The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently swore in Karla Gilbride as its general counsel, ending a vacancy that has lasted for over two years. According to Bloomberg Law, Gilbride, a civil rights litigator, won her confirmation Oct. 17 by the Senate in a tight 50-46 vote and is now slated to helm the agency’s anti-discrimination litigation.
In her role, Gilbride will be overseeing the EEOC’s 15 regional attorneys and present significant cases to the commission. She will also lead the EEOC’s legal battles for workers alleging employer discrimination based on race, gender, age, disability, and other protected traits.
With the appointment of Kalpana Kotagal to the fifth commissioner slot in August, the predominantly Democratic commission has ended its partisan stalemate. The agency has, since then, been proactive, approving a new strategic enforcement plan and publishing draft guidelines on workplace harassment and protections for pregnant employees.
Notably, Gilbride is also the first EEOC general counsel known to have a disability, as she is visually impaired. Her career history includes working at Sanford Heisler Sharp LLP, the nonprofit Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center, and the legal advocacy organization Public Justice.
The position had been unoccupied since March 2021 when President Biden dismissed Sharon Gustafson, Trump’s appointee, after she refused to resign. Through this period, EEOC attorney Gwendolyn Young Reams served as acting general counsel.
Gilbride’s background aligns with her new role, as she advocates for “removing barriers and opening up pathways to opportunity,” according to her recent statement.
Her confirmation process was not without hurdles. Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.) blocked attempts to confirm her unanimously in the final days of the last Senate session in 2022, necessitating a full Senate roll call vote. She was renominated in January, after which her nomination advanced the following month by the Senate’s labor panel.