Jason Bailey is Senior Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where he litigates civil rights cases across the country involving housing and employment discrimination, environmental justice, education, and First Amendment protections. In addition to his litigation practice, Jason engages in policy advocacy and has co-authored several reports for LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute.

In addition to his work at LDF, Jason has served in senior roles across the federal government. Prior to returning to LDF, he was Deputy Chief in the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, where he managed national enforcement efforts under Title VI, the Safe Streets Act, and related authorities to address discriminatory law enforcement and correctional practices, advance environmental justice, and strengthen language access protections. He also served as Senior Advisor for Civil Rights at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, providing legal guidance in Title VI investigations. Earlier in his career, he litigated employment discrimination cases as a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jason previously clerked for the Honorable Susan O. Hickey of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas and began his legal career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, leading a project to address housing discrimination in Arkansas.

Jason graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arkansas School of Law and holds a Master of Public Administration from Arkansas State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He is admitted to practice in Arkansas and the District of Columbia.