The CEO Civil Rights Fellowship is a first-of-its-kind program within which aspiring lawyers receive instruction and training in civil rights caselaw, enforcement practices, and public policy. Fellows learn about the enactment of major civil rights laws, become familiar with major Supreme Court decisions in this area, and learn about current controversies surrounding civil rights law and enforcement.

The Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO) is now accepting applications for its 2026 Civil Rights Fellowship.

The program, which will take place between August 11-15, 2026 in Washington, DC is intended for law students with an interest in a career in a government, private, or nonprofit setting where their instruction and training can be shared with the public, the courts, and/or through policy development.

All fellows will receive a $500 stipend. Lodging and meals will be provided, and travel expenses will be reimbursed.

The seminars over the course of the week will be led by law and policy experts, litigators, former government officials, and other thought leaders with whom the fellows will also have an opportunity to socialize and network.

CEO welcomes law students to apply who have at least one year of formal legal education and who are dedicated to supporting colorblind equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in America.

The Fellowship will cover topics as varied as the history and substance of major civil rights legislation and caselaw, civil rights enforcement and litigation tactics, DEI and voting rights, and learning to write and engage with the media and the public.

The Center for Equal Opportunity is a nonpartisan, nonprofit conservative civil rights organization founded in 1995 that studies, develops, and disseminates ideas that promote colorblind equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in America by:

• Conducting studies of racial and ethnic preferences in college admissions;
• Challenging public and private institutions that promote racial and sex preferences;
• Filing legal briefs in federal and state courts to contest the impermissible use of race, sex, and national origin in education, employment, and contracting;
• Influencing public opinion through writing, speaking, and media appearances; and
• Monitoring and advising on government action—at all levels—to ensure proper adherence to colorblind and nondiscriminatory policies.

Requirements

• Law student with at least one year of formal legal education (i.e. rising 2L or beyond)
• Cover letter explaining interest in fellowship
• Resume
• A brief writing sample
• At least 2 references (please include in your cover letter)

2026 Application Deadline: April 15, 2026

Applicants should submit their materials via the online submission form. Please do not mail or email application materials.

Any questions should be submitted to fellowship@ceousa.org.

Seminars

CEO Civil Rights Fellowship seminars are led by prominent conservative law and policy experts, litigators, former government officials, and other thought leaders. Among those who have led our seminars include:

• J. Christian Adams, President and General Counsel, Public Interest Legal Foundation, and Commissioner, USCCR
• David Bernstein, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School
• Braden Boucek, Director of Litigation, Southeastern Legal Foundation
• GianCarlo Canapara, Former Senior Legal Fellow, Heritage Foundation
• Mark Chenowith, President and General Counsel, New Civil Liberties Alliance
• Roger Clegg, Former President and General Counsel, Center for Equal Opportunity
• Eric Dreiband, Former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Department of Justice; Partner, Jones Day Sharon Fast Gustafson, Former General Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Todd Gaziano, President, Center for Individual Rights
• Mike Gonzalez, Senior Fellow, Heritage Foundation
• Gail Heriot, Commissioner U.S. Civil Rights Commission, Professor of Law University of San Diego Law School
• James Ho, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• Stephen Kent, Media Director, Consumer Choice Center
• Craig Leen, Partner, K&L Gates, Immediate Past Director, OFCCP
• Cory Liu, State District Judge, Texas, Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas School of Law
• Andrea Lucas, Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Kenneth Marcus, Former Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education; Founder and Chair, Louis D. Brandeis Center
• Dan Morenoff, Executive Director, American Civil Rights Project
• Rachel Morrison, Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
• Russ Nobile, Senior Attorney, Judicial Watch
• Sarah Parshall Perry, Senior Legal Fellow, Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, Heritage Foundation
• Mark Perry, Senior Fellow. American Enterprise Institute, and Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Michigan
• Jason Riley, Columnist, The Wall Street Journal; CEO Board Member
• Ian V. Rowe, Author, Agency, and Co-Founder, Vertex Partnership Academies
• Ilya Shapiro, Director of Constitutional Studies, Manhattan Institute
• Alison Somin, Senior Legal Fellow, Pacific Legal Foundation
• Eli Steele, Director and Producer, “What Killed Michael Brown?”
• Stuart Taylor, Co-Author, Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It’s Supposed to Help and Why
• Craig Trainor, Nominee Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Hans Von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow, Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies
• Devon Westhill, Nominee Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and former President for the Center for Equal Opportunity
• Wenyuan Wu, Director, Californians for Equal Rights Foundation

Potential Subject Matter Included

• Post-Civil War Amendments to the Constitution; major civil rights legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with special attention to Titles VI and VII; the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with special attention to the 1982 VRA amendments; Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972; Fair Housing Act of 1968.
• Caselaw: Bakke, Gratz, Grutter, Fisher, Fisher II, Weber, Croson.
• Current controversies including affirmative action in education, employment, and contracting, mismatch theory, voting rights, and housing discrimination.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion measures, social justice, and critical race theory.

2025 Fellows

2024 Fellows

2023 Fellows

2022 Fellows