Pronouns: she/her
Kate Jastram, Sérgio Vieira de Mello Chair of International Refugee Law, leads CGRS's efforts to protect asylum seekers through policy advocacy at the national and international levels, including for people displaced in the context of climate change and disasters. Working closely with the litigation and technical assistance and training programs, the policy and advocacy team provides rapid analysis and practical recommendations for decision-makers to ensure that the United States lives up to its legal and moral commitments to people fleeing persecution and torture.
Kate is a Christopher Edley, Jr. Lecturer at UC Berkeley School of Law, and has also taught at UC Davis School of Law and UC Law San Francisco.
Kate served as senior legal advisor for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva and as its deputy representative in Washington, D.C., and has worked for USCIS's Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate in San Francisco. As a lead expert on asylum issues for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, she co-wrote their report for Congress on expedited removal.
Education
University of California, Berkeley School of Law, J.D.
Sarah Lawrence College, M.A. in Women's History
San Francisco State University, B.A., summa cum laude, Departmental Honors in History
Admitted to practice law in California.
Honors
2023 Sérgio Vieira de Mello Chair of International Refugee Law, UNHCR and UC Law San Francisco
2022 Deans Emeritus Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
2005 Arthur C. Helton Human Rights Award, American Immigration Lawyers Association
Service to the Community
- American Society of International Law
- International Refugee Law Interest Group Executive Committee Member
- Women in International Law Interest Group Mentoring Program
- Women in Refugee Law, Member of the Steering Group
- Refugee Law Initiative, Senior Research Associate
- International Journal of Refugee Law, Member of the Editorial Board, 2021-2024
Selected Publications and Commentary
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Jane McAdam, Geoff Gilbert, Tamara Wood, and Felipe Navarro, International Protection for People Displaced Across Borders in the Context of Climate Change and Disasters: A Practical Toolkit, (Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law and Essex Law School and Human Rights Centre, 2025).
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Climate Change and Cross-Border Displacement: What the Courts, the Administration, and Congress Can Do to Improve Options for the United States, 56 Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law 309 (2024).
- "Matter of A-B- One Year Later: Winning Back Gender-Based Asylum Through Litigation and Legislation," with Sayoni Maitra, 18 Santa Clara Journal of International Law (2020)