Stephen Rohde is a retired constitutional lawyer, lecturer, writer, and political activist. He is immediate past chair of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California and immediate past National Chair of Bend the Arc, a Jewish Partnership for Justice. Mr. Rohde received his BA degree in Political Science from Northwestern University and his JD degree from Columbia Law School. For almost 50 years, he practiced civil litigation, appellate, intellectual property, and civil rights law. He is a founder and current chair of Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace; and a Vice President of Death Penalty Focus.
Mr. Rohde is the author of American Words of Freedom and Freedom of Assembly (part of the American Rights series); and numerous articles and book reviews on civil liberties and constitutional history for Los Angeles Review of Books, American Prospect, Los Angeles Times, Truth Out, L A Progressive, Variety, and other publications. He is also co-author of Foundations of Freedom published by the Constitutional Rights Foundation.
Mr. Rohde was a recipient of Bend the Arc’s “Pursuit of Justice” Award and his work has been recognized by the ACLU and American Bar Association. Stephen Rohde, a member of the Board of the ACLU of Southern California, has represented multiple people on death row and was part of the clemency team for Stanley Tookie Williams, who was executed in 2005. He is the author of “Choosing Life: Reflections on the Movement to End Capital Punishment,” and the books “American Words of Freedom: The Words That Define Our Nation” and “Freedom of Assembly.”