights’ (DCR) Strategic Initiatives and Enforcement Unit (SIE), where she works on proactive initiatives aimed at advancing civil rights and preventing discrimination. She leads SIE’s fair housing and fair chance in housing work, and co-leads SIE’s gender equity and LGBTQ rights work.

An equitable approach to enforcement requires working directly with the communities most impacted by systemic violence to ensure our efforts respect human dignity and reflect actual needs. It also requires thinking critically about the intersectional implications of all of our agency decisions, from the language on our website to the strategic focus of our enforcement efforts.

Tiffany S. Bingham

is Managing Counsel of the Affirmative Litigation, Compliance & Environmental Divisions of the Harris County Attorney’s Office, where she represents Harris County as a plaintiff in high-stakes constitutional, commercial, election, and policy-related disputes that impact the community at large.

Equitable enforcement means ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations while also empowering local communities and marginalized persons.

Mercedes Restucha-Klem

is an Assistant Attorney General with the Public Protection Section of the North Carolina Department of Justice, working on various civil rights and public safety policy initiatives, including adult abuse, consumer protection and criminal justice reform.

Equitable enforcement means every individual has the resources and the ability to redress violations of their rights. It means legal actors have the proper tools and clear jurisdiction, and they use them to pull the arc towards justice.

MEET THE REST OF OUR INCREDIBLE FELLOWS RIGHT HERE.