Melissa Hooper is an accomplished lawyer and policy expert with more than 20 years’ experience in accountability law, high-impact litigation, and global human rights advocacy.

Recognized for her leadership in framing and initiating actions to defend democratic principles and the rule of law, she has successfully litigated complex domestic and international cases, worked alongside Congress and the California state legislature to author and pass significant legislation, and managed coalitions and initiatives across government, academia, and civil society. She has testified repeatedly before Congress on issues of accountability for rights violations and corruption, democratic resilience, and national security; has led international teams to secure justice in significant human rights cases; and has contributed to policy development at the highest levels.

She also has worked alongside lawyers and watchdogs in numerous countries to develop legal and policy responses to anti-democratic government action, and initiated the first program at USAID on democratic backsliding. Her work imagines ways to build resilience and rule of law through developing new networks, seeding strategic initiatives, and designing novel legal actions.

In sum, her adventures in human rights and rule of law work have included releasing an innocent prisoner from death row, advising Pussy Riot, getting kicked out of two countries and yelled at by several autocrats.

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