Munmeeth (Meeth) Kaur joined the Sikh Coalition as Legal Director in June of 2025. In her position, she is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Sikh Coalition’s legal team, including shaping and implementing their work to provide expert pro bono legal aid to sangat members who face hate crimes, workplace discrimination, severe school bullying, profiling, and other forms of bias and bigotry.
Munmeeth brings to the Sikh Coalition nearly 20 years of experience practicing law and is an expert in the areas of civil rights, disability law, constitutional law, and immigration law. She has successfully litigated many cases before federal, state, and administrative courts. Prior to joining the Sikh Coalition, she served as Litigation Counsel at Disability Rights California where she oversaw federal and state impact litigation and advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities. Munmeeth also previously served as the Director of Litigation and Advocacy at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, one of the largest deportation defense nonprofit law firms in the country. Throughout her career, Munmeeth has fought for the civil rights of all through extensive legal, legislative, lobbying, and community mobilizing work; she brings expertise around core areas of the Sikh Coalition’s work, including the rights of Sikhs to maintain articles of faith, protections for students in schools, and immigration needs specific to the community.
Munmeeth graduated cum laude from the American University Washington College of Law in 2007 and holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in the College of Social Studies from Wesleyan University. She is the recipient of many awards, including the 2023 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award (CLAY) for the successful outcome in Guardianship of Saul H., 13 Cal. 5th 827 (2022) (California Supreme Court), the 2017 CLAY Award for her advocacy in Bringas-Rodriguez v. Sessions, 850 F.3d 1051 (9th Cir. 2017) (en banc), and the 2015 CLAY Award for the outcome in Avendano-Hernandez v. Lynch, 800 F. 3d 1072 (9th Cir. 2015). In 2019, she received the Erwin Chemerinsky Defender of the Constitution Award and the ACLU of Southern California Access to Justice Award in recognition of her advocacy on access to counsel issues for Sikh and other immigrant detainees. Munmeeth also taught as an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law and Western State College of Law, and is a frequent panelist and speaker at legal conferences and seminars.