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Sarah Mac Dougall

Sarah Mac Dougall

Sarah Mac Dougall is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer. Prior to joining the firm, she was a staff attorney in the Public Policy Litigation and Law Department at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). At PPFA, she litigated on behalf of doctors and patients in trial and appellate courts nationwide to protect and expand access to abortion as well as sexual and reproductive healthcare generally. Sarah previously spent several years litigating commercial, intellectual property, administrative, and constitutional rights cases as an associate at Covington & Burling LLP. She clerked for the Honorable Michael P. Shea in the U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Connecticut.

Education

Columbia Law School, J.D., 2016

Pauline Berman Heller Prize for most outstanding record of academic achievement in the service of gender equality in law, business, or society
James Kent Scholar

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, B.S., 2013

Admissions

New York

Representative Cases

Lead counsel for Planned Parenthood Arizona in post-Roe litigation in Arizona state court, successfully opposing on appeal the Attorney General’s attempt to reinstate a dead-letter total abortion ban – which had been enacted by the Territorial Legislature in 1864 – allowing abortion to remain legal in the state

Represented Planned Parenthood-affiliated health centers in post-Dobbs litigation in Ohio state court, successfully obtaining state-wide preliminary injunction of 6-week abortion ban on constitutional grounds following an evidentiary hearing;

Represented Planned Parenthood-affiliated health centers in Texas in litigation before all levels of federal and state courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging the novel S.B. 8 6-week abortion ban’s private enforcement mechanism;

Represented PPFA in litigation before the Second Circuit, successfully challenging Trump-era U.S. Department of Health and Human Services “refusal of care rule”;

Represented class of plaintiffs in the U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Connecticut, challenging discriminatory housing policies in Hartford under Administrative Procedure Act and Fair Housing Act;

Represented class of plaintiffs in the U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Arizona, challenging discriminatory marijuana diversion program on Equal Protection grounds;

Represented Kansas abortion provider in state court in successfully defeating an anti-abortion activist’s abuse of process suit against her;

Represented client in and argued direct appeal of felony conviction before Appellate Division, First Department;

Represented client as member of Southern District of New York’s pro se panel, successfully negotiating eve-of-trial settlement in employment discrimination suit; and

Represented client in civil forfeiture action against NYPD, successfully obtaining the return of client’s car

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Education

Columbia Law School, J.D., 2016

Pauline Berman Heller Prize for most outstanding record of academic achievement in the service of gender equality in law, business, or society
James Kent Scholar

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, B.S., 2013

Admissions

New York