Internship at The Constitution Project

The Constitution Project is an independent think tank in Washington, DC that promotes and defends constitutional safeguards. We work to reform laws that undermine our rights and freedoms and to uphold laws that protect them. Through our Rule of Law and Criminal Justice programs, we seek to counter measures that have an adverse and unnecessary impact on constitutional rights including privacy, post-9/11 laws that infringe on our rights, the guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment, due process, habeas corpus, the death penalty, and the right to counsel.

The Constitution Project creates bipartisan coalitions of expert leaders of all political stripes and works with them to create consensus recommendations for policy reforms. Students work closely with the TCP's attorneys, communications experts, and other staff to assist in the preparation of these policy recommendations by conducting legal research and drafting and editing amicus briefs and other publications. In addition, students will assist in TCP’s pubic education work to disseminate these recommendations to policymakers, the media, and the public. This would include preparing the initial draft of opinion pieces to be published in newspapers, making calls to relevant government officials to educate them about the TCP’s recommendations, attending legislative hearings, and assisting in planning public education forums. Students will learn about the legislative process, how policy initiatives are publicized and promoted inWashington, and the work of a variety of public policy and interest organizations inWashington and around the country.

Applicants should:

• Have strong research and writing skills.
• Be willing to work with experts and advocates of all partisan affiliations
• Have some prior internship or volunteer experience.
• Be willing to work a minimum of 10 weeks for 15 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters, and 10 weeks for 40 hours per week during the summer semester.

This internship is unpaid, though the Project will support those applicants who are seeking academic credit through their home institutions.

The Constitution Project does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual or gender orientation, age, religion, or physical ability.

For more information, please visit www.constitutionproject.org or contact Francine Wargo at 202-580-6924 or fwargo@constitutionproject.org.

Please send the following to fwargo@constitutionproject.org:

• A cover letter describing your interest in the position
• A current resume and three references (at least one should be non-academic)
• One writing sample: a 3-7 page essay/report from a recent course on any subject.