Mary Hanna-Weir

Deputy County Counsel

Mary Hanna-Weir joined the Office of the County Counsel in 2018. A member of the Finance, Government Operations, and Technology team and the Education Law team, Mary advises the Registrar of Voters, the Office of Women’s Policy, the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention, the Clerk of the Board, several boards and commissions including the Child Abuse Prevention Council and Human Rights Commission, and provides legal support to local school districts. Mary also provides advice on matters related to civil rights, planning, and constitutional issues, among other matters.

Prior to joining the Office, Mary developed civil rights policy guidance and regulations for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. Focusing on race and national origin discrimination, Mary’s primary substantive areas of work were school desegregation, harassment and free speech, religious minorities, immigration and undocumented students, and students of color in special education. She also advised on high-profile enforcement and litigation matters as well as coordinated annual pre-award civil rights compliance reviews of school districts receiving grants under the Magnet Schools Assistance Program.

Mary’s professional expertise includes:

Civil rights and nondiscrimination
Voting rights and election law
First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion clauses)
Education law
Administrative law

Education

University of Michigan Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, 2009
- Order of the Coif
University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.S. Sociology, 2006
- University Fellow
Kenyon College, A.B. Chemistry and Sociology, summa cum laude, 2003
- Phi Beta Kappa

Professional Associations

Board member of the American Constitution Society, Bay Area Lawyer Chapter (2016-Present; chair 2021-present)

Prior Experience

Attorney at U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Program Legal Group (2010-2018)
Law Clerk to the Honorable Eric L. Clay, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (2009-2010)
Law Clerk at Michigan Innocence Clinic (2009)