Lauren M. De Lilly

Lauren was part of a team representing Detroit public school students in Gary B. V. Whitmer, a class action lawsuit against Michigan Governor Richard Snyder and state education officials, alleging that the State of Michigan denies children their constitutional right to literacy under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the United States Constitution. The Sidley team was recognized by Public Counsel with the 2019 Pro Bono Award and was commended for “working tirelessly” to defend the students’ right to receive a basic education. In April 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that the Due Process Clause confers a fundamental right of access to literacy. This groundbreaking decision marks the first time any court has held that there is a fundamental federal right of access to literacy.

She is also part of a team that obtained summary judgment on behalf of a class of approximately 900 Cambodian nationals living in the United States, many of whom fled the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. Class members are subject to removal orders but have lived peaceably in the United States for years because the Government was unable to execute their removal. The summary judgment granted on March 4, 2020, by U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney of the Central District of California holds that procedural due process requires the Government to provide written notice to class members before re-detaining them for purposes of removal, effectively making permanent the Temporary Restraining Order in the case and minimizing the substantial risk that the government would erroneously deport class members with valid challenges to their removal orders.

• Public Counsel Leadership Council (2022-present)