Biography of Laughlin McDonald
Biography of Laughlin McDonald
Director of the ACLU Voting Rights Project
Expertise:
- Civil Rights
- Voting Rights
- Redistricting
Background:
McDonald is also Director of the ACLU Southern Regional Office, where he has worked since its inception in 1965. The office has provided representation to minority plaintiffs, primarily in the South, in civil rights litigation, including school desegregation, employment discrimination, housing discrimination, jury discrimination, and voting rights. During the past two decades the office, through its Voting Rights Project, has focused on voting rights and has expanded its representation to include Native Americans in various western states and Alaskan Natives.
McDonald has testified before Congress on civil rights and, in particular voting rights since 1981. He is the author of several articles and books including American Indians and the Fight for Equal Voting Rights (2010), A Voting Rights Odyssey: Black Enfranchisement in Georgia (2003). McDonald is also the recipient of numerous awards acknowledging his contribution to the field.
McDonald graduated from the University of Virginia Law School and Columbia University.
