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Person

Sophia L. Lakin

Location:

New York, NY
Occupation:

Attorney and deputy director of the Voting Rights Project at ACLU

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Sophia Lin Lakin is deputy director of the Voting Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in New York City. 1 She’s an attorney registered with the state of New York. 2 She has testified in hearings, presented at conferences, and published articles in the ACLU website as well as in media publications related to voting rights issues.

Lakin assists in the planning, strategy, and supervision of the ACLU’s voting rights litigation nationwide. She also litigates court cases that are focused on voting rights and challenging alleged voter suppression. 3

Background and Education

Lakin earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Stanford University in 2002 and a master’s in management science and engineering in 2004 at Stanford University. 4

In 2012 she earned her law degree from Stanford Law School. 5

In 2013 Lakin registered as an attorney with the New York State Unified Court System. 6

Career

Lakin has worked at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) since February 2015. She started as a Stanford Law School postgraduate public interest fellow. In February 2016 she became a staff attorney for the Voting Rights Project. 7

In February 2020 Lakin became the deputy director of the Voting Rights Project. 8 In this role she assists in the planning, strategy, and supervision of the ACLU’s voting rights litigation nationwide. She also has active court cases she litigates, with a focus on voting rights and fighting against voter suppression. 9

ACLU is a left-leaning activist organization that focuses on lobbying and litigation related to civil liberties. Focus issues include immigrants’ rights, prisoners’ rights, racial justice, reproductive rights, and voting rights. 10

Prior to working at ACLU, Lakin held several short-term positions including legal intern for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. 11 She also clerked for the Honorable Raymond J. Lohier, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Honorable Carol Bagley Amon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. 12

Notable Cases

Lakin and her team brought 37 lawsuits from March through November of 2020 fighting for voting rights protection and against alleged voter suppression. 13  The ACLU web site describes voter suppression as anything that may make voting more difficult, such as requiring an ID to vote and limiting the window of time in which voters can register. 14

In Common Cause v. Lawson, Lakin challenged an Indiana law that permits local election authorities to purge voter registrations using a program that detects double voter registrations. 15

Fish v. Kobach was a challenge to the Kansas requirement that individuals must show proof of citizenship when they register to vote. 16

In Trump v. New York, Lakin filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s order to exclude undocumented people from being counted in the U.S. census. 17

League of Women Voters of NC v. North Carolina challenged cutbacks to early voting and the elimination of same-day registration in North Carolina. 18

Missouri NAACP v. Missouri was a challenge to the in-person notary requirement for mail-in voting in Missouri. 19

Presentations and Articles

Lakin presents at conferences, speaks to the media on voting rights issues, and has written articles for The Hill and other news media.

In an article for The Hill during the 2020 Presidential election entitled “Count Every Vote,” Lakin supported voting by mail. She indicates that the ACLU sued five states to ensure that vote-by-mail capability is available to all voters. 20

In a February 2021 YouTube video by ACLU entitled “How to Advance Racial Justice” Lakin describes the work she does to fight voter suppression. She provides an example of voter suppression as the requirement to provide an ID to vote. She also describes the redistricting process as a political tool during which the voices of black and brown voters are purposefully diminished. 21

In an August 2021 article for The Hill entitled “Redistricting is starting – here’s what you need to know,” Lakin indicated that states often practice gerrymandering, or manipulating the electoral map to give one party a distinct advantage, and that these practices most often negatively impact communities of color. 22

In a November 2021 article written for The Boston Globe entitled “The US must commit to voting rights now,” Lakin alleged that states have introduced more than 400 voter suppression bills in 49 states, indicating that most of them target people of color. She indicates that any bill that makes it more difficult to vote is voter suppression. 23

References

  1. “Sophia Lin Lakin.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-lin-lakin-a1a86a3/
  2. “Sophia Lin Lakin.” Opengovus website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://opengovus.com/new-york-state-attorney/5182076
  3. “ACLU Bio.” ACLU website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.aclu.org/news/by/sophia-lin-lakin/
  4. “Sophia Lin Lakin.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-lin-lakin-a1a86a3/
  5. Sophia Lin Lakin.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-lin-lakin-a1a86a3/
  6. “Sophia Lin Lakin.” Opengovus website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://opengovus.com/new-york-state-attorney/5182076
  7. “Sophia Lin Lakin.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-lin-lakin-a1a86a3/
  8. “Sophia Lin Lakin.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-lin-lakin-a1a86a3/
  9. “ACLU Bio.” ACLU website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.aclu.org/news/by/sophia-lin-lakin/
  10. “Issues.” ACLU website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.aclu.org/
  11. “Sophia Lin Lakin.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 22, 2022.
  12. “ACLU Bio.” ACLU website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.aclu.org/news/by/sophia-lin-lakin/
  13. How to Advance Racial Justice.” YouTube. February 11, 2021. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW-4UFVflB4
  14.  “The Fight Against Voter Suppression.” ACLU website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.aclu.org/news/topic/the-fight-against-voter-suppression/
  15.  “ACLU Bio.” ACLU website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.aclu.org/news/by/sophia-lin-lakin/
  16.  “ACLU Bio.” ACLU website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.aclu.org/news/by/sophia-lin-lakin/
  17. “ACLU Bio.” ACLU website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.aclu.org/news/by/sophia-lin-lakin/
  18. “Sophia Lin Lakin.” Election SOS – Expert Network. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://electionsos.com/coach/sophia-lin-lakin/
  19. “ACLU Bio.” ACLU website. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.aclu.org/news/by/sophia-lin-lakin/
  20. Sophia Lin Lakin. “Count Every Vote.” The Hill. November 3, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/524059-count-every-vote
  21. “How to Advance Racial Justice.” YouTube. February 11, 2021. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW-4UFVflB4
  22. Sophia Lin Lakin. “Redistricting is starting — here’s what you need to know.” The Hill. August 18, 2021. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/civil-rights/568455-redistricting-is-starting-heres-what-you-need-to-know
  23. Sophia Lin Lakin. “The US must commit to voting rights now.” The Boston Globe. November 15, 2021. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/15/opinion/us-must-commit-voting-rights-now/?event=event25
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