MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT
Wookie Kim, Legal Director, 808-522-5905
ACLU OF HAWAI‘I EXPANDS LEGAL DEPARTMENT WITH TWO HIRES
HONOLULU, HI – The ACLU of Hawaiʻi is excited to announce the addition of Senior Staff Attorney Emily Hills and Legal Fellow Aaron Dvorkin to its team. These new hires mark a significant step in expanding the ACLU of Hawaiʻi’s litigation capacity.
Emily Hills joins the affiliate after working as a senior staff attorney in the Family Law department at the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i (LASH) and as a public defender in Colorado. At LASH, Emily advocated on behalf of children involved in child welfare cases and represented clients in family law cases involving domestic violence. In 2022, Emily argued In re J.H. before the Hawai‘i Supreme Court, advancing the due process rights of children during child welfare proceedings.
As a public defender in Colorado, Emily defended clients charged with a range of criminal offenses, from driving under the influence to homicide. Her experience as a public defender has informed her advocacy at the ACLU of Hawai‘i on matters of criminal justice reform.
Emily holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019, she clerked for the Honorable Mark J. Bennett on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and in 2019-2020, she clerked for Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald on the Hawai‘i Supreme Court. In her free time, Emily enjoys reading speculative fiction and spending time with her family.
Aaron Dvorkin joins the affiliate following clerkships with two federal judges: the Honorable Tiffany M. Cartwright of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and the Honorable Miguel A. Torres of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Aaron received a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and a B.A. in Politics and Economics from Brandeis University. During law school, Aaron interned for the ACLU of Massachusetts, where he worked on a challenge to sweeps of houseless encampments in the City of Boston. In his free time, Aaron enjoys exploring hiking trails, playing ultimate frisbee, and attempting to play guitar.
Wookie Kim, Legal Director of the ACLU of Hawai‘i, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Emily and Aaron to our Legal program. Both have shown an unwavering commitment to advancing civil rights and social justice. And they’ve already made meaningful contributions to our work on police misconduct, prison conditions, and gender equity. With their talents and passions, our Legal program will be better equipped to make a lasting impact on civil rights across Hawaiʻi.”
Salmah Y. Rizvi, Executive Director of the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, said: “Emily and Aaron are incredible additions to our team. Emily’s experience and leadership will be invaluable as we grow our Legal Program’s reach and deepen our civil rights advocacy. Aaron’s dedication and skill will further strengthen our ability to address pressing issues through litigation and advocacy. Together, they bring fresh energy and expertise that will support our mission to protect and expand civil liberties in Hawaiʻi.”
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The mission of the ACLU of Hawaiʻi is to protect the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the U.S. and Hawaiʻi constitutions. The ACLU of Hawaiʻi fulfills this through legislative, litigation, and public education programs statewide. The ACLU of Hawaiʻi is a non-partisan and private non-profit organization that provides its services at no cost to the public and does not accept government funds. The ACLU of Hawaiʻi has been serving Hawaiʻi for over 50 years.