Amrith Kaur Aakre, an Indian American jurist, has assumed the role of Director for the Chicago District at the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as announced by the federal agency. Aakre, formerly the legal director for the Sikh Coalition, officially began her position on January 29, 2024, taking her oath on the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib.
EEOC Chair Charlotte A Burrows praised Aakre’s creative problem-solving, management expertise, and dedication to civil rights. Aakre expressed her respect for the EEOC’s mission and eagerness to contribute to advancing equal employment opportunities in the Chicago District.
Before joining the Commission, Aakre led a national civil rights practice, focusing on impactful litigation related to workplace discrimination, hate crimes, school discrimination, racial profiling, and bias-based policy issues. During her tenure, the Sikh Coalition, under her guidance, drafted influential amicus briefs, one of which was cited by the Supreme Court in the Groff v. DeJoy religious accommodation case.
Having served over 11 years as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Aakre directed initiatives to expand access to restorative justice and rehabilitative courts. She currently holds positions on the boards of the ACLU of Illinois, the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of Chicago, and the leadership committee for the American Bar Association’s Religious Liberty Section.
Aakre has received several awards, including SABA North America’s Public Interest Achievement Award in 2022, SABA Chicago’s Public Interest Lawyer Award in 2023 and 2021, and the Asian American Coalition of Chicago’s Community Service Award in 2017. She is also an Emerging Leaders Fellow for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
Her academic background includes dual bachelor’s degrees from The George Washington University and a juris doctor from The University of Illinois at Chicago Law School. The EEOC’s Chicago District, under her leadership, will handle discrimination charges, enforcement, and litigation across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
