Samantha Past joined the ACLU of Florida in September 2023 as a member of the legal department focused on LGBTQ+ rights.
She is committed to protecting and advancing civil rights and liberties, including LGBTQ+ rights, gender justice, and reproductive freedom. Throughout her career, she has been honored to work with, and learn from, various public interest organizations devoted to state and federal advocacy, including two ACLU affiliates—the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and the ACLU of Mississippi.
Samantha received her B.A. in Economics and Social History from Barnard College, Columbia University and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. During law school, she was the Managing Editor of the Brooklyn Journal of International Law, the Secretary and Events Coordinator for If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, and a clinical student with the Disability and Civil Rights Clinic. She received an Outstanding Public Service Award as well as a Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest Fellowship. She is also a recently published author for her piece advocating for a federal ban of so-called conversion therapy practices.
Samantha is dedicated to public interest work, and she hopes to create change in and out of the courtroom. She is eager to contribute to the ACLU of Florida, where civil rights and civil liberties are under attack across the state.