Kenneth L. Marcus, born circa 1961 in Los Angeles, California, into a Jewish family, is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. He graduated from Williams College with an A.B. in political science in 1983 and earned a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1986. Early in his career, Marcus served as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, focusing on enforcement of civil rights laws. During the George W. Bush administration (2004–2008), he held senior roles in the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, including counsel to the assistant secretary, deputy assistant secretary for policy, and acting assistant secretary. He was nominated in 2008 to be permanent assistant secretary but withdrew amid Democratic opposition accusing him of manipulating civil rights data for political purposes. Marcus later served as Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights, practiced law privately, led the Initiative on Anti-Semitism at the American Jewish Committee, and taught as an adjunct professor of constitutional law at George Washington University Law School. He is a prominent advocate against antisemitism in higher education and a key architect behind the push to codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Marcus has emphasized aggressive enforcement of Title VI against anti-Jewish harassment, earning acclaim from conservative and pro-Israel groups but facing sharp criticism from progressive activists and academics who contend his views suppress legitimate criticism of Israel and equate anti-Zionism with discrimination.