Jameel Jaffer

Background

Jaffer, Jameel was born in 1971 in Ontario, Canada.

Education

Jaffer grew up in Canada, and is a graduate of Upper Canada College, a private school in Toronto. His university education was at Williams College, Cambridge University, and Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the law review. After law school, Jaffer was a law clerk to the Rt.

Honorary

Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada.

Career

Since he joined the staff of the American Civil Liberties Union in 2002, Jaffer has litigated many leading cases relating to national security and human rights, including cases concerning surveillance, torture, rendition, and “targeted killing.” Jaffer is particularly notable for the role he played in litigating Freedom of Information Acting requests that led to the release of documents concerning the torture of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay and in Central Intelligence Agency black sites. Among the documents released were interrogation directives signed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, emails written by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents who witnessed the torture of prisoners, legal memos in which the Office of Legal Counsel stated that United States. law did not prohibit the President from authorizing torture, and autopsy reports relating to prisoners who were killed in United States. custody. The New York Times billed the lawsuit "one of the most successful in the history of public disclosure." In 2013, Jaffer co-led the litigation that resulted in the disclosure of one of the Obama administration"s "drone memos." Jaffer is an Executive Editor of Just Security, a national security blog.

Jaffer is currently the Director of the American Civil Liberties Union"s Center for Democracy.

In 2004, Jaffer litigated a successful constitutional challenge to the United States of America Patriot Acting, obtaining a federal court ruling that invalidated the "national security letter" provision. After Congress amended the law, the federal district court invalidated the provision again in 2007.

In 2006, Jaffer filed a case challenging the Bush administration"s refusal to issue a visa to Tariq Ramadan, a well-known Islamic thinker. The case was brought on behalf of the American Association of Religion, the American Association of University Professors, and Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists association American Center.

A federal appeals court sided with Jaffer and his clients in 2009, finding that the exclusion of Professor Ramadan was unconstitutional.

After that ruling, the Obama administration reversed the exclusion of Doctor Ramadan and issued him a visa. In 2012 and 2013, Jaffer argued two successful appeals, one before the United States. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and another before the United States. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, relating to the Obama administration"s refusal to release Justice Department memos concerning the "targeted killing" program In 2012, Jaffer argued Clapper v.

Amnesty International United States of America before the United States. Supreme Court.

The case involved a constitutional challenge to a federal statute that gave the National Security Agency broad power to monitor international communications. The Supreme Court ruled against the plaintiffs 5-4, holding that they lacked "standing" to bring their suit.

Along with Jimmy Wales and Lila Tretivok of the Wikimedia Foundation, Jaffar filed a lawsuit in March 2015 against the National Security Agency challenging the agency"s surveillance activities "through which the United States. government intercepts, copies, and searches almost all international and many domestic text-based communications" on the Wikimedia platform. Jaffer was invited to celebrate Ramadan at the White House in 2009.

Achievements

• Jameel Jaffer has been listed as a reputable lawyer by Marquis Who's Who.