ACLU Welcomes New Policy Counsel James Tucker

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.