Nadine Strossen (born August 18, 1950) is an American legal scholar and civil liberties activist who served as the president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from 1991 to 2008. A liberal feminist, she was the first woman to lead the ACLU. A professor at New York Law School, Strossen is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and other professional organizations.
Early life and education <!--Note: Some of these citations apply also to other sentences in their respective section, especially preceding ones.-->
Strossen was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on August 18, 1950. He was removed from school and placed in the Buchenwald concentration camp until being liberated by American troops. Strossen's mother, a member of the National Organization for Women and supporter of Planned Parenthood, was an advocate for women's rights.
When she was eight years old, Strossen's family moved to Hopkins, Minnesota. She initially considered pursuing a career as a teacher; while attending high school in Hopkins, Strossen distinguished herself as a member of the school's debate team, of which she was the only girl. In 1968, Strossen enrolled at Radcliffe College of Harvard University, where she was a resident of Holmes Hall (now a part of Pforzheimer House) before moving to Winthrop House in 1970. She met her husband, Eli Noam, while they were both at Harvard when he was a tutor in Adams House.
In addition to her involvement in debate, Strossen became interested in feminism as an undergraduate student. Strossen then attended Harvard Law School, becoming an editor of the Harvard Law Review, and obtaining her Juris Doctor (J.D.), magna cum laude, in 1975. After graduating, she was a law clerk for a year at the Minnesota Supreme Court.
President of the ACLU
In 1991, Strossen became the first female president of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Other activities
She appeared in the 2000 docudrama Dirty Pictures. In October 2001, Strossen made her theater debut as the guest star in Eve Ensler's play, The Vagina Monologues at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Having been appointed as the chaired John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law in 2015, she teaches constitutional law and human rights.
In 2019, her book Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship was chosen as the Washington University in St. Louis Common Reading book. On August 26, Strossen delivered a keynote address at the university. On April 12, 2021, in "shaping Opinion", Strossen and host Tim O'Brien discussed her opinions and possible solutions on countering harmful or "hate speech" other than censoring it, as she sets out in her book.
Strossen spoke at the inaugural gala for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression in New York City in April 2023.
- Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA), founding member
- University of Austin (UATX), founding member
Personal life
Strossen is married to Eli Noam, a professor at Columbia Business School. They married in 1980.