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Karla Gilbride, EEOC General Counsel Fired By Trump, Named Deputy Director of Public Citizen Litigation Group

Washington, D.C. — Today, Karla Gilbride, former general counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), joined Public Citizen as the new deputy director of Public Citizen Litigation Group.

Last week, Gilbride, along with two EEOC Commissioners, was fired by President Trump as part of a late night purge that is part of a broader attack by the administration on diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the workplace.

“President Trump fired me for doing the job the Senate confirmed me to do, which was to protect workers from discrimination and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their full potential in the workplace,” said Karla Gilbride, deputy director of Public Citizen’s Litigation Group. “Firing people because they have advocated on behalf of those protected by our civil rights laws is a retaliatory and discriminatory act, and, unfortunately, I am far from the only person the president has targeted in this way. The president is not a king, and his power has limits within our Constitutional system of checks and balances — checks and balances that, at Public Citizen, I will fight every day to preserve.”

Gilbride was nominated as general counsel of EEOC by President Biden and was confirmed by the Senate in October 2023. Prior to her time at EEOC, Gilbride worked as an attorney at the nonprofit Public Justice, where her litigation focused on preserving individuals’ access to the civil justice system. She earned her J.D. from Georgetown University.

“Karla has spent her legal career seeking to protect civil rights and hold powerful corporations accountable for their harmful actions,” said Allison Zieve, director of Public Citizen Litigation Group. “Her depth of experience and passion for justice will be an enormous asset to Public Citizen Litigation Group as we continue to use the law as a tool to stop abuses of power.”