Lincoln’s Human Rights Commission director takes job as ACLU Nebraska legal director | Local Government

The seeds of Rush Chipman’s legal career were planted when she landed a job as a correctional officer at the Nebraska Department of Corrections’ diagnostic and evaluation unit when she was 19. Later, she worked in the prison library.

She said the work really opened her eyes to the issues people face once they are sentenced.

“Once I started working at the law library I had more questions than I had answers,” she said. “I transitioned into corrections thinking it would provide me more financial security, but what it did was change the trajectory of my plans.”

While she worked for the Department of Corrections she earned a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies from Doane College. She went on to get her law degree from the Nebraska College of Law in 2007 and a master’s in library science and information from the University of Missouri in 2009.

Rush Chipman, who graduated from Lincoln High School at the age of 16, did legal research for attorneys while she earned her undergraduate degree and then she and her family — a husband and four kids — moved to a small town near Nebraska City where she opened a private practice.

She worked on all sorts of cases, from family and juvenile law to criminal defense and estate and probate work.

“I found that my most rewarding work as a solo practitioner usually ended up being for clients who couldn’t afford legal representation,” she said.

That led her to Legal Aid of Nebraska and the Immigration Legal Center. At the Immigration Legal Center, she worked with clients experiencing discrimination in several aspects of their lives, which made the transition to the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights seem natural.

Much of her work at the commission involved trying to intervene early to help prevent discrimination from happening and raising awareness about what people can do if they do experience it, she said.

Once the pandemic hit, many law proceedings were put on hold — but not evictions. Rush Chipman and Ryan Sullivan, an NU law professor, began showing up at the courthouse to offer free legal advice to tenants facing eviction. With the help of federal aid money it grew into the Tenant Assistance Program.

The ACLU of Nebraska’s legal work covers a wide range of constitutional issues, including the criminal legal system, free expression, immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ equality, open government, racial justice, reproductive freedom, students’ rights and voting rights.

That’s where Rush Chipman’s passion lies.

“When Nebraskans think about who is out there protecting their rights and freedoms, they think about the ACLU,” she said. “I am looking forward to doing everything I can to raise awareness of legal issues affecting our community and effectuate change.”