Mark Agrast

Senior Fellow

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Mark Agrast is a Senior Fellow at American Progress, where he focuses on the Constitution, separation of powers, terrorism and civil liberties, and the rule of law. Prior to joining American Progress, Agrast was Counsel and Legislative Director to Congressman William D. Delahunt of Massachusetts from 1997 to 2003. He 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. He 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.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he received his B.A. summa cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in 1978, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar from 1978 to 1981, and received his J.D. in 1985 from Yale Law School. He is a member of the Supreme Court Bar and is admitted to practice in Ohio and the District of Columbia.

Agrast 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.