Apr. 21, 2016
Julie Wilensky
See more on Julie WilenskyCivil Rights Education and Enforcement Center | Berkeley
As the director of the new California office of the Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center, Wilensky said she is proudest of her efforts on behalf of same-sex couples denied spousal benefits.
One of these cases was Kapple v. Office of Personnel Management. Wilensky explained that the matter, which was heard before the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, involved "A gay widower of a federal employee who was denied spousal pension benefits. The couple had not been married long enough to get the benefit due to the unconstitutional ban on same-sex marriage," adding, "But we ultimately prevailed."
Wilensky has had other cases in federal court and administrative proceedings that involved wrongful denials of spousal pension or health benefits to same-sex spouses. In each situation, people were discriminated against because they were in same-sex marriages, Wilensky said.
Wilensky, who also acts on behalf of plaintiffs in cases under civil rights statutes such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, was recognized for her work last year when the National LGBT Bar Association named her one of the best LGBT lawyers under age 40. Wilensky was previously a shareholder at Lewis, Feinberg, Lee & Jackson PC. Her past also includes clerkships for Judge John T. Noonan Jr. of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the Eastern District New York.
? Thor Biberman
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