Civil Rights and Social Impact
From library shelves to federal courtrooms, Jenner & Block lawyers took on matters in 2025 that defended constitutional freedoms and secured meaningful change.
Partners Kate Spelman, Todd Toral, and Amb. Keith M. Harper discuss their victory securing compensation and a statewide policy change to protect Native foster youth in California.
Jenner & Block Secures Life-Changing Settlement for Native Foster Youth
Jenner & Block successfully represented a former foster youth and member of the Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, a federally recognized tribe in Humboldt County, California, who faced homelessness and the loss of critical services. The firm advocated for pro bono clients Madison Fisher and her tribe in litigation against the State of California and Humboldt County, securing $45,000 in compensation and a statewide policy change that will protect Native foster youth throughout California.Federal law protects American Indian foster youth from being penalized for receiving tribal distributions, which often serve as compensation for historical injustices committed against their tribes. Despite this protection, officials from California’s Department of Social Services and Humboldt County considered these distributions in determining Extended Foster Care eligibility, leading to vulnerable former foster youths like Madison being denied benefits through the Extended Foster Care program. These former foster youths lost critical housing, education, and medical services with dire consequences.
California Tribal Families Coalition first asked the firm to review the case in 2023. After two years of litigation, the Jenner team, working alongside the California Tribal Families Coalition, reached a settlement that achieved both individual justice and systemic change: Madison won compensation for the Extended Foster Care benefits she had been wrongfully denied, the County publicly acknowledged causing harm to tribal youth, and California clarified statewide policy changes ensuring Native youth will not be forced to choose between accepting money they’re rightfully owed and accessing life-sustaining services.
The team was led by Partners Kate Spelman and Todd Toral with support from Partners Amb. Keith M. Harper and Allison Tjemsland, Special Counsel Krystalyn Kinsel, Associates Alex Ramsey, Sriya Chadalavada, Ben Seelig, and Effiong Dampha, Paralegal Supervisor Christopher Ward, Junior Paralegal Christal May, Legal Practice Assistant Shoeba Hassan, and former associates Julia Hirata and Benjamin Malings.
Partner A.J. Thomas unpacks the critical aspects of this case.
Pro Bono Victory in Huntington Beach Library Censorship Case
In a significant pro bono win, Jenner & Block successfully challenged a censorship policy at the City of Huntington Beach’s public libraries.
On September 5, 2025, Orange County Superior Court Judge Lindsey Martinez granted the firm’s petition for writ of mandate, striking down a policy that required parental consent for minors to access books with “sexual content”—a definition so broad that it could have included health education materials, young adult novels, and even classic works of literature such as Romeo and Juliet and The Great Gatsby.
Filed with co-counsel partnering organizations ACLU of Southern California, First Amendment Coalition, and Community Legal Aid SoCal, the case was brought on behalf of high school students, parents, and community advocacy organization Alianza Translatinx.
The ruling marks a significant judicial interpretation of California’s Freedom to Read Act, which prohibits public libraries from limiting access to materials based on their content or viewpoint. In rejecting the City’s arguments on home-rule authority and mootness, the court affirmed that Huntington Beach’s policies violated state law and were unenforceable.
This outcome was the result of the dedicated work of Partners A.J. Thomas and Lauren Greene, Special Counsel Andrew Sullivan, Associates Sarah Lee, Laura Koeller, and Tyler Emeney, Supervising Paralegal Manu Salas, Senior Legal Practice Assistant Laura Saltzman, and former associate Eddie Crouse.
Landmark SCOTUS Win for HIV Coverage and Underrepresented Communities
Partner David DeBruin, Associate Emanuel Powell III, Paralegal Cheryl Olson, and former associates Illyana Green and Julius Mitchell secured a landmark Supreme Court victory for The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, Inc. The case centered on whether the US Preventive Services Task Force was constitutionally structured to mandate employer and insurer coverage of PrEP without cost-sharing. After the Fifth Circuit ruled the Task Force’s appointments unconstitutional, the Jenner team filed an amicus brief on behalf of CHLP and allied HIV advocacy organizations. The Supreme Court reversed 6-3, upholding the PrEP coverage mandate. CHLP was thrilled and is eager to continue collaborating with the firm.