David McGuire, a white man with short brown hair wearing a light blue dress shirt with a red tie and brown glasses, looking at the camera with a smile.

David McGuire

Pronouns: he, his

ACLU of Connecticut Executive Director

Bio

David J. McGuire joined the ACLU of Connecticut as a staff attorney in 2007 and served as its legislative and policy director from 2015 through 2016. In 2016, McGuire was chosen to lead the organization as its executive director. In his decade-plus with the ACLU-CT, McGuire has litigated cases to protect incarcerated people’s rights, separation of church, and state and free speech rights.  He also played a leading role in advocating for police accountability, and successfully pressed for the passage of dozens of laws to protect civil rights and liberties. A past recipient of Connecticut Magazine’s “40 Under 40” award, McGuire also is the chair of the Connecticut Special Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, serves on the state’s Racial Profiling Prohibition Project Advisory Board, and is a member of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System. McGuire received his B.A. in history from Purdue University and graduated cum laude from Western New England University School of Law.

Featured Work

News & Commentary
There is a crowd of folks rallying for reproductive justice. The focus is on one femme-presenting person with a beanie and a sign up in the air that is a black poster that says "Our Voice is Our Power."
  • Free Speech|
  • +6 Issues

Slowing, Shutting Down, and Reversing Trump’s March to Autocracy

ACLU of Connecticut executive director David McGuire shares insight into how we can collectively act and organize to slow, shut down, and reverse the country's march towards autocracy under the Trump administration.
News & Commentary
On a blue background, a translucent overlay of a dark blue Lady Liberty stands behind white text that reads "THE FIRST 100 DAYS"

We must not acquiesce in advance.

One hundred days into the second Trump administration, it’s clear that we are living through an explicit assault on civil rights and liberties, and democracy itself. If we remain united, active, and stand firm in our values, we will not only survive this moment, but we will build something stronger.