Bio
Steven Watt is a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Human Rights Program. Watt specializes in civil and human rights litigation before domestic courts and international tribunals. Watt is counsel in a host of state and federal court cases involving U.S. rendition, detention, and interrogation programs, trafficking and forced labor, juvenile justice, women’s and immigrants’ rights, and prison conditions. In addition, Watt is counsel in a number of petitions before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, including those addressing domestic violence, arbitrary detention and torture, juvenile life without parole, immigrants’ rights, and voting rights. Prior to joining the ACLU, Watt was a human rights fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where he focused on post-9/11 civil and human rights litigation, including Rasul v. Bush, Arar v. Ashcroft, and Turkmen v. Ashcroft.  Before taking up residence in the United States, Watt worked for three years as a public defender and legal policy consultant for the Solomon Islands government, managed refugee camps in Tanzania, worked for a community-based development HIV/AIDS program in Uganda, and ran emergency programs for the internally displaced in Liberia. Originally from Scotland, Watt holds a law degree from the University of Aberdeen, a Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Edinburgh, and an LL.M. in International Human Rights from the University of Notre Dame.Â
Featured work
Mar 23, 2022
The Coast Guard Destroyed Their Livelihoods. Will the Supreme Court Hear Their Case?
Sep 9, 2021
Survivors of the CIA Torture Program Almost 20 Years Later
Apr 29, 2016
Historic Ruling Puts Justice Within Reach for CIA Torture Victims
Aug 10, 2015
Psychologists Honor Anti-Torture Whistleblower. Government, Now It’s Your Move.
Dec 22, 2014
The Horrific Stories of CIA-sponsored Torture That Aren’t in the Senate Report.
Dec 15, 2014
Now Can Torture Survivor Khaled El-Masri Have His Apology?
Nov 25, 2014
The U.N. Acts to Protect the Human Right to Privacy
Mar 26, 2014
Only in America: 16-Year-Old Locked Up for the Rest of His Life