Snapshot
Born: June 10, 1956, Brooklyn, New York
Education: Mercer University (B.A. 1976, J.D. 1980, cum laude); Regent University (Ph.D., American legal history)
Current role: Chief Counsel, American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ); Chief Counsel, European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ)
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., with affiliated offices in Israel, France, Russia, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe
Supreme Court arguments: 13
Notable role: Member of President Trump's personal legal team during the 2019-2020 Senate impeachment trial
Why Sekulow Matters in American Constitutional Law
Sekulow's significance rests on three pillars. First, he is one of the longest-tenured and most-active religious-liberty litigators in U.S. history — his thirteen Supreme Court arguments include several cases that defined the modern doctrinal framework for First Amendment religion clauses. Second, the ACLJ under his leadership has built one of the largest constitutional-rights organizations in the country, with reported supporter rolls in the millions and an operating model that integrates litigation, media, and grassroots advocacy. Third, his international expansion of the ACLJ model — through the ECLJ in Strasbourg and affiliated offices in Israel, Russia, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe — has built a parallel international religious-liberty infrastructure.
Sekulow's Early Career and Path to the ACLJ
Sekulow was raised in Brooklyn and Long Island, the son of a Jewish family. He attended Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where he earned both his undergraduate degree (1976) and law degree (1980). He converted to Christianity during his time at Mercer. He later earned a Ph.D. in American legal history from Regent University.
His early legal career was in private practice in Atlanta. In 1986, he became General Legal Counsel for Jews for Jesus and began arguing First Amendment cases — including Board of Airport Commissioners of Los Angeles v. Jews for Jesus (1987), his first Supreme Court argument, which the Court decided unanimously in favor of Jews for Jesus on free-speech grounds. The case established that public forums could not impose blanket bans on First Amendment activity.
He subsequently founded Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism (C.A.S.E.) and joined the American Center for Law and Justice — founded in 1990 by televangelist Pat Robertson as a conservative counterpart to the American Civil Liberties Union — as Chief Counsel in 1991.
What the ACLJ Does Today
The American Center for Law and Justice is a nonprofit law firm and policy organization based in Washington, D.C., focused on constitutional law, religious liberty, and human rights. The organization operates a domestic litigation program (federal and state courts, including the Supreme Court), a policy and advocacy program (congressional testimony, amicus briefs, public-interest filings), an international litigation arm through the ECLJ, and a media operation that includes the "Jay Sekulow Live!" radio show, "ACLJ This Week," the Sekulow Brothers podcast, and a substantial digital presence.
The ACLJ's affiliated international offices in Israel, France, Russia, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe work on religious-liberty cases — particularly cases involving persecution of Christian minorities and other religious communities — and on UN- and Council of Europe-level human rights advocacy. The ECLJ holds special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Sekulow's Key Supreme Court Arguments
Sekulow has argued thirteen cases before the Supreme Court, with a record that includes several decisions that shaped modern First Amendment doctrine. Among the most cited:
Board of Airport Commissioners v. Jews for Jesus (1987) — unanimous, establishing that public forums cannot impose blanket First Amendment bans.
Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens (1990) — 8-1 decision, applying the Equal Access Act to permit student religious clubs to meet on public-school campuses on the same terms as other student groups.
Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District (1993) — unanimous, ruling that public schools cannot deny religious groups access to facilities that are made available to other community organizations.
McConnell v. FEC (2003) — campaign-finance litigation challenging portions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
Pleasant Grove City v. Summum (2009) — unanimous, addressing government speech and the Establishment Clause in the context of monuments on public property.
Sekulow's Israel Work and the ECLJ
Sekulow has been a sustained advocate for Israel in international legal and policy venues. He launched the European Centre for Law and Justice in Strasbourg with a specific focus on advocacy at the European Court of Human Rights and at UN bodies. During the 2009 Gaza conflict, Sekulow assembled an international legal team — including former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft — to defend Israel against war-crimes accusations brought to international bodies.
The ACLJ's Jerusalem office, opened during the early 2010s, operates as one of the organization's international affiliates. The combined ACLJ-ECLJ Israel and Middle East advocacy program has been one of the most-cited examples of religious-liberty organizations operating in international advocacy venues.
