Bio
Ronald Newman (@ronaldlnewman) joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in February 2017. As National Political Director, he oversaw the ACLU’s National Political Advocacy Department, which houses the organization’s Washington Legislative Office, state-level policy and campaigns teams, national grassroots organizing infrastructure, and electoral programming. In his role, Newman led the development and implementation of strategies designed to advance the organization’s civil liberties priorities at the federal, state and local levels. He previously served the organization as Director of Strategic Initiatives within the National Political Advocacy Department.
Prior to the ACLU, Ronald served as Director of Human Rights and Refugee Protection on the National Security Council in the Obama Administration, serving under National Security Advisor Susan Rice. There, he led Administration efforts to expand the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, planned and coordinated President Obama’s September 2016 Leaders’ Summit on Refugees at the United Nations, managed U.S. engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council, and directed a range of other White House and interagency actions in the areas of human rights, immigration and refugee protection. He coordinated major Administration initiatives involving all key diplomatic, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and engaged regularly with representatives of foreign nations, state and local governments, and non-profit advocacy organizations. Prior to that, he served as an Attorney Advisor in the Legal Adviser’s Office at the U.S. Department of State, under Legal Advisor Harold Koh.
Ronald graduated summa cum laude from Morehouse College, and holds a J.D. from Yale Law School. Prior to law school, Ronald spent periods of his career living and working in China, studying issues related to trade and development. In prior periods, he has contributed to teams that brought class action litigation against the State of Connecticut to improve educational opportunities for disadvantaged Connecticut youth, and submitted a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief in defense of voluntary integration programs in Washington and Kentucky. Ronald also spent a period of his early career in the investment banking sector. He is based in Washington, D.C.
Featured work
![Young boy and girl sitting at a lunch table smiling at camera.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2021/04/Child-Tax-Credit-Header-Image-400x266.jpg)
Apr 29, 2021
Biden Must Make the Current Enhanced Child Tax Credit Permanent
![President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at the White House in Washington, DC](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2021/04/web21-Biden-100-days-blogWordpress-1110x740-1-400x266.jpg)
Apr 29, 2021
What President Biden Needs to Do Beyond the First 100 Days
![A demonstrator carries a sign demanding an end to gerrymandering and voter suppression.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2021/02/WEB21-Voting-Rights-Protest-WordPress-1110x740-1-400x266.jpg)
Feb 23, 2021
If the Biden Administration Is Serious About Protecting Voting Rights, Here's What It Should Do Immediately
![Photo of multiple voting stations set up in the Kentucky Exposition Center for voters to cast their ballot.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/09/ACLU-Political-Role-Header-Image-400x266.jpg)
Oct 19, 2020
Eye on Civil Liberties: Where You Can Have an Impact in Elections Closer to Home
![Photo of multiple voting stations set up in the Kentucky Exposition Center for voters to cast their ballot.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/09/ACLU-Political-Role-Header-Image-400x266.jpg)
Sep 29, 2020
How the ACLU is Flexing its Political Muscle in the 2020 Elections
![A protester in a car with a sign reading "Worker Health is Public Health" at a socially distanced protest.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/08/WEB20-Social-Distance-Paid-Sick-Leave-Protest-WordPress-1110x740-1-400x266.jpg)
Aug 13, 2020
Why The Fight for Paid Sick Leave is a Civil Rights Issue
![Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are shown at the Democratic Debate](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/07/WEB20-biden-sanders-platform-blog-wordpress-1110x740-1-400x266.jpg)
Jul 15, 2020
During a Global Pandemic and Period of Nationwide Protests for Racial Justice, Does the Biden-Sanders Platform Meet the Moment?
![Seated members of an audience clapping and holding signs with the text "Rights for All" at the ACLU Rights for All campaign launch.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/02/web20-iowaRFAblog-blogimage-wordpress-1110x740-400x266.jpg)
Feb 10, 2020
How Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Broke Through in Iowa
![Rights for All - ACLU](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/rfa_twitter-400x266.png)
Mar 31, 2019
Rights for All Will Put Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Front and Center in the 2020 Presidential Race
![Melissa Bruzzano](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web17-annarbor-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
Jul 19, 2017
How People Power Activists Are Driving Change