Fall/Spring Constitutional Litigation Internships
About The Position
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is seeking fall and spring legal interns who are committed to civil rights, impact litigation, and upholding core First Amendment protections. Both part-time and full-time positions are available. About Americans United. Americans United is a nonpartisan educational and advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure freedom of religion, including the right to believe or not believe, for all of us. Founded in 1947, Americans United is a diverse and dynamic organization composed of people from all walks of life: lawyers and lobbyists, students and activists, religious leaders and impassioned Americans. Americans United includes people of faith and people who don’t profess any particular faith. For nearly 80 years, we have litigated church-state issues in federal and state courts across the country, with a substantial practice before the federal courts of appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Most of our cases involve novel, cutting-edge First Amendment and other constitutional issues. In recent years, for example, we have litigated lawsuits and submitted amicus briefs challenging or opposing: Coercive religious practices in the public schools. Proselytizing by Trump-Vance Administration officials. Public funding of religious education. Religion-based refusals by businesses, foster-care agencies, and government officials to provide services to LGBTQ+ people and religious minorities. Religion-based efforts to deprive people of access to abortion and contraceptives. Race-based and sex-based employment discrimination by religious employers. For more information about Americans United’s legal program, please visit our website at www.au.org.
Requirements
- Law students (any year) who are committed to advancing the public interest and the separation of religion and government are encouraged to apply.
- Cover letter should highlight why you want to work with us and what perspectives you would bring to strengthen our practice.
- Writing sample should be your best example of comprehensive and detailed legal argument or analysis, should be your own work, and should not be substantially edited by anyone else.
- First-year law students who apply before receipt of their initial grades may submit a law-school transcript that shows their initial courses and an undergraduate transcript.
Nice To Haves
- Research shows candidates from marginalized groups are less likely to apply for positions when they don’t meet 100% of the listed requirements; please consider applying even if you don’t match 100% of these criteria.
Responsibilities
- Conduct legal and factual research and writing.
- Analyze potential new litigation.
- Draft demand letters to resolve constitutional violations without filing suit.
- May also draft pleadings, briefs, or discovery.
Benefits
- Support in obtaining academic credit or a prorated stipend (based on a rate of $7,360 for ten weeks of full-time work) will be available.
- For interns who work from our office, a commuter subsidy is also provided.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Intern
Education Level
No Education Listed