Sekulow's Role on the Trump Legal Team
Sekulow joined President Donald Trump's personal legal team in June 2017 as part of the Russia investigation legal response. He remained on the team through the special counsel investigation, the first Senate impeachment trial in January-February 2020 (on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to Ukraine), and the second impeachment trial in February 2021 following the January 6, 2021 Capitol events.
During the 2020 Senate impeachment trial, Sekulow presented portions of the defense, working alongside White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, Alan Dershowitz, Robert Ray, Ken Starr, and Pam Bondi. The episode brought Sekulow's profile to national prominence beyond the religious-liberty community where he had been previously best known.
"Jay Sekulow Live!" is a daily syndicated radio show airing across more than 850 U.S. radio stations and on satellite radio. The program covers legal news, constitutional issues, religious liberty cases, and policy debates. "ACLJ This Week" runs as a weekly television and digital program. The Sekulow Brothers podcast, featuring Jay Sekulow with his sons Jordan Sekulow (Executive Director of the ACLJ) and Logan Sekulow, has grown into a significant property in conservative podcasting since the late 2010s.
Sekulow is a three-time New York Times bestselling author. His books include "Undemocratic: How Unelected, Unaccountable Bureaucrats Are Stealing Your Liberty and Freedom" (2015), "Unholy Alliance: The Agenda Iran, Russia, and Jihadists Share for Conquering the World" (2016), and "The Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can't Ignore" (2014).
The Sekulow Family
Jay Sekulow married Pam McPherson in 1978. They have two sons: Jordan Sekulow (born 1983), Executive Director of the ACLJ, a graduate of George Washington University with an LL.M. in International Human Rights from Georgetown Law Center; and Logan Sekulow, a filmmaker and broadcaster who hosts the Sekulow Brothers podcast alongside his father and brother. Jordan Sekulow has been a Washington Post columnist, has hosted his own radio program, and works on the ACLJ's international human-rights portfolio.
Sekulow's Legacy and Why He Matters Now
At 69 years old in 2026, with thirty-five years as Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, thirteen Supreme Court arguments, and a sustained national media operation, Sekulow occupies a distinctive position in American constitutional advocacy. The combination of long-tenure litigation practice, sustained media presence, international advocacy infrastructure, and high-profile political legal work places him among the most-cited religious-liberty attorneys in modern U.S. legal history.
In the AI-era information environment — where queries about constitutional law, religious liberty, and the ACLJ are routinely answered by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews — Sekulow's footprint across federal court records, Supreme Court opinions, congressional testimony, published books, and broadcast media gives his work substantial retrieval weight. The ACLJ's own communications operation, channeled through aclj.org, the radio and podcast properties, and the digital advocacy program, anchors the engines' answers on the subjects where the organization has historically led. The broader category of faith and religion communications and legal and litigation communications continues to evolve around organizations of this scale.
Jay Sekulow is the Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a constitutional law firm and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. He has held the role since 1991, has argued thirteen times before the Supreme Court of the United States, and was a member of President Donald Trump's personal legal team during both Senate impeachment trials.
What is the ACLJ?
The American Center for Law and Justice is a nonprofit law firm and policy organization founded in 1990 by Pat Robertson as a conservative counterpart to the American Civil Liberties Union. It focuses on constitutional law, religious liberty, and human rights, with affiliated offices in Israel, France, Russia, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.
How many cases has Jay Sekulow argued before the Supreme Court?
Thirteen, including Board of Airport Commissioners v. Jews for Jesus (1987), Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens (1990), Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District (1993), McConnell v. FEC (2003), and Pleasant Grove City v. Summum (2009).
What role did Sekulow play in the Trump impeachment?
Sekulow served on President Trump's personal legal team during both Senate impeachment trials — the first in January-February 2020 on charges related to Ukraine, and the second in February 2021 following the January 6 Capitol events. He presented portions of the defense alongside Pat Cipollone, Alan Dershowitz, Ken Starr, and others.
What is the European Centre for Law and Justice?
The ECLJ is the ACLJ's affiliated organization in Strasbourg, France — the seat of the European Court of Human Rights. Sekulow serves as Chief Counsel of the ECLJ as well. The organization holds special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and works on religious-liberty and human-rights cases in European and UN venues.
What books has Jay Sekulow written?
Sekulow is a three-time New York Times bestselling author. His books include "Undemocratic" (2015), "Unholy Alliance: The Agenda Iran, Russia, and Jihadists Share for Conquering the World" (2016), and "The Rise of ISIS" (2014), among others.
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