Professor Katie R. Eyer

Katie Eyer is an anti-discrimination law scholar, teacher and litigator.  Her award-winning scholarship explores the implications of history and social psychology for contemporary debates in anti-discrimination law.  Most recently, Professor Eyer’s work has extensively explored the use of rational basis review by social movements as a tool of constitutional reform.  Professor Eyer also writes, teaches and has litigated cases in the area of LGBT rights, with a particular focus on the issue of LGBT employment rights.

Professor Eyer is the recipient of several national, university and local awards for her scholarship, teaching, service, and work as a litigator, including the SALT Junior Faculty Award, the AALS Scholarly Papers Competition, the Dean's Award for Distinguished Service, and the Cheryl Ingram Advocate for Justice Award (LGBT rights advocacy).  Most recently, in 2018, Professor Eyer was awarded a Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence (awarded to those recently promoted with tenure whose work shows exceptional promise), a Presidential Fellowship for Teaching Excellence (awarded for excellence in teaching and scholarly work), and the 2018 Lastowka Award for Scholarly Excellence.

Prior to coming to Rutgers, Professor Eyer was a Research Scholar and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, where she conducted research in conjunction with the Alice Paul Center for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality and taught Disability Law.  Professor Eyer also litigated civil rights cases prior to entering academia full time, and secured a number of precedents in the Third Circuit expanding the legal rights of LGBT and disabled employees.  From 2005-2007, she was a Skadden Fellow at Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, where she launched their employment rights project, providing direct legal services and engaging in impact litigation on behalf of LGBT employees.

Professor Eyer clerked for the Hon. Guido Calabresi in 2004-2005, and was a plaintiff-side anti-discrimination litigator with the private firm of Salmanson Goldshaw, PC from 2007-2012.