About Us Menu

Joseph A. Morris

Chairman, Board of Directors, The Heartland Institute

Joseph A. Morris was elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Heartland Institute in 2020.

Mr. Morris is a Partner in the law firm of Morris & De La Rosa, with offices in Chicago and London. He maintains an active practice conducting trials and appeals in the areas of constitutional, business, labor and international law. He is a member of the Bars of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Illinois and several other courts.

Mr. Morris served under President Reagan as Assistant Attorney General of the United States and Director of the Department of Justice Office of Liaison Services, in which capacity he was the Attorney General’s top assistant in charge of International affairs and of liaison with state and local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies. He has served as an American delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva and both a government and a public member of the Administrative Conference of the United States.

A leader in B’nai B’rith and other Jewish and interfaith organizations, Mr. Morris served from 1995 through 2001 as the President of B’nai B’rith in the Midwest. He was founder and first Chairman of the B’nai B’rith International Center for Public Policy.

He serves pro bono publico as the President and General Counsel of The Lincoln Legal Foundation and is active in a number of other bar, civic and charitable organizations.

A frequent lecturer and debater, Mr. Morris has appeared on such national and local television and radio programs as ABC’s Good Morning, America, NBC’s Nightly News, WTTW Chicago Tonight, and Extension 720 with the late Milt Rosenberg. He was former co-host of Equal Time on WBEZ Radio, the Chicago affiliate of National Public Radio.

Mr. Morris is an alumnus of the College and the Law School of The University of Chicago. He is married to Kathleen Morris and resides in Chicago.