Chris Hansen (attorney) facts for kids

Christopher A. Hansen is an American lawyer who spent his career fighting for people's basic rights. He is well-known for working on many important court cases while at the ACLU, which is a group that protects civil liberties. Two of his most famous cases were AMP v. Myriad Genetics (2013) at the US Supreme Court and the ACLU's work in ACLU v. Reno (1997).

Hansen worked at the ACLU for 40 years, from 1973 to 2013. When he retired, he was one of their most important lawyers, having served longer than any other attorney at the ACLU.

He graduated from Carleton College in 1969. He then earned his law degree from the University of Chicago. Hansen joined the ACLU in 1973. He started by working with their new project focused on mental health law.

Important Court Cases

Christopher Hansen worked on many significant cases during his time as a lawyer. These cases often involved protecting the rights of individuals or groups. Here are some of the notable ones:

Protecting Online Speech: ACLU v. Reno

• ACLU v. Reno (1997) was a very important case about the internet. The government had passed a law that tried to control what people could say online. The ACLU, with Hansen's help, argued that this law went against the right to free speech. The US Supreme Court agreed, saying that the internet should have the same free speech protections as books and newspapers. This case helped make sure people could share ideas freely online.

Genes and Patents: Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics

• Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics (2013) was another major case that went all the way to the US Supreme Court. This case was about whether companies could patent human genes. A patent gives someone the right to control an invention. Hansen and the ACLU argued that natural human genes should not be patented. They believed that if genes could be owned, it would make it harder for doctors and scientists to study and test for diseases like cancer. The Supreme Court decided that natural human genes cannot be patented. This was a big win for medical research and patient care.

Other Key Cases

• NYSARC v. Carey, 393 F.Supp. 715 (EDNY 1975) (also known as the Willowbrook case)
• ACLU v. Miller (N.D. Georgia 1997)
• ALA v. Pataki (SDNY June 20, 1997)
• Brown v. Board of Education (re-opened)
• G.L. v. Zumwalt, 564 F.Supp. 1030 (W.D. Mo. 1983), 731 F.Supp. 365 (W.D. Mo. 1990), 873 F.Supp. 252 (W.D. Mo. 1994)
• Jones v. Clinton, ACLU amicus brief
• Freeman v. Pitts, 503 U.S. 467 (1992)

Further Research

• Sept. 11, 2013, "From Willowbrook to Myriad: Insights from Four Decades at the ACLU", Vanderbilt University