Layli Miller-Muro is an American journalist and attorney, famous for her work protecting women from human rights abuses. She is the founder and executive director of the Tahrirh Justice Center, a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting courageous immigrant women and girls fleeing gender-based violence. Under her leadership, the organization has served over 14,000 women and girls. She founded Tahrirh in 1997 after playing a prominent role in the Matter of Kasinga, a 1996 Board of Immigration Appeals decision which established the precedent that women fleeing gender-based violence, in this case female genital mutilation, could be eligible for asylum in the United States. Following the case, working with Fauziya Kasindja, the woman at the heart of the case, Ms. Miller-Muro wrote a book describing the ordeal entitled Do They Hear You When You Cry? The proceeds of the book were used to found the Tahrirh Justice Center.

In the words of the HLS community member who nominated her, “Layli brings a rare combination of informed zeal, understanding, and an open mind to her work tackling these incredibly complicated and emotional issues; and she does so all while prioritizing a work-life balance and encouraging others at Tahirih to do the same.”

Ms. Miller-Muro was previously a partner in the law firm Arnold & Porter in Washington D.C. and before that an attorney-advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration-Appeals.