Background

• Mark is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, receiving his B.A. summa cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in 1978, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

• Attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar from 1978 to 1981, and received his J.D. in 1985 from Yale Law School.

• Member of the Supreme Court Bar and is admitted to practice in Ohio and the District of Columbia.

• He has been a leader in a number of professional and civic organizations, including the American Bar Association, where he is currently chair of the ABA Commission on Immigration, a member of the Commission on the World Justice Project, and a member of the House of Delegates.

• He is a past member of the ABA Board of Governors and its executive committee, and a past chair of the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities.

• He serves on the council of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education and has been a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation since 2001.

Professional Positions

• Prior to joining American Progress, Agrast was Counsel and Legislative Director to Congressman William D. Delahunt of Massachusetts from 1997 to 2003.

• Previously served as a top aide to Massachusetts Congressman Gerry E. Studds from 1992 to 1997 and practiced international law with the Washington office of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue from 1985 to 1991.

• During his years on Capitol Hill, Agrast played a prominent role in shaping laws on civil and constitutional rights, terrorism and civil liberties, immigration, criminal justice, antitrust, and other matters within the jurisdiction of the House Committee on the Judiciary.

• Mark was also responsible for legal issues within the jurisdiction of the House International Relations Committee (now the Committee on Foreign Affairs), including the implementation of international agreements on human rights, inter-country adoption, and the protection of intellectual property rights. (Source: CAP)

Accomplishments

Criticism

Additional Information

Articles by Mark Agrast

• Endgame, March 14, 2008
• Playing Politics with Intelligence: Bush Puts Security at Risk, January 29, 2008
• Ending Torture: CIA Tapes Spur House Action, December 13, 2007
• Not the Right Choice, October 31, 2007
• Restoring Our Liberties: New Surveillance Bill Would Begin to Restore Checks and Balances, October 10, 2007
• Evaluating Bush's Pick for Attorney General, September 17, 2007
• The Department of Justice and the American People Deserve a Break, August 27, 2007
• Over-Classified and Pseudo-Classified, June 28, 2007
• Reining in Warrantless Searches, March 9, 2007
• Prosecutors and Politicians, January 18, 2007
• A Switch in Time, January 18, 2007

Video Presentations:

Biography Links

• Mark Agrast