Lisa Graves

Lisa Graves "is the Deputy Director of the Center for National Security Studies and focuses on surveillance issues. She previously served as the Senior Counsel for Legislative Strategy at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she led the ACLU’s lobbying efforts on national security issues affecting civil liberties, including the Patriot Act reauthorization debate.

"Prior to that she served as the Chief Nominations Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee for the Chairman/Ranking Member, Senator Patrick Leahy, during the first term of the Bush administration. She led the nominations team, directing legal/policy research on judicial issues and defending the Senate’s prerogatives on advice and consent. Prior to that, she was a senior executive at the US Courts, helping to manage the team assisting Article III judges, as the Deputy Chief of that division and advising the Judicial Conference Committee on International Judicial Relations on rule of law issues.

"Ms. Graves previously served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, a career appointment, in the Office of Legal Policy/Policy Development at the Justice Department. From October 1995 to May 2001, she held a variety of posts, including working as DAAG, occasionally as acting Assistant Attorney General, Senior Counsel, and Counsel in OPD/OLP. She also served as an attorney in the Civil Rights and Civil Divisions, arguing cases before the circuit courts and handling pre-trial litigation and other matters after her appointment through the Attorney General’s Honor Program.

"A native of Colorado, she received her J.D. cum laude from Cornell Law School, where she served as Managing Editor of the Cornell Law Review and worked in the Legal Aid and Civil Liberties Clinics. She received a B.S., in Political Science, from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with highest honors and numerous awards.

"Ms. Graves has testified before the Senate and House, and appeared on CNN, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, BBC, C-SPAN and other news programs regarding civil liberties and security, as well as major radio programs, including NPR, Air America and Pacifica. One of her essays was recently published in Larry King’s new book “My Dad and Me.”"