Nan Aron
Encyclopedia
Nan Aron is a public interest
lawyer and civil rights
advocate living in Washington, D.C.
, working to promote and protect public interest in national policy. Aron is the founder and president of Alliance for Justice
, a national association of public interest
and consumer rights organizations with the goal of promoting justice for all Americans, enhancing the public interest community’s ability to influence public policy
, and mentoring and fostering the next generation of advocates. Since its inception, Alliance for Justice
has been a powerful force in the nonprofit arena.
Prior to Alliance for Justice
, Aron worked as a staff attorney for the ACLU’s National Prison Project, where she challenged conditions in state prison systems. Aron went on to serve as a trial attorney for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she litigated race and sex discrimination cases against companies and unions in federal and district courts.
In 1985, Aron founded the Judicial Selection Project (JSP) through AFJ. JSP has come to be one of the country’s primary voices for a progressive judiciary and a visible and active player in the judicial nomination process. Additionally, through her Co/Motion and Student Action Campaign programs, Aron has provided advocacy training, election and ballot education, and activist mentoring to tens of thousands of individuals.
Aron is also a nationally recognized expert on public interest law. Over the years she has been a prolific writer and speaker on the subject, authoring Liberty and Justice for All: Public Interest Law in the 1980’s and Beyond in 1989 as well as Justice in the Making—A Citizen’s Guide in 1993 with Alliance for Justice. Aron is also a regular guest speaker for universities, law schools, corporations, nonprofits and foundations, and National Public Radio, and her writing has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and Vanity Fair.
Nan has taught at Georgetown
and George Washington University Law Schools, and serves on the Dean's Advisory Council at American University
's Washington College of Law. She has served as Executive Producer for several award-winning films on immigration, courageous judges, and gun violence.
Aron received her B.A. from Oberlin College
and her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law
.
Public interest
The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself...
lawyer and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
advocate living in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, working to promote and protect public interest in national policy. Aron is the founder and president of Alliance for Justice
Alliance for Justice
Alliance for Justice is a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations in the USA....
, a national association of public interest
Public interest
The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself...
and consumer rights organizations with the goal of promoting justice for all Americans, enhancing the public interest community’s ability to influence public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
, and mentoring and fostering the next generation of advocates. Since its inception, Alliance for Justice
Alliance for Justice
Alliance for Justice is a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations in the USA....
has been a powerful force in the nonprofit arena.
Prior to Alliance for Justice
Alliance for Justice
Alliance for Justice is a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations in the USA....
, Aron worked as a staff attorney for the ACLU’s National Prison Project, where she challenged conditions in state prison systems. Aron went on to serve as a trial attorney for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she litigated race and sex discrimination cases against companies and unions in federal and district courts.
In 1985, Aron founded the Judicial Selection Project (JSP) through AFJ. JSP has come to be one of the country’s primary voices for a progressive judiciary and a visible and active player in the judicial nomination process. Additionally, through her Co/Motion and Student Action Campaign programs, Aron has provided advocacy training, election and ballot education, and activist mentoring to tens of thousands of individuals.
Aron is also a nationally recognized expert on public interest law. Over the years she has been a prolific writer and speaker on the subject, authoring Liberty and Justice for All: Public Interest Law in the 1980’s and Beyond in 1989 as well as Justice in the Making—A Citizen’s Guide in 1993 with Alliance for Justice. Aron is also a regular guest speaker for universities, law schools, corporations, nonprofits and foundations, and National Public Radio, and her writing has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and Vanity Fair.
Nan has taught at Georgetown
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and George Washington University Law Schools, and serves on the Dean's Advisory Council at American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
's Washington College of Law. She has served as Executive Producer for several award-winning films on immigration, courageous judges, and gun violence.
Aron received her B.A. from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
and her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Case Western Reserve University Franklin Thomas Backus School of Law is the law school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It opened in 1892, making it one of the oldest law schools in the country. It was one of the first schools accredited by the American Bar Association and was...
.