Exhibit H-1

Case: 2:18-cv-00272-MHW-CMV Doc #: 87-22 Filed: 02/01/21 Page: 1 of 4 PAGEID #: 3214
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JOHN A. KNIGHT

American Civil Liberties Union

 150 N. Michigan, Suite 500

Chicago, IL 60601

phone: (312) 201-9740, x335

e-mail: jaknight@aclu.org

EXPERIENCE

American Civil Liberties Union, Chicago, IL 2004-present

 Director, ACLU of Illinois LGBTQ & HIV Project and 

 Senior Staff Attorney, National ACLU LGBT & HIV Project

• Develop litigation, advocacy and public education campaigns to overcome misunderstanding of, and 

discrimination against, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons and persons living with HIV in 

Illinois and other states in the Midwest. 

• Represent clients in federal and state court litigation in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan, in 

challenges to laws, policies or practices that discriminate against LGBTQ people.

• Supervise teams of ACLU and volunteer attorneys to research the relevant laws and facts, draft 

pleadings, identify and prepare experts, conduct discovery, hearings, trials, and appeals. 

• Advise ACLU affiliate staff about their LGBT & HIV advocacy.

• Cooperate with other lawyers who are litigating cases that impact the LGBTQ & HIV community 

through sharing of information, advice, and amicus support.

• Set priorities for the ACLU’s work nationally as part of LGBT & HIV Project and oversee goal-setting 

for the Illinois LGBTQ & HIV Project. 

• Hire and supervise lawyers who work on LGBTQ & HIV litigation and policy work in Illinois; recruit 

and supervise the work of volunteer attorneys and student interns.

• Support lobbyists and legislators in drafting, amending, passing, and defeating legislation, regulations or 

other governmental policies by conducting legal research, drafting fact sheets, developing talking points, 

identifying allies and persuasive spokespersons, and drafting and revising press and social media 

statements.

• Engage in public speaking regarding issues impacting the LGBT & HIV communities.

• Assist development staff in fundraising efforts, including drafting and editing grant proposals and 

reports and participating in donor meetings.

 Significant litigation experience.

• Successfully litigated cases to secure health care coverage for transgender Medicaid recipients in Iowa 

arguing appeal in Iowa Supreme Court (Good v. Dep’t of Human Servs.) and for state employees in 

Wisconsin (Boyden v. Conlin); won $780,000 jury verdict in Boyden for two women denied state 

employee coverage for necessary surgery. 

• Won $120,000 jury verdict in Vroegh v. Iowa Dep’t of Corrections for Iowa state employee denied use 

of male restrooms and locker room and denied insurance coverage for surgery because he is transgender. 

• Intervened and successfully argued E.E.O.C. v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. in the Sixth 

Circuit for transgender woman fired for being transgender, briefed and assisted with argument in the 

Supreme Court (Bostock v. Clayton Cty., Georgia).

• Secured wins for transgender prisoners denied necessary medical care in Fields v. Smith – arguing 

appeal in the Seventh Circuit to facial challenge to Wisconsin law barring hormone therapy and surgical 

treatment to transgender prisoners – and in Monroe v. Hinton – obtaining a preliminary injunction for 

class of prisoners provided woefully inadequate medical care by the Illinois Department of Corrections.

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JOHN A. KNIGHT

EXPERIENCE (continued)

• Successfully represented transgender students in cases involving their use of school restrooms and 

locker rooms, including complaint filed with U.S. Department of Education and intervention in 

Students and Parents for Privacy v. Township High Sch. Dist. 211 to defend against anti-transgender 

advocates’ challenge to school district policies.

• Assisted people who are transgender to challenge restrictive policies preventing them from correcting 

the gender on their identification documents in Illinois (Grey v. Hasbrouck), Alaska (K.L. v. State, Dep't 

of Admin., Div. of Motor Vehicles), and Michigan (Love v. Johnson). On appeal, Grey favorably 

resolved the question whether the Illinois legislature had waived sovereign immunity when it passed the 

Civil Rights Act of 2003 so that attorneys’ fees could be awarded against the state. 

