Bio
Kate Ruane was previously a senior legislative counsel with the ACLU, where she advocated for the protection of free speech from government incursion. She also worked to ensure that consumers’ privacy is protected when they share their information with companies that collect their data.
Before joining the ACLU, she was a legislative attorney with the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for 11 years. CRS is a nonpartisan federal agency that provides in-depth research and analysis on some of the most challenging questions faced by members of Congress and their staff as they consider legislation. In her role at CRS, Kate served as an expert on the First Amendment’s freedom of speech clause. She also covered issues involving telecommunications and consumer privacy.
Kate received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in May of 2007 and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002.
Featured work
![A sign on a school bus displays "FREE WIFI BUS"](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/05/web20-remote_learning-BlogImage_Wordpress_1110x740-400x266.jpg)
May 14, 2020
In Fear of Falling Behind and Privacy Invasions, Students Demand Action on Remote Learning
![Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/12/WEB19-Senators-Wicker-and-Cantwell-BlogImage-WordPress-1110x740-400x266.jpg)
Dec 5, 2019
Senators Reveal Their Plans to Protect Consumer Privacy Online
![](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/11/download-2-400x266.jpg)
Nov 15, 2019
Whistleblowers Are Public Servants. We Must Protect Them.
![Boycott Israel Protest](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web19-bdsprotest-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
Jul 23, 2019
With the Right to Boycott Under Attack, Some Members of Congress Are Pushing Back
![A technician loads patient samples into a machine for testing at Myriad Genetics](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web19-myriad-genetics-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
Jun 3, 2019
Who Controls Our Genes? Congress Is Deciding Right Now and It Could Harm Our Health.
![Protesters holding BDS signs](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web19-bds-protest-1st-ammendment-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
May 9, 2019
Congress, Laws Suppressing Boycotts of Israel Are Unconstitutional. Sincerely, Three Federal Courts.
![Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, about Introduction of H.R. 1 - For the People Act.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web19-hr1-for-the-people-act-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
Mar 5, 2019
Congress, Let’s Fix the Problems in H.R. 1 So We Can Enact the Bill’s Much-Needed Reforms
![Boycott Israel Protest](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web19-bdsprotest-v2-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
Jan 28, 2019
In Congress, a Threat to Americans’ First Amendment Right to Boycott
![U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida speaking at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web19-marco-rubio-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
Jan 9, 2019
Marco Rubio and His Colleagues Need a Refresher on the First Amendment