Yazmin Cader Frazier, known in her legal career as Yasmin Cader, is a civil rights lawyer and senior ACLU leader. She is also married to Entertainment Tonight host Kevin Frazier. In July 2026, the ACLU named her Deputy Executive Director for Program, Strategy, and Culture. That role came after more than 30 years in law, public defense, teaching, and civil rights work.
In this article, you’ll learn about her path from Howard University and Yale Law School to the ACLU. You’ll also learn about her years as a public defender, her private law firm, her marriage to Kevin Frazier, and their family. Her story is much bigger than a celebrity marriage.
A Career Built Far From the Red Carpet
Kevin Frazier works in TV, while his wife built a very different career.
Cader spent much of her adult life in courts and law offices, where she defended people facing serious criminal charges. She trained other lawyers and worked on civil rights cases. She later moved into national leadership at the ACLU.
That work gives her a strong public record of her own.
Is Yazmin Cader Frazier the Same Person as Yasmin Cader?
Yes. The search name “Yazmin Cader Frazier” refers to the lawyer whose professional name is Yasmin Cader.
The ACLU, Yale Law School, and other legal groups use Yasmin Cader, while entertainment pages often add her husband’s last name.
This small name difference can make online searches confusing. Her legal work is easiest to find under Yasmin Cader.
Howard University Came First
Cader studied at Howard University before law school.
Howard has a long history of training Black lawyers, scholars, and public leaders. Cader later said that her education helped shape the values she brought to law.
She then attended Yale Law School, which lists her as a member of the Class of 1992.
Her time at both schools helped point her toward public service.
A Federal Clerkship Opened the Next Door
After law school, Cader worked as a law clerk for Judge Damon J. Keith.
Keith served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. A clerk helps a judge review legal issues, case records, and written arguments.
The job gave Cader a close look at federal law early in her career, before she moved into the U.S. Department of Justice.
Her Justice Department Work Focused on Civil Rights
Cader joined the Justice Department through its Honors Program.
She worked in the Civil Rights Division, where her unit handled job bias and unfair treatment at work.
Her cases included claims of racial and sexual harassment and discrimination.
This was an early sign of the path she would follow. Her work centered on rights, fairness, and the power of the law.
Public Defense Became Her Main Work
In 1995, Cader began a long career as a public defender.
Yale Law School says that part of her career lasted 23 years.
She worked in Washington, D.C., New York, and Los Angeles, defending both young people and adults.
Some faced minor charges, while others faced the most serious charges in the system.
Public defenders represent people who cannot afford private lawyers. The job can mean long hours, hard cases, and high stakes.
Cader stayed in that work for more than two decades.
She Worked in State and Federal Courts
Her defense work crossed several court systems.
In Washington, D.C., she worked with the Public Defender Service. Later, she worked in federal defense in New York and Los Angeles.
Her cases included serious felonies and capital cases, as well as cases tied to claims of domestic and international terrorism.
This gave her years of direct trial work.
It also gave her a close view of how the criminal legal system affects people and families.
Training Lawyers Became Part of the Job
Cader did more than handle her own cases, and in Los Angeles she became Chief of Training at the Federal Public Defender’s Office.
She built programs to help lawyers improve trial skills and trained both new and experienced defenders.
Teaching became a steady part of her career.
The ACLU says she has taught at NYU School of Law, UCLA School of Law, and Wayne State University Law School. She has also trained lawyers through national trial programs.
Her work moved from one courtroom to many classrooms.
Private Practice Added a New Chapter
After years in public defense, Cader helped start Cader Adams Trial Lawyers in Los Angeles.
Yale Law School describes the firm as Black-led and women-owned.
The firm handled civil and criminal cases and advised groups that wanted to improve workplace culture and racial fairness.
Private practice let Cader use her trial skills in a wider set of cases.
She also took part in local work on policing and school safety in Los Angeles.
That work kept her close to public policy even outside government service.
The ACLU Recruited Her in 2021
In 2021, the ACLU chose Cader to lead its Trone Center for Justice and Equality.
The center works on criminal justice and racial justice, including policing, prisons, cash bail, the death penalty, and racial bias.
It also works on rights in schools, jobs, housing, and other parts of daily life.
Cader brought decades of courtroom work to that role.
She had seen the system from the defense table. Now she was helping shape national legal strategy.