• Represented LGBT parents in challenges to their parental rights, including three appeals and an 

evidentiary hearing in In re T.P.S., which established the right of a woman to enforce her agreement

with her former same-sex partner to jointly parent a child. 

• Prevailed in Wathen v. Walder Vacluflo, Inc. on behalf of same-sex couple turned away by bed and 

breakfast owner who refused to allow them to hold their civil union ceremony at the facility because of 

his religious objections.

• Helped same-sex couples in Michigan successfully challenge a state law that prevented local 

governments from providing domestic partner health insurance benefits to employees with same-sex 

partners in Bassett v. Snyder.

• Won right to marriage for same-sex couples in Illinois through litigation (Lazaro v. Orr) and legislative 

advocacy and in in Wisconsin (Wolf v. Walker).

Awards. Crain’s Notable LGBTQ Executive (2020), Illinois State Bar Association Community Leadership 

Award (2015).

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Chicago, IL 1999-2004

 Trial Attorney

Litigated numerous individual and class cases in federal courts to secure financial relief for employees 

subjected to race, national origin, sex, age and disability discrimination and to end discriminatory 

workplace policies and practices. Supported investigations of employers charged with discrimination, 

analyzed potential cases, and assisted with public education. 

Significant litigation experience. Tried two cases to favorable results, including an age discrimination jury 

trial and a racial harassment bench trial. Achieved favorable consent decrees in several class and 

individual cases, including a $10 million settlement against Dial Corporation for approximately 100 

victims of sexual and sex-based harassment and a $1.8 million settlement against an ink pigment 

manufacturer for 32 current and former employees who experienced racist graffiti and comments as well 

as hangman’s nooses at the work place.

Awards. Chair’s Opportunity to Reward Excellence Award for work on Dial case, Chairwoman's 

Organizational Award for successful efforts on Foster Wheeler race and sex harassment class case.

Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, 1995-1999

University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, IL

Clinical Lecturer at Law, Director of Homeless Assistance Project

Supervised student representation of indigent clients in Section 1983 civil rights, supplemental security 

income, eviction defense, and housing discrimination cases.

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Significant litigation experience. Filed lawsuit on behalf of the homeless who lived in the Lower Wacker Drive 

area against the City of Chicago to stop the City's practice of throwing away their bedding, clothing and other 

belongings. Coordinated students and volunteers from other agencies in investigating the City's practices, 

JOHN A. KNIGHT

EXPERIENCE (continued)

researching the practices of other cities with regard to the homeless, and devising proposed solutions to the conflict 

between the City of Chicago and our clients. Conducted two extensive preliminary injunction hearings and 

oversaw student work on hearing investigation, witness preparation, direct and cross examinations and closing 

arguments. Oversaw press strategy.

Teaching/supervision. Taught trial practice skills in the Clinic's litigation methods and intensive trial practice 

courses; oversaw and prepared students to conduct evidentiary hearings and trials, depositions and oral 

arguments; and guided students in writing complaints, motions, discovery, and trial briefs.

Rothschild, Barry & Myers, Chicago, IL 1990-1995

Associate

Researched and drafted pleadings, discovery, motions, trial and appellate briefs and settlement agreements; 

argued numerous motions, conducted all aspects of jury and non-jury trial preparations, including settlement 

negotiations; took and defended numerous depositions, including those of several experts. 

The Honorable Hubert L. Will, Senior District Judge, Chicago, IL 1988-1990

Law Clerk

Drafted district court rulings on motions, bench memoranda for appellate arguments, and Seventh Circuit and 

District of Columbia Circuit opinions.

Dewey, Ballentine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood, New York, NY Summer 1987

Summer Associate

Worked in New York and Los Angeles offices primarily on corporate matters. Received offers of employment 

from both offices.

The University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, IL Summer 1986

Student Attorney, Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic

Employment discrimination litigation. Section 1983 due process class action.

EDUCATION

The University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, IL J.D., 1988

Edwin F. Mandel Award for contributions to the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic

McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL M.A.T.S., 1988

Completed master’s degree in theology while in law school.

Stanford University, Stanford, CA A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, 1983

History Major

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