Robert Masur Fellowship in Civil Liberties

The Nation Institute is now accepting applications for the 2008 Robert Masur Fellowship in Civil Liberties.

The fellowship competition is open to first-year law students who intend to carry out significant activities during the summer in the areas of civil rights and/or civil liberties. Proposed activities may include a writing or research project, work with a public interest organization in the areas of civil rights or civil liberties, work on a civil rights or civil liberties law case under the supervision of a faculty member or lawyer, or any other work in the areas of civil rights or civil liberties. The fellowship recipient receives a $1,000 honorarium.

Robert Masur dedicated his legal career to protecting the rights of the unemployed, minorities and the poor. A 1973 graduate of Stanford Law School, he spent six years at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago where he litigated a number of employment and consumer law cases. In 1976, he successfully argued an employment discrimination case before the Supreme Court. He entered private practice in 1981, where he focused on consumer protection law. His friends and family established the Robert Masur Fellowship Program in his memory to support the work to which he was dedicated, and to encourage young people to pursue public-interest legal careers.

Applicants should send a proposal, no more than two pages, describing his or her intended summer project, along with a resume, a brief letter of recommendation, and the name of their faculty or organizational sponsor to:

Robert Masur Fellowship
The Nation Institute
116 East 16th Street, 8th floor
New York, NY 10003

All applications must be postmarked by May 19, 2008. For more information, see www.nationinstitute.org or call 212-822-0252.

The Nation Institute is a non-profit organization that supports research, educational programs, seminars and other projects with an emphasis on civil rights, civil liberties, and critical, progressive journalism.