The Human Rights Brief is a student-run publication of AUWCL’s Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, established in 1994 as part of its long-standing commitment to human rights education and excellence in legal analysis and writing. For nearly 30 years, the Human Rights Brief has focused on providing concise, cutting-edge legal analysis of human rights issues for the international legal community. Student staff members have the opportunity to create and edit content for articles, organize symposia, and manage the Brief’s podcast, Human Rights Unscripted. The Human Rights Brief continues to work with practitioners to further scholarship and examine emerging issues in the disciplines of human rights and international humanitarian law.
The Human Rights Brief, through our publication, podcast, and symposia, seeks to create human rights-focused content for advocates while supporting the professional development of our student staff members.
Angel Gardner is a 3L JD/MS Candidate at WCL and SPA. She obtained her undergraduate degree in English and Sociology from the University of Hawai'i at M?noa. During law school, she volunteered with the War Crimes Research Office, served as the President of the Criminal Law Society, is the current Senior Note & Comment Editor on the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law, and is currently a Student Attorney in the International Human Rights Law Clinic. She also spent this past summer interning with the Department of Justice in the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Angel is thrilled to spend her final year at WCL serving as one of the Co-Editors-in-Chief for the Human Rights Brief and work with other students, practitioners, and faculty who are passionate about advocating for human rights.
Leila Hamouie is a third-year J.D. candidate at WCL. She earned her undergraduate degree in International Relations and Global Studies and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to the Brief, Leila is also a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Honor Society, a senior staffer on the Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law, and a student attorney with the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Clinic. During her time at WCL, she externed at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and interned at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. She is proud to serve as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Brief and hopes to continue fostering an inclusive community for students to learn about human rights while growing as practitioners and as people.
Fabian Kopp, the Brief’s Executive Editor, is a 2L focusing on international trade, global financial regulation, and ESG initiatives. At WCL, Fabian is also a junior staffer for the Administrative Law Review and the Administrative Affairs Chair for the International Trade and Investment Law Society. He spent his 1L summer interning at the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Originally from Macon, Georgia, Fabian graduated with a degree in international affairs from Mercer University.
Marnie is a 2L from a small town in Illinois. In her second year on the Brief, she is serving as Managing Editor. At WCL, Marnie is also a Junior Staffer on the Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law, on the E-Board of the Equal Justice Foundation, and a member of the Kovler Project Against Torture Practicum. During her 1L summer, Marnie worked at the ACLU of Maryland as a Voting Rights Law Clerk, and she is currently a Law Clerk at the civil rights firm Glasberg & Associates. Marnie hopes to help make the Brief a welcoming environment in which to foster a community of like-minded students at WCL.
Kailey Wilk is a 3L and an aspiring human rights lawyer. She is originally from New York and received her BA in Global Human Rights & Law at Gettysburg College. Kailey has been on the Human Rights Brief Staff for all three years of law school. Prior to law school she actually worked as a Crime Victim Advocate at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. Her passion is crime victim advocacy. She hopes to use her law degree to help create change and obtain justice for victims of crime. In her free time, she loves to sing and play the piano.
Hannah Friedrich is a 2L JD candidate from San Antonio, TX. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English at Trinity University. She is also a junior staffer on the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law and a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Honor Society. She has interned at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and is currently a research assistant to Professor Rebecca Hamilton. Hannah is interested in human rights, domestic civil rights, and humanitarian law and hopes to become a litigator.
Lex Haris is a 3L at WCL. She has previously published two articles with the Human Rights Brief, focusing on climate change refugees and the Uyghur genocide in China. In addition to being a Senior Columns Editor for HRB, she is also the Executive Editor for the Administrative Law Review and a member of the Mock Trial Honor Society. Upon graduation, she hopes to be a public defender.
Lauren is a 2L J.D. candidate from Dayton, Ohio. She earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism with a second major in Spanish from Indiana University Bloomington. Lauren serves as a Senior Columns Editor and recently published an article in the brief, which tackles lawsuits and legal issues regarding discrimination against women and parents in the workplace that were provoked by the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, she is clerking in the United States Senate on the Judiciary Committee. Earlier this year, she interned for Montgomery County Public Defense and Just Neighbors, an immigration nonprofit. She is also a junior staffer for the Administrative Law Review, where she has a forthcoming publication. Prior to law school, Lauren worked in the media and marketing industries in New York City..
Abigail is a 3L and editor of the Human Rights Brief’s podcast: Human Rights Unscripted. She is passionate about reproductive and racial justice advocacy and leveraging the law toward dismantling oppressive systems. Prior to law school, she worked as a legal assistant advocating for survivors of domestic violence. At WCL she is Co-president of If/When/How, an organizer for the National Lawyers Guild, and a student attorney in the Gender Justice Clinic. She is excited to work with her team to amplify the voices of practitioners advocating for their own communities and increase accessibility and solidarity for critical human rights movements.
Thea is a 2L at American University Washington College of Law. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Sociology. Thea is a first-generation immigrant, college student, and law student with roots in Southern California and Cebu, Philippines. She is currently a member of the Justice Initiative, APALSA, NLG, and the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law's Student Advisory Board. Thea is interested in the legal strategies and tactics used to stand in solidarity with people who have been disenfranchised by legal systems.
Mason is a 3L from Amarillo, Texas and a graduate of West Texas A&M with a degree in accounting. He is looking forward to working as the Regional Systems Editor this year and using the opportunity to learn more about human rights issues taking place around the world. He spent his 2L summer with the Department of Labor working to improve regulations to eliminate child labor and trafficking in Africa and South America. Mason is also a member of the Mock Trial Team, the Tax Clinic, and a torts teaching assistant.