Brave, Brilliant, and Tireless: Christy Hall’s Legacy at Gender Justice

After nearly 14 years, Christy Hall departs Gender Justice to serve as an Assistant Attorney General for Minnesota

By Jill Gaulding, Co-founder of Gender Justice, and Jess Braverman, Legal Director at Gender Justice

From Jill Gaulding:

On the evening of Monday, May 11, 2015, I was headed home from Gender Justice after stopping at a thrift store to buy a jacket I could wear for an upcoming Eighth Circuit oral argument. I thought having a new (to me) jacket might help me feel fully prepared as I worked late into the night finalizing our argument. But instead, picture this: my car getting T-boned at the corner of Snelling and Randolph, leaving me with a severe concussion. Instead of standing at the podium that Wednesday morning, I was recovering. And in my place, Christy Hall—just four years out of law school, with just a single day to prepare—stepped up for her first-ever federal appellate argument.

You would never have known it was her first. Christy was calm, nimble in responding to the judges’ questions, and brilliantly persuasive. She won that argument on behalf of our client, Ena Wages, and for all pregnant workers seeking to enforce their rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

The way Christy helped win Wages v. Stuart Management is just one of countless moments that demonstrate what a powerful advocate she is and what an invaluable colleague she has been to everyone at Gender Justice.

Lisa Stratton and I first got to know Christy way back in the fall of 2009, around the time we began planning Gender Justice. Christy was a second-year law student in the University of Minnesota’s employment law clinic, which Lisa and I co-led. She quickly became a critical part of our clinic team. After we founded Gender Justice in June 2010, Lisa and I had to manage without Christy for a year while she finished law school. Looking back, I’m not sure how we did it. Fortunately, thanks to a fellowship from the Robina Foundation, Christy rejoined us in September 2011.

In those early days, Gender Justice operated out of two tiny offices and a single conference room—where Christy worked, surrounded by towering case files and a rotating team of interns (at times up to eight), whom she ably managed. She had to be brave—sometimes even physically brave, given the sheer number of boxes stacked precariously around her. She also had to be tireless, spending long hours around that conference table developing legal strategies, meeting clients, wading through discovery documents, planning depositions, co-writing briefs, and hoping our one little printer wouldn’t break down at the worst possible time.

Now, fifteen years since its founding, Gender Justice has grown into a force for change, recognized for its impact in the fight for gender equity. So many people have contributed to this success. I would love to thank them all—on my own behalf as a long-ago co-founder, and on behalf of all of us who believe we can and must create a world free from gender injustice. But I am uniquely grateful to Christy, whose nearly fourteen years at Gender Justice make her its longest-serving staff member to date.

Thank you, Christy, and all the best as you continue to work calmly and brilliantly, bravely and tirelessly to create a better world for us all.

From Jess Braverman:

As I prepared for my transition from a decade in criminal defense to becoming the Legal Director of a civil litigation non-profit, I was nervous. But from the moment I joined Gender Justice, I quickly realized I had no reason to worry—Christy Hall was there to litigate alongside me and show me the ropes. She is a powerhouse—knowledgeable, creative, and unflinchingly passionate.

Christy has a way of seeing the big picture while also managing every detail with care. She is also one of the boldest attorneys I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She taught me to question every perceived limitation and to never apologize for standing up for our values.

One unforgettable example of Christy’s brilliance was her representation of Molly Campbell in a landmark sexual harassment case before the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. After the agency initially found no probable cause of discrimination, Christy didn’t hesitate to file a lawsuit. The case made its way to the Court of Appeals and back again, and after years of hard work, Christy single-handedly tried the case before a jury and won a massive victory for our client.

Christy also brought the first case in the country arguing that Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act protects transgender people from discrimination in health care. She faced down nay-sayers who told her the case was unwinnable and achieved a victory so impressive, that a terrified Justice Alito mentioned it in his dissent in Bostock.

I have no doubt that the Attorney General’s office will quickly see what an incredible asset and advocate they have in Christy Hall, and I know she will continue to make Minnesota an amazing place to live and litigate.