Ruth Allyn Marcus (born May 15, 1958) is an American political commentator and journalist who currently writes an op-ed column for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' and serves as the Deputy Editorial Page Editor for the newspaper. In March 2007, she was a finalist for the

Pulitzer Prize for Commentary The Pulitzer Prize for Commentary is an award administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism "for distinguished commentary, using any available journalistic tool". It is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are ...

. Unusual among the majority of journalists, she is also a law school graduate, although she opted to continue with a career in journalism versus practicing law as an attorney. Ideologically and politically, she identifies as a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and is registered as an Independent.

Biography

Background and education

Marcus was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

in 1958 and grew up in a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in

Livingston, New Jersey Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 29,366, reflecting an increase of 1,975 (+7.2%) from the 27,391 counted in the 2000 Census. In 2019, the Population Estimates Prog ...

. Both her parents were pharmacists. She attended school in Livingston with and has remained a close friend of fellow columnist

Mona Charen Mona Charen Parker (; born February 25, 1957) is a columnist, journalist, and political commentator in the United States. She has written three books: ''Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got it Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First'' (200 ...

.Mona Charen and Ruth Marcus
C-SPAN Q&A (television), July 9, 2006. Accessed November 30, 2014. "Brian Lamb, C-SPAN: Ruth Marcus, can you remember the first time you met Mona Charen? Ruth Marcus, Author: I can't remember the first time but I can remember many other times in the middle there because we were – we both started in Livingston, New Jersey in fourth grade." She studied at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

where she wrote for the college newspaper.

Career

Harvard Law School

After receiving her Yale B.A. degree, Marcus wrote for the '' National Law Journal'', before attending Harvard Law School, from which she received her J.D. degree in 1984.

''The Washington Post''

Marcus began writing for ''

'' while still in law school, and formally joined the paper after graduation. From her ''Washington Post'' biography:

Marcus has been with The Post since 1984. She joined the national staff in 1986, covering campaign finance, the Justice Department, the Supreme Court and the White House. From 1999 through 2002, she served as deputy national editor, supervising reporters who covered money and politics, Congress, the Supreme Court, and other national issues. She joined the editorial board in 2003 and began writing a regular column in 2006.

Works

* ''Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover'', Simon & Schuster (December 3, 2019)

Personal life

Marcus is married to former Federal Trade Commission Chairman

Jon Leibowitz Jonathan David Leibowitz (born June 17, 1958) is an American attorney who served under President Barack Obama as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2009 to 2013. Leibowitz was appointed to the commission in 2004, and resigned in 20 ...

, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. The couple have two daughters, Emma and Julia.

References

External links

Ruth Marcus
at ''The Washington Post'' *
C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Marcus and Mona Charen, July 9, 2006

C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Marcus and Mona Charen, April 12, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcus, Ruth 1958 births Living people 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women writers American columnists Harvard Law School alumni Jewish American journalists Journalists from New Jersey Journalists from Pennsylvania MSNBC people NBC News people People from Livingston, New Jersey The Washington Post people American women columnists Yale University alumni