FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media@dcaclu.org
WASHINGTON - The ACLU today announced the
addition of James Tucker as a Policy Counsel working on First Amendment issues,
centering on free speech and religious liberty.
Tucker last worked as a consultant for the
National Association of Latino Elected Officials and brings to the ACLU an
extensive background in civil rights and civil liberties. He has published
articles for years on the Voting Rights Act, having worked tirelessly for its
reauthorization.
“We are so pleased that Jim has joined the ACLU
Washington Legislative Office. He has spent his life working toward greater
equality and social justice,” said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU
Washington Legislative Office. “Jim has the talent and the passion to safeguard
the First Amendment at a time when its principles are threatened
most.”
Tucker practiced law as a trial attorney with
the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and was a partner at
Ogletree Deakins, the third largest labor and employment law firm in the
country. He clerked for Chief United States District Judge Maurice Paul in the
Northern District of Florida.
“I’m thrilled to be on the front lines fighting
for the First Amendment. This is truly where the rubber meets the road,” said
Tucker. “I’ve always held enormous respect for the ACLU, and I’m eager to build
on my experience defending civil liberties and the freedoms guaranteed to us by
the Constitution.”
Tucker was awarded the “outstanding alumni”
award from Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University, where he teaches
seminars on constitutional and civil rights law. He recently taught a class on
liberty and security in the post-9/11 world and the ramifications for free
speech.
Tucker is co-director and co-author of
Minority Language Assistance Practices in Public Elections, a study
examining oral and written language assistance in elections. He served in the
active reserves as an assistant staff judge advocate in the Judge Advocate
General Corps (JAG). In the first Gulf War, he was a commissioned officer
in the Air Force during Desert Storm operations.
