Ruth Marcus

Ruth Allyn Marcus (born May 15, 1958) is an American political commentator and journalist who writes an op-ed column for The Washington Post and serves as the Deputy Editorial Page Editor for the newspaper.

Marcus was born in Philadelphia in 1958 and grew up in a Jewish family in Livingston, New Jersey.

Both her parents were pharmacists.

She attended school in Livingston with and has remained a close friend of fellow columnist Mona Charen.

She studied at Yale University where she wrote for the college newspaper.

After receiving her 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.

Marcus began writing for The Washington Post 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."

Marcus is married to former Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz, a Democrat.

The couple have two daughters, Emma and Julia.

In March 2007, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

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 and as a Zionist.

She is registered as an Independent.