Bio
Leilani Stacy (she/her/hers) is the Immigrants' Rights Attorney at the ACLU of Hawai‘i, where she works to protect the rights of all residents in Hawai‘i—regardless of citizenship status. Her role focuses on obtaining clients' release from unlawful detention and investigating civil rights issues related to immigrants across the islands. She also educates the public about their rights when interacting with federal law enforcement and advocates for policy changes that will advance justice for immigrants for decades to come.
She holds a J.D. from USC Gould School of Law, where she was a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fellow and Staff Editor for the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice. Leilani clerked with Chief Justice Recktenwald of the Hawai‘i Supreme Court from 2023-2024, and U.S. District Judge Micah Smith from 2024-2025.
In 2018, Leilani graduated with a B.A. from Wellesley College with a double major in Political Science and Economics, where her passion for racial and gender equity led her to spend time working in community finance and investment banking. After graduation, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to research women-owned businesses and entrepreneurship in Portugal.
Leilani is a fifth-generation Japanese-American, and she grew up on Hawai‘i island before living in eight states and three other countries. She is grateful to be back in Hawai‘i, serving with the community that raised her and on the 'āina that has hosted her family for generations. In her free time, she enjoys baking bread, hiking with her pup Peach, and following women's sports.