Caroline A. Stephens Ryker
Caroline A. Stephens Ryker is the Indiana Civil Rights Commission’s current Administrative Law Judge, and she is responsible for presiding over hearings and motions practice for the agency. Before moving into the Administrative Law Judge position, she litigated cases in state court and in the administrative forum as a staff attorney with the ICRC. She began her involvement with the Indiana Civil Rights Commission as an intern in the Real Estate, Public Accommodations, Credit, and Education Investigation section, reviewing fair housing complaints for violations of law, and in October of 2017, she accepted a Staff Attorney position, in which she represented the State of Indiana’s interest arising from complaints filed with the Indiana Civil Rights Commission. Her work as a Staff Attorney resulted in over $55,000.00 in settlements along with varied affirmative relief in the public interest.
Her former public service as a law clerk with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office in the Consumer Protection Division has provided her with insight as to the best practices of a regulatory state agency. At the McKinney School of Law’s Health and Human Rights Clinic, Ms. Stephens Ryker additionally studied how law and policy can create systemic barriers in the context of consideringIndiana’s Hepatitis C Medicaid restrictions. She has also developed her passion for law by volunteering at valuable non-profit organizations that aim to strengthen communities like the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic in Indianapolis, Indiana and the Community Justice and Mediation Center in Bloomington, Indiana.
Ms. Stephens Ryker is additionally dedicated to educating the public on the Indiana Civil Rights Commission’s governing laws. She has provide training and continuing legal education at events like the Indiana Civil Rights Commission’s Law and Policy Region VI Fair Housing Conference and has published on the topic of standing with the Indiana Law Review Blog. With the Indiana Civil Rights Commission’s CREATE Program and with the assistance of Alexander Ryker, she also developed the Fair Housing Game, an online tool that simulates housing discrimination.
Caroline Stephens Ryker graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, Indiana. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degrees in English and Communications from Indiana University, Bloomington, along with a certificate in Political and Civil Engagement. She is admitted to the Indiana Bar.
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