Morton Sklar

Morton Sklar, Executive Director

"Morton is an experienced litigator and former judge, with over 40 years’ experience in civil rights, voting rights, and human rights litigation. Following his graduation from Yale Law School, he worked in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, dealing with voting rights cases. As Director of Jobs Watch in the 1970s, Morton expanded his focus to include of a variety of economic rights issues related to employment, welfare, and job training.

"In 1978, he organized and chaired the Helsinki Watch Committee for the U.S., a working group of U.S.-based civil rights and civil liberties organizations. Under his leadership, the group issued the first comprehensive report on U.S. compliance with international human rights norms, delivered to Congress’ Helsinki Commission in 1979, predating efforts along these lines later undertaken by larger groups, and serving as the basis for Human Rights USA's subsequent monitoring and reporting efforts.

"Morton has promoted democratic reforms and accountability measures in Eastern Europe, served as an international law judge at the Organization of American States Administrative Labor Tribunal, and has been teaching as an adjunct human rights law professor at Catholic University Law School for thirty years. Since founding Human Rights USA in 1996, Morton’s passion for creative and cutting-edge human rights advocacy has led to ground-breaking decisions in women’s rights and anti-terrorism cases, including Nwaokolo v. I.N.S. in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and Abu Ali v. Ashcroft in the D.C. District Court."