In episode six of NAWL's Bridging Divides series, NAWL Board member Laura Maechtlen sits down with Whit Washington of Lambda Legal and Mari Nemec from the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association to discuss the recent decision in United States v. Skrmetti. Together, they explore the Court’s reasoning, the potential impact on equal protection claims involving transgender individuals, and how this ruling fits into the broader context of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation emerging across the country. Don’t miss this essential conversation at the intersection of law, identity, and the future of LGBTQ+ rights in America.
Explore how Lambda Legal is fighting for the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people here: https://lambdalegal.org/
Get the latest updates on LGBTQ+ legal battles, victories, and insights from the Lambda Legal Blog: Blog Posts Archive - Lambda Legal
Learn more about the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association here: The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association | Attorneys & Lawyers
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Follow the legal response to anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders with the LGBTQ+ Bar’s EO Litigation Tracker: Trump Anti-LGBTQ+ Executive Order Litigation Tracker - The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association
Read the LGBTQ+ Bar's Bench Guide here: LGBTQ+ Inclusion From the Bench: A Best Practices Guide for Judges - The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association
Bios:
Whit Washington, Esq. (They/Them) is the Eileen A. Ryan Senior Attorney for the Nonbinary and Transgender Rights Project at Lambda Legal. Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Whit advocated on behalf of incarcerated people in the United States with a particular focus on the needs of incarcerated trans people. Whit was able to prioritize the rights of transgender incarcerated people through their Equal Justice Works Fellowship, their time with the Prison and Reentry Legal Services at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, and as a staff attorney for the Miss Major and Alexander Lee TGIJP Black Trans Cultural Center. Since joining Lambda Legal in December 2024, Whit has co-authored two amicus briefs and has been active in Lambda Legal’s state policy work.
Whit’s achievements have earned them recognition from the DC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, which honored them with the "40 Under 40: Queer Women of Washington" award in 2019; and the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, which honored them as the 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 in 2025. Whit’s work has been featured in the National LGBTQ Bar Association newsletter and Washington Lawyer Magazine, and their writing can be found on the Lambda Legal blog. In addition to their legal work, Whit is a board member of the National Trans Bar Association.
Whit holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Johnston Center for Integrated Studies at the University of Redlands, a Juris Doctor from the American University Washington College of Law, and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the American University School of International Service. Their commitment to justice and equity continues to guide their impactful legal career at Lambda Legal.
Mari Nemec (she/her) serves as Advocacy Counsel at the National LGBTQ+ Bar (LGBTQ+ Bar), where she monitors and responds to policy and judicial issues impacting the LGBTQ+ legal community and facilitates many of the Bar’s programmatic initiatives, including the LGBTQ+ Bar’s Law Student Congress and the Judicial Nominations and Executive Appointments Committee. As Advocacy Counsel, she works to make the legal profession and our legal systems more accessible and equitable for the LGBTQ+ community in all of its diversity.
Mari most recently joined the LGBTQ+ Bar in the summer of 2023, but her history with the organization goes back nearly a decade. She first joined the staff in the summer of 2017 as an intern, before serving as Manager of Public Affairs. In 2019, she left the LGBTQ+ Bar to attend law school, but remained involved in the organization’s work by serving in Law Student Congress first as Secretary and then for two years as Co-Chair. While in law school, she also clerked in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, worked at Step Up to Justice, a local legal-aid organization in Tucson, Arizona, and served as a Congressional Intern to Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick. After graduating in 2022, Mari served as a Dorot Fellow at Alliance for Justice, preparing reports on federal judicial nominees and monitoring the federal courts.
Mari received her J.D. from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law and her B.A. from the College of William and Mary. In her free time, Mari enjoys reading, hiking, trying new foods, and joyfully following the whims of her beloved blue heeler, Miss Matilda Fig.
Laura J. Maechtlen is a member of Seyfarth Shaw’s 7-member Executive Committee and the National Chair of the Labor and Employment Department. She also led the Firm’s global belonging and inclusion work for more than a decade. Her practice is focused on counseling related to people analytics and EEO compliance, as well as employment litigation and includes the defense of class, collective and multi-plaintiff actions.
Laura is a national leader on issues related to law firm management and inclusion in the legal industry, and has held a variety of leadership positions through which she has advocated for systemic improvement in the legal industry. She currently serves on the Board of the National Association for Women Lawyers, the Advisory Council for the Law Firm Anti-Racism Alliance, and the Board of the Center for Workplace Law. She is a previous Latina Commissioner for the Hispanic National Bar Association, past President of the National LGBT Bar Association and the California Minority Counsel Program, and served as a Fellow for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), among service to other organizations.
Laura speaks and publishes regularly on a variety of employment law and litigation topics, and issues regarding innovation, management and inclusion in the legal profession, and has been quoted on those topics by Harvard Business Review, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Reuters, Vogue, The Daily Journal, Employment Law 360, and many others.
The views and opinions expressed in this episode of the NAWL Podcast may or may not reflect those of NAWL, the hosts, or participants. Unless otherwise indicated, the hosts and participants are speaking for themselves personally, and not for any firm, employer, or any other organization. This podcast is for educational purposes only, and does not constitute and should not be considered legal advice.