(Philadelphia, May 23, 2022) The Executive Board of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) is pleased to announce the election of Morton H. Halperin as the next chair of the board, effective immediately.
“Dr. Halperin is an extraordinarily well-respected figure in U.S. public life, the sort of person who is trusted and admired by professionals as well as academics on all sides of the political spectrum,” said Professor Claire Finkelstein, founder and faculty director of CERL. “His experience serving five administrations alongside his unparalleled acumen in foreign policy and national security law and policy make him the perfect leader for CERL’s Executive Board. We are extremely fortunate he is willing to join our efforts.”
Dr. Halperin succeeds Paul G. Haaga, Jr., who transitioned to emeritus status on the CERL Executive Board in 2020 to assume the chair of the Facebook Oversight Board Trust.
Dr. Halperin is a renowned expert in U.S. foreign policy and civil liberties. He has led an accomplished career in federal government, having served in the Obama, Clinton, Nixon, Johnson, and Kennedy administrations, including as Director of the Policy Planning Staff at the Department of State (1998-2001).
“I am pleased and honored to serve as chair of the CERL Executive Board,” said Dr. Halperin. “I look forward to working with the staff and Board on such issues as closing Guantánamo and reasserting Congress’ constitutional role in national security matters including war powers and emergency powers.”
Dr. Halperin is a member of the boards of the J Street Education Fund and the ONE campaign. He worked for many years for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He was Director of the Center for National Security Studies from 1975 to 1992; from 1984 to 1992 he was also the Director of the Washington Office of the ACLU. Dr. Halperin has testified more than 100 times before congressional committees. He taught at Harvard (1961-66) and as a visitor at other universities including Columbia, George Washington, and Yale. He has been affiliated with a number of think tanks including the Center for American Progress, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Century Foundation, and the Brookings Institution. He is the author of numerous books and articles including Bureaucratic Politics and Foreign Policy and Top Secret. He was a Fellow of the MacArthur Foundation from June 1985 to June 1990.
