NCJW supports Amir Ali. Here’s why:
Amir Ali is an acclaimed civil rights lawyer with outstanding qualifications. He has dedicated his career to protecting the rights of all people regardless of race, religion, or background. As President and Executive Director of the MacArthur Justice Center, he has led litigation on several important religious liberty cases and has prevailed in two cases before the US Supreme Court. During his career, he has successfully argued multiple landmark cases before the Supreme Court and has been called upon to testify before Congress as an expert on federal procedure and habeas law. Mr. Ali would bring his lived experience as the son of Egyptian immigrants and would be the first Arab American and Muslim American on the District Court for the District of Columbia.
Amir Ali’s stance on important issues:
Religious Liberty
Under his leadership, the MacArthur Justice Center litigated a number of religious liberty cases, including cases concerning access to religious texts by individuals in solitary confinement as well as inmates’ right to participate in religious worship and Muslim inmates’ suit against restrictions on the length of their beards.
Civil Rights
Mr. Ali has successfully advocated for the rights of the incarcerated, high-level police accountability, unjust incarceration, and excessive use of force cases. The legal team representing the mother of Ahmaud Arbery retained Mr. Ali to assist with her federal civil trial against the people responsible for her son’s murder. Ali has represented indigent clients in cases that have led to Supreme Court precedents that expand the constitutional right to counsel, right to habeas corpus, and reach of civil rights statutes. He has established multiple precedents affording greater protections to intellectually disabled people on death row.
Judicial Temperament
He has a reputation for bringing people together by building coalitions and bridging divides. Mr. Ali has dedicated his career to protecting the rights of all people regardless of race, religion or background. His work in favor of government accountability is respected by groups and individuals from across the political spectrum.
Experience (and Pro Bono Work)
In addition to his leadership of the highly respected non-profit MacArthur Justice Center, Mr. Ali began his career at Jenner & Block where he worked on behalf of indigent clients, among others. In his fifth year, he was chosen to argue Welch v. United States, a criminal justice case, before the US Supreme Court which he won for his client in a 7-1 ruling. His pro bono work on behalf of intellectually disabled people on death row was recognized with an award as was his exceptional legal service to the needy. At the MacArthur Justice Center, he has been routinely turned to as co-counsel and a resource by private attorneys and government attorneys across the country. Since 2019, Mr. Ali has directed Harvard Law School’s Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic and has taught courses at the David A. Clarke School of Law of the University of the District of Columbia and Georgetown University Law Center.
Education and Awards
Born in Kingston, Ontario in 1985, Mr. Ali received his undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2011. After law school, he clerked for Judge Raymond C. Fisher on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Justice Marshall Rothstein on the Supreme Court of Canada. Among his numerous awards, he was recognized by the NAACP and the ACRL’s Justice Tribute Award as well as the American Bar Association’s Exceptional Service Award on behalf of intellectually disabled people, Bloomberg Law’s Inaugural Pro Bono Innovators Award, and the Albert E. Jenner Pro Bono Award for providing exceptional legal services to the needy.
Professional Affiliations
He serves on the Death Penalty Information Board of Directors and has served on the board of the Appellate Project, including as Co-Chair. Beyond his legal affiliations, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Mosaic Theater Company of DC.