Anthony Romero

Anthony D. Romero is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the nation's premier defender of liberty and individual freedom. He took the helm of the organization just seven days before the 9/11 attacks. Shortly afterward, the ACLU launched its national Keep America Safe and Free campaign to protect basic freedoms during a time of crisis, achieving court victories on the Patriot Act, uncovering thousands of pages of documents detailing the torture and abuse of detainees in US custody, and filing the first successful legal challenge to the Bush administration's illegal NSA spying program. Romero also led the ACLU in establishing the John Adams Project, a joint effort with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers to assist the under-resourced military defense lawyers in the Guantánamo military commissions.

Under his leadership, the ACLU has tackled significant national issues, including challenges to the NSA surveillance program and the U.S. drone program, and high-profile litigation against the Trump administration’s policies such as the Muslim Ban and the family separation policy. Romero spearheaded the ACLU's involvement in important cases like those concerning transgender employee rights and the U.S. Census citizenship question. He has also been instrumental in increasing the ACLU's efforts in direct political advocacy, significantly impacting the restoration of voting rights in Florida.

Romero’s achievements include leading the ACLU during its most successful membership growth and overseeing a landmark fundraising campaign. In addition, Romero has expanded the ACLU's litigation, lobbying, and public education efforts across a variety of fields including human rights, racial justice, and technology and privacy. He co-authored "In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror" with Dina Temple-Raston in 2007, contributing further to discussions on civil liberties. Romero is not only the first Latino and openly gay man to serve as the ACLU's executive director but also a prominent figure in public-interest activism, whose efforts have been recognized when he was named one of Time Magazine's 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America in 2005.