Melat Kiros

Melat Kiros (born 1996 or 1997) is a lawyer and American politician who is most notable for publishing an open letter criticizing big law firms for their silence on the [...] in Gaza and the crack downs on pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. Her letter first went viral, and then the news of her firing from her position as an associate in the New York office of Sidley Austin went viral again when she refused to take it down.

A member of the Democratic Party, she is running for The U.S. House of Representatives in 2026, challenging 68 year-old incumbent Democrat Diana Degette to represent Colorado's 1st congressional district. The Primary election will be held on June 30, 2026.

Early life and education

Kiros immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia as an infant in 1998 when her father received a visa lottery. Kiros grew up in Aurora, Colorado, graduating from Eaglecrest High School.

She earned a Bachelors’ Degree in Political Science and Economics from Washington College in Maryland in 2018 and a law degree from Notre Dame in 2022. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Colorado Denver "studying the efficacy of reparations, universal basic income, and regulatory reform in achieving social, economic, and environmental equity."

Career

Kiros joined the New York law office of Sidley Austin as a summer associate in 2021, becoming a full-time associate in September 2022. At the time of her firing she was a securities regulatory and enforcement associate.

Background to letter

On November 1, 2023, over 220 — which included nearly all — of the United State's largest law firms penned a letter warning law school deans about antisemitism on their campuses and demanding action. The letter was criticized by National Association of Muslim Lawyers. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, president of the National Association of Muslim Lawyers, said lawyers feel "even in their personal time, on their personal social media accounts, that they cannot say anything about the plight of the Palestinian people or they will get fired."

Letter

As a response to the letter on November 7, 2023, Kiros wrote an open letter rebuttal on Medium arguing that it was not antisemitic to question Israel's legitimacy and that the firms' Nov. 1 letter could have a "chilling effect" on lawyers who are critical of the Israeli government. Kiros's letter cited "several United Nations and academic sources concerning Israel's and Palestine's highly-charged history". From the letter:

Aftermath

The next day on November 8th, Kiros was fired after senior members of the Sidley Austin asked her to take her letter down for running "afoul of certain for the firm's policies and procedures".

2026 congressional campaign

In July 2025, Kiros announced her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, challenging incumbent Democrat Diana Degette in the 1st district. Degette is the longest serving member in Colorado, first winning in 1997.

Kiros has been endorsed by the former candidate for the Mayor of Denver Lisa Calderón, the Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement, and New Policy PAC, a group founded by Josh Paul (U.S. official) after he resigned from the Biden Administration in protest over continued arms transfers to Israel for its war in Gaza.

When asked about her motivation for challenging Degette, who is widely considered to be on the progressive side of the Democratic Party, Kiros "signaled that the campaign would focus on the generational divide, as well as money in politics. Kiros has refused donations from corporate PACs and special interest groups in her campaign." She went on to criticize over $5 million in corporate PAC money that Degette has received from the pharmaceutical lobby and the fossil fuels lobby.