WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2019—The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to confirm The Heritage Foundation’s John Malcolm, vice president of the Institute for Constitutional Government and director of the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).
The LSC provides civil legal assistance to low-income individuals across the country. It is comprised of an 11-member bipartisan Board of Directors. President Donald Trump appointed Malcolm to the board for a term that expires in 2020.
"I am honored that Senate confirmed me today to serve on the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation,” said Malcolm. “As Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, Jr. once said: 'Equal justice under law is not merely a caption on the facade of the Supreme Court building; it is perhaps the most inspiring ideal of our society. It is one of the ends for which our entire legal system exists. It is fundamental that justice should be the same, in substance and availability, without regard to economic status.'
“I look forward to helping fulfill this fundamental ideal by ensuring that low-income individuals are able to obtain the legal assistance they need to pursue their claims and are not forced to engage in the daunting task of navigating the legal system on their own."
As director for the Meese Center, Malcolm oversees Heritage’s efforts to educate government officials, the media and the public about the Constitution and legal principles—and how they affect public policy.
Some of his recent reports include, Policing in America: Midsize Departments as Laboratories of Police Innovation and a three-part series on mental illness and gun violence. Malcolm has also been a champion of responsible prison and sentencing reforms and advocated for many of the components of the First Step Act, which was signed into law late last year.
“John Malcolm has a relentless commitment to upholding the Constitution and ensuring that all Americans are equally protected under the rule of law,” said Heritage Foundation President Kay Coles James. “John’s distinguished legal career and astute understanding of the law will be a great help to veterans, families and individuals in need of legal services. I congratulate my friend and colleague for this tremendous honor.”
Among other roles prior to joining Heritage in 2012, Malcolm served as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division from 2001 to 2004 and an assistant U.S. attorney in Atlanta from 1990 to 1997.
In addition to his duties at Heritage, Malcolm is chairman of the Criminal Law Practice Group of the Federalist Society and chairman of the board of directors for Boys Town Washington, D.C., which provides homes and services to troubled children and families who are edging toward crisis.
Malcolm is a graduate of Harvard Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Columbia College.
