Melat Kiros
Melat Kiros | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Melat Kiros 1996/1997 (age 28–29) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Citizenship | American (naturalized) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Washington College (BA) University of Notre Dame (JD) University of Colorado Denver (PhD ongoing) |
Melat Kiros (born 1996 or 1997) is a lawyer and American politician who is most notable for publishing an open letter criticizing big law firms for their silence on the genocide in Gaza and the crack downs on pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. Her letter first went viral, and then the news of her firing from her position as an associate in the New York office of Sidley Austin went viral again when she refused to take it down.[1][2][3][4][5]
A member of the Democratic Party, she is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026, challenging 68 year-old incumbent Democrat Diana Degette to represent Colorado's 1st congressional district.[6][7] The primary election will be held on June 30, 2026.
Early life and education
Kiros immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia as an infant in 1998 when her father received a visa lottery.[8] Kiros grew up in Aurora, Colorado, graduating from Eaglecrest High School.[9]
She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Economics from Washington College in Maryland in 2018 and a law degree from Notre Dame in 2022. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Colorado Denver "studying the efficacy of reparations, universal basic income, and regulatory reform in achieving social, economic, and environmental equity."[10]
Career
Kiros joined the New York law office of Sidley Austin as a summer associate in 2021, becoming a full-time associate in September 2022. At the time of her firing she was a securities regulatory and enforcement associate.[1]
Background to letter
On November 1, 2023, over 220 — which included nearly all — of the United States' largest law firms penned a letter warning law school deans about antisemitism on their campuses and demanding action.[11] The letter was criticized by National Association of Muslim Lawyers. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, president of the National Association of Muslim Lawyers, said lawyers feel "even in their personal time, on their personal social media accounts, that they cannot say anything about the plight of the Palestinian people or they will get fired."
Letter
As a response to the letter on November 7, 2023, Kiros wrote an open letter rebuttal on Medium arguing that it was not antisemitic to question Israel's legitimacy and that the firms' Nov. 1 letter could have a "chilling effect" on lawyers who are critical of the Israeli government.[12] Kiros's letter cited "several United Nations and academic sources concerning Israel's and Palestine's highly-charged history".[1] From the letter:
"... Perhaps it is naive to believe that the people in Palestine and Israel might one day live together as neighbors, in peace, without fear of persecution, under a new government, but it is not hopeless, and, most importantly, it is not anti-Semitic. I sincerely hope you take my words in the earnest spirit I am giving them and reconsider your signatures on this letter by recognizing that there is no path toward peace if we do not allow the legitimacy of governments and institutions around the globe to be questioned and criticized, regardless of where they are or who they serve..."
— Melat Kiros, Dear US Law Firms
Aftermath
The next day on November 8th, Kiros was fired after senior members of the Sidley Austin asked her to take her letter down for running "afoul of certain for the firm's policies and procedures".[1]
2026 congressional campaign
In July 2025, Kiros announced her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, challenging incumbent Democrat Diana Degette in the 1st district.[6] Degette is the longest serving member in Colorado, first winning in 1997.[13]
Kiros has been endorsed by the former candidate for the Mayor of Denver Lisa Calderón, the Justice Democrats[8], Sunrise Movement,[14] and New Policy PAC,[15] a group founded by Josh Paul (U.S. official) after he resigned from the Biden Administration in protest over continued arms transfers to Israel for its war in Gaza.[16]
When asked about her motivation for challenging Degette, who is widely considered to be on the progressive side of the Democratic Party, Kiros "signaled that the campaign would focus on the generational divide, as well as money in politics. Kiros has refused donations from corporate PACs and special interest groups in her campaign." She went on to criticize over $5 million in corporate PAC money that Degette has received from the pharmaceutical lobby and the fossil fuels lobby.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Nair, Krishnan (13 November 2023). "Sidley Fires Associate After She Speaks Out Against Law Firms' Letter on Antisemitism". Law.com. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ Patrice, Joe (13 November 2023). "Attorney Warns Biglaw's Antisemitism Letter Makes Lawyers Worry About Getting Fired, Gets Fired". Above the Law (website). Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Volokh, Eugene (19 November 2023). "Firing of Law Firm Associate for Anti-Israel Letter". Reason (magazine). Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Lacy, Akela (4 December 2025). "She Lost Her Job for Speaking Out About Gaza. Can It Power Her to Congress?". The Intercept. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Payne, Russell (15 December 2025). "Progressive bid tests Democratic unity in Colorado's First District". Salon. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Marquez, Alexandra (December 4, 2025). "Justice Democrats backs a sixth House primary challenger, this time against Rep. Diana DeGette". NBC News. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
- ↑ Nguyen, Tran; Bates, Sophie; Mattise, Jonathan; Haigh, Susan (2 February 2026). "Out with the old? Young Democrats are trying to convince voters to send a new generation to Congress". ABC News. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Clasen, Giles (25 July 2025). "Melat Kiros launches progressive challenge to Rep. Diana DeGette". Denver Voice. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ "Meet Melat Kiros: Ethiopian American Trailblazer Running for Congress". Addis Insight. 10 August 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ "PhD students". School of Public Affairs. University of Colorado Denver. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Thomas, David (14 November 2023). "Divisions mount over US law firms' response to Israel-Hamas war". Reuters. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ Kiros, Melat (7 November 2023). "Dear US Law Firms". Medium (website). Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Hernandez, Esteban (11 August 2025). "DeGette vows to stay in CD1 fight as progressive challenger emerges". Axios. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ "Team Endorsements". Sunrise Denver. Sunrise Movement Denver. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ "A New Policy PAC". Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Karanth, Sanjana (16 October 2004). "Biden Administration Ex-Staffers Launch Group To Help Reform U.S. Policy On Israel-Gaza". HuffPost. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
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