Washington, DC (Oct. 24, 2011) – The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is pleased to announce that attorney Mason C. Clutter of Washington, D.C. today joins the association’s national office as National Security Counsel. Ms. Clutter will guide NACDL’s efforts to confront the increasing curtailment of fundamental rights under the rubric of national security and will provide resources to both civilian and military lawyers as they encounter national security issues in criminal prosecutions. In addition, Ms. Clutter will pursue initiatives designed to identify and oppose the misuse of national security and electronic surveillance laws.
“Mason Clutter brings exceptional experience and dedication to this increasingly important position,” said NACDL Executive Director Norman Reimer. “As an attorney who has developed and promoted policy positions related to the intersection between national security and the justice system, Mason is well-qualified to guide NACDL’s dual mission of support for the criminal defense bar and advocacy for reform. I am confident that she will significantly enhance NACDL’s capacity to safeguard fundamental constitutional principles. We welcome her to NACDL’s outstanding public policy team.”
Ms. Clutter responded, “I am truly honored to have the opportunity to join the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. I look forward to working with NACDL’s distinguished members and experts as we continue to seek reforms—both in Congress and in the courts—to restore the rule of law. As we enhance our civil liberties and safeguard fundamental constitutional protections, we also strengthen our national security.”
Ms. Clutter earned an LL.M. in Law and Government from American University’s Washington College of Law, where she specialized in constitutional law and civil rights. She earned her J.D. from Barry University in Orlando, Florida, and her B.A. in Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida. Ms. Clutter comes to NACDL from The Constitution Project where she served as Counsel to the Rule of Law Program, supporting a variety of projects related to national security. She helped advance the Project’s opposition to indefinite detention and support for reliance upon traditional federal courts to try terrorism suspects. Prior to her tenure at The Constitution Project, Ms. Clutter was a Research Associate at the National Litigation Project of the Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School.
Contacts
Ivan Dominguez, Deputy Director of Public Affairs & Communications, (202) 465-7662 or idominguez@nacdl.org.
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.