Jameel Jaffer

Jameel Jaffer (Bluesky – LinkedIn – X) is Executive Editor at Just Security. He is also inaugural director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.  He previously served as Deputy Legal Director at the American Civil Liberties Union and Director of the ACLU’s Center for Democracy, which houses the ACLU’s work on human rights, national security, speech, privacy, and technology.  Since joining the staff of the ACLU in 2002, he litigated many cases relating to security and human rights, including challenges to the CIA’s targeted killing program and the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program.  He also represented the ACLU and other human rights organizations in ACLU v. Department of Defense, litigation under the Freedom of Information Act that resulted in the release of thousands of records about the Bush administration’s torture policies, including the “torture memos” written by the Office of Legal Counsel.  He is a graduate of Williams College, Cambridge University, and Harvard Law School.

Areas of Expertise: Human Rights, National Security, Privacy, Targeted Killing, Surveillance, Torture, Military Commissions

Selected Media Appearances
Television
Obama Declares The Beginning Of The End Of The War On Terror – MSNBC (The Rachel Maddow Show)
President Obama Preserves Abuses – MSNBC (The Rachel Maddow Show)
Jameel Jaffer On National Security – CBC (George Stoumboulopoulos Tonight)

Radio
Government Surveillance and You – WNYC (The Leonard Lopate Show)
ACLU Sues U.S. – CBC Radio (The Current)
ACLU Pushes For Answers On Drone Strikes – NPR (Morning Edition)

Online
Sensenbrenner wants tweaks to his own Patriot Act – MSNBC
NSA violated the law and misled its court chaperone – MSNBC
N.S.A. Often Broke Rules on Privacy, Audit Shows – The New York Times
Former judge admits flaws with secret FISA court – CBS News
Sources: US intelligence agencies tap servers of top Internet companies – NBC News
NSA data-gathering deja vu for privacy hawks – CBS News