Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 03:49, 4 November 2021

Jerry Nadler
Chair of the House Judiciary Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Bob Goodlatte
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York
Incumbent
Assumed office November 3, 1992
Preceded by	Ted Weiss
Constituency	17th district (1992–1993) 8th district (1993–2013) 10th district (2013–present)
Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee
In office December 20, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	John Conyers
Succeeded by	Doug Collins
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office January 1, 1977 – November 3, 1992
Preceded by	Albert H. Blumenthal
Succeeded by	Scott Stringer
Constituency	69th district (1977–1982) 67th district (1983–1992)
Personal details
Born	Jerrold Lewis Nadler (1947-06-13) June 13, 1947 (age 77) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Joyce Miller ​(m. 1976)​
Children	1
Education	Columbia University (BA) Fordham University (JD)
Signature
Website	House website

Jerrold Lewis Nadler (/ˈnædlər/; born June 13, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician, serving as the U.S. Representative for New York's 10th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he is in his 15th term in Congress. He was originally elected to represent the state's 17th congressional district (1992–1993), which was renumbered the 8th congressional district (1993–2013) and now is the 10th congressional district. Nadler has chaired the House Judiciary Committee since 2019.

The 10th congressional district includes Manhattan's west side, from the Upper West Side down to Battery Park, including the World Trade Center; the Manhattan neighborhoods of Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, and Greenwich Village; and parts of Brooklyn, such as Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, and Bay Ridge. It includes many of New York City's most popular tourist attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, New York Stock Exchange, Brooklyn Bridge, and Central Park. Nadler is the dean of New York's delegation to the House of Representatives.

Early life, education and early political career

Nadler was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, the son of Miriam (née Schreiber) and Emanuel "Max" Nadler. Nadler described his father as a "dyed-in-the-wool Democrat" who lost his poultry farm in New Jersey when the younger Nadler was seven. In his youth he attended Crown Heights Yeshiva; he is the only member of Congress with a yeshiva education. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1965 (where his debate team partner was the future philosopher of science Alexander Rosenberg, and Dick Morris managed his successful campaign for student government president).

Nadler received his B.A. in 1969 from Columbia University, where he became a brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi. After graduating from Columbia, Nadler worked as a legal assistant and clerk, first with Corporation Trust Company in 1970, then the Morris, Levin and Shein law firm in 1971. In 1972, Nadler was a legislative assistant in the New York State Assembly before becoming shift manager at the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation, a position he held until becoming a law clerk with Morgan, Finnegan, Pine, Foley and Lee in 1976.

While attending evening courses at the Fordham University School of Law, Nadler was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1976. He completed his J.D. at Fordham in 1978.

New York State Assembly

Nadler was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 1992, sitting in the 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th and 189th New York State Legislatures.

In 1985, he ran for Manhattan Borough President. He lost the Democratic primary to David Dinkins. In the general election, he ran as the New York Liberal Party nominee, and again lost to Dinkins.

In 1989, he ran for New York City Comptroller. In the Democratic primary, he lost to Kings County D.A. Elizabeth Holtzman.

Nadler founded and chaired the Assembly Subcommittee on Mass Transit and Rail Freight.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 1992, Ted Weiss was expected to run for reelection in the 8th district, which had been renumbered from the 17th after the 1990 U.S. Census. But Weiss died a day before the primary election. Nadler was nominated to replace Weiss. He ran in two elections on Election Day—a special election to serve the rest of Weiss's eighth term in the old 17th district, and a regular election for a full two-year term in the new 8th district. He won both handily, and has been reelected 15 times with no substantive opposition. In 2020 Nadler faced a primary challenge from activist Lindsey Boylan; the election was the first time in his tenure that Nadler received less than 75% of the vote. The district was renumbered the 10th district after the 2010 census. A Republican has not represented this district or its predecessors in over a century.

The 10th district includes Manhattan's west side from the Upper West Side down to Battery Park, including the World Trade Center; the Manhattan neighborhoods of Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen and Greenwich Village; and parts of Brooklyn, such as Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Borough Park and Bay Ridge. It includes many of New York City's most popular tourist attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, New York Stock Exchange, Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park.

Tenure

Nadler chairs the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary and is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure committees.

Despite earlier efforts to impeach George W. Bush and more recent requests from fellow representatives, he did not schedule hearings on impeachments for Bush or Dick Cheney, saying in 2007 that doing so would be pointless and would distract from the presidential election. In an interview in Washington Journal on July 15, 2008, Nadler reiterated the timing argument and endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, saying that electing an honest candidate would create a greater chance of prosecuting those in the Bush administration who had committed war crimes. Ten days later, after Representative Dennis Kucinich submitted Articles of Impeachment, the full House Judiciary Committee held hearings regarding the process covered solely by C-SPAN. A top Ronald Reagan Justice Department official, Bruce Fein, was among those testifying for impeachment.

On a similar note, referring to hypothetical impeachment proceedings against President Trump that would begin in the newly elected Democrat-controlled House, he suggested a "three-pronged test" that "would make for a legitimate impeachment proceeding". Such a test would include "the offenses in question must be so grave", and "the evidence so clear", that "even some supporters of the president concede that impeachment is necessary". If it was determined that the president committed an impeachable offense, lawmakers must consider if such an offense would "rise to the gravity where it's worth putting the country through the trauma of an impeachment proceeding," Nadler said.

On September 24, 2019, Representative Lance Gooden proposed a resolution to remove Nadler from his position as chair of the House Judiciary committee, accusing him of unlawfully beginning impeachment proceedings before the House had given the committee authorization.

For his tenure as chair of the House Judiciary Committee in the 116th Congress, Nadler earned an "A" grade from the nonpartisan Lugar Center's Congressional Oversight Hearing Index.

Committee assignments

Current

• Committee on the Judiciary (Chair)
  • As chair of the full committee, Nadler may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.

Former

• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
• Medicare for All Caucus

Political positions

Surveillance

Nadler was unhappy with the passage of the surveillance-reform compromise bill, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, saying it "abandons the Constitution's protections and insulates lawless behavior from legal scrutiny".

Income taxes

Nadler compared Obama's acceptance of Republican demands to extend Bush-era tax cuts at the highest income levels to someone's being roughed up by the mob, asserting that the Republicans would allow the middle class tax cut only if millionaires and billionaires receive a long-term tax cut as well.

Nadler has proposed changing the income tax brackets to reflect different regions and their costs of living, which would have lowered the tax rate for New Yorkers. He has opposed tax breaks for high-income earners, saying that the country cannot afford it.

Abortion

Nadler vowed to reintroduce the Freedom of Choice Act during the Obama administration. He has a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.

LGBT rights

Nadler supports same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

On September 15, 2009, Nadler and two other representatives introduced the Respect for Marriage Act, a proposed bill in that would have repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and required the federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages.

In 2019, Nadler supported the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Immigration

In March 2019, as the House debated President Trump's veto of a measure unwinding his declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, Nadler said, "I'm convinced that the president's actions are unlawful and deeply irresponsible. A core foundation of our system of government and of democracies across the world going back hundreds of years is that the executive cannot unilaterally spend taxpayer money without the legislature's consent."

Iran

In 2015, Nadler voted to support an agreement to lift economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for Iran's compliance with the terms of the agreement which called for substantial dismantling and scaling back of their nuclear program.

Israel

In December 2017, Nadler criticized Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying, "I have long recognized Jerusalem as the historic capital of Israel, and have called for the eventual relocation of the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, the seat of the Israeli government. While President Trump’s announcement earlier today rightