Marjorie R. Esman

Marjorie R. Esman has been Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana since September 2007, after 20 years in the private practice of law. Her law practice focused on copyright and trademark issues, as well as First Amendment litigation concerning the freedom of speech and religion. She was a member of the ACLU of Louisiana board of directors from 1995 and the national ACLU board from 1997, until she resigned both positions to become Executive Director.

Since taking the helm of the ACLU of Louisiana, she has increased the staff from four to six and expanded its lobbying presence in Baton Rouge. Working around the state through litigation, public education and outreach, and lobbying, the ACLU of Louisiana focuses on racial equality, LGBT rights, religious freedom, and the rights of the incarcerated, as well as on legislative issues designed to increase equality for all in Louisiana.

In addition to her law degree (Tulane 1987), Esman holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Tulane University (1981) and has taught at Tulane, Louisiana State University, and the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). She serves on the board of Parkway Partners, a New Orleans organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the green spaces in the City of New Orleans.