She Became a Deputy Legal Director
Cader later served as an ACLU Deputy Legal Director while leading the Trone Center, where her team worked on several major issues.
It challenged unfair policing and worked on cash bail and prison rights.
It fought the death penalty. It also pushed for racial fairness in schools, housing, jobs, and public life.
After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, Cader helped launch the ACLU’s Abortion Criminal Defense Initiative.
That work gave legal help to people facing criminal cases tied to abortion care.
Her Role Grew Again in July 2026
On July 1, 2026, the ACLU announced Cader’s new job.
She became Deputy Executive Director for Program, Strategy, and Culture, a role near the top of the national group.
She now helps guide strategy and culture across the ACLU. She also helps connect work from different teams and state offices.
The move marked a clear shift in scale.
She began her career helping one client at a time. She now helps guide work that can affect people across the country.
Her Trial Work Still Shapes Her Leadership
Cader’s later jobs are larger, but her early court work still matters.
She spent years standing beside people facing the power of the state.
That experience shaped how she talks about rights and justice.
Her career shows a clear line. First came direct defense work. Then came training, private practice, national legal work, and senior leadership.
The job titles changed. The core focus stayed close to civil rights.
A Major Trial Group Recognized Her Work
In 2023, Cader became a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
The group lists her work in civil rights, constitutional law, and criminal law.
The honor reflects her long record as a trial lawyer.
It also adds another part to her career story beyond the ACLU.
Her Marriage to Kevin Frazier Began in 2006
Cader married Kevin Frazier in 2006.
Kevin is best known for Entertainment Tonight, and before entertainment news he worked in sports media.
Their careers have always looked very different.
Kevin spends much of his work life on camera. Cader has spent hers in law, courtrooms, and public service.
A TV Guide interview once described her as a Yale-educated public defender.
She has also kept the name Yasmin Cader in her professional life.
Shane and Reece Are Their Two Sons
Cader and Kevin have two sons together.
Their older son, Shane, was born in 2007, and their younger son, Reece Cader Frazier, was born on July 5, 2010.
Entertainment Tonight confirmed his birth in a Paramount press release.
Kevin also has an older son, Tony, from a past relationship.
By 2024, Kevin described Shane and Reece as teenagers.
The family has appeared together at some public events. Still, Cader keeps most of her family life out of the news.
Kevin’s Older Son Tony Is Part of the Wider Family
Kevin became a father to Tony when he was a teenager.
Tony was adopted, but he and Kevin later built a relationship.
Kevin has spoken about that story in interviews.
Tony is part of the wider Frazier family, along with Shane and Reece.
Cader has not turned family life into a public brand. Her public profile remains tied mainly to her work.
Her Exact Age Is Not Widely Published
People often search for Cader’s age and birthday.
Her main professional profiles do not list a confirmed birth date.
They do give a clear career timeline.
She graduated from Yale Law School in 1992. She began her long public defense career in 1995. She moved into ACLU leadership in 2021 and into a wider executive role in 2026.
Those dates tell the useful part of the story without guessing her age.
Her Personal Net Worth Is Not Public
Cader has worked in law for decades.
Her career has included government work, public defense, private practice, teaching, and nonprofit leadership.
But there is no solid public figure for her personal net worth.
Kevin’s TV career does not give a factual dollar value for her own assets.
A made-up estimate would add noise, not value.
Why Her Search Results Often Miss the Main Story
Many pages introduce Cader only as Kevin Frazier’s wife.
That is true, but it is incomplete.
She has a legal career that spans more than 30 years.
She worked at the Justice Department. She spent 23 years in public defense. She trained lawyers. She helped start a law firm. She led major ACLU work. In 2026, she moved into one of the group’s top executive roles.
That career is the main reason her profile deserves more than a short celebrity bio.
Yazmin Cader Frazier in 2026
In 2026, Yazmin Cader Frazier, professionally known as Yasmin Cader, is a senior ACLU leader and longtime civil rights lawyer.
Her career began with Howard University and Yale Law School. It then moved through a federal clerkship, the Justice Department, public defense, teaching, private practice, and national ACLU leadership.
She is also Kevin Frazier’s wife and the mother of Shane and Reece.
The family link explains why many people first search her name.
Her legal work explains why there is much more to learn.
If you enjoy profiles of people who built their own careers while living beside a well-known public figure, read our profile of Talani Rabb next.
