A leading voice in public interest law for more than thirty years, Nan Aron is President and Founder of Alliance for Justice, a national association of over 100 public interest and civil rights organizations. Nan guides the organization in its mission to advance the cause of justice for all Americans, strengthen the public interest community's influence on national policy and foster the next generation of advocates.

In 1985, Nan founded AFJ's Judicial Selection Project, now the country's premier voice for a fair and independent judiciary and a major player in the often-controversial judicial nominations process. Notable accomplishments include helping to defeat Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987; supporting the nomination of Roger Gregory, the first African American judge in the Fourth Circuit, in 2001; and organizing the effort that helped support ten Senate filibusters against President George W. Bush's most extreme judicial nominees.

In addition to increasing judicial advocacy, Nan has led Alliance for Justice to expand its programs to support the participation of nonprofit and foundation staff in public life. AFJ’s workshops, technical assistance and publications encourage lobbying, involvement in ballot measures and election activities. Nan has also developed advocacy training for young people through the creation of programs that educate and inspire students to engage in social justice activism, including producing more than a dozen award-winning films on immigration, courageous judges, and gun violence.

Nan is the author of Liberty and Justice for All: Public Interest Law in the 1980s and Beyond and has appeared as an expert in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Vanity Fair and National Public Radio. She is a frequent guest speaker at universities, law schools, corporations, nonprofits and foundations.

Prior to founding AFJ, Nan was a staff attorney for the ACLU's National Prison Project, where she challenged conditions in state prison systems through lawsuits in federal and state courts. As a trial attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she litigated race and sex discrimination cases against companies and unions.

Doug is the Founder and President of Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC), a think tank, law firm and action center based in Washington, DC. CAC works in our courts, through our government, and with legal scholars to promote the progressive promise of the Constitution's text and history. Doug has represented state and local government clients in state and federal appellate courts around the country and before the U.S. Supreme Court, and his commentary and legal writings have appeared in dozens of major newspapers and academic publications. Doug received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia.

Christy Hardin Smith is a "recovering" attorney, and was a partner in her own firm for several years, where her practice included criminal defense, children's issues, domestic law, civil litigation, and she was an attorney for a small municipality, before switching hats to become a state prosecutor. Christy has extensive trial experience, and has worked for years both in and out of the courts to improve the lives of at risk children. Christy has written daily for the popular liberal blog http://www.firedoglake.com, covering the law and politics since 2005.

Congressman Jerrold “Jerry” Nadler represents the Eighth Congressional district of New York. New York’s Eighth, one of the nation’s most diverse districts, includes parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Nadler began his political career in 1976 in the New York State Assembly, where he served for 16 years. In 1992, Nadler was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election and has served in Congress ever since. He was re-elected to his ninth full term in 2008.
Nadler serves as the Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. In that capacity, he has chaired numerous hearings, directed many investigations, and introduced a significant body of legislation on a range of civil rights issues. Among the bills he has recently introduced are the State Secrets Protection Act, the National Security Letters Reform Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, and the Uniting American Families Act. He is also a senior Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

In late August 2009, Thomas Saenz will become the President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a national organization whose mission is to promote the civil rights of Latinos in the United States. Since 2005, Saenz has been Counsel to the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles, serving on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s four-member Executive team and providing advice on legal and policy matters. Previously, Saenz served at MALDEF for 12 years, including four years as litigation director. Saenz holds Bachelor’s and law degrees from Yale University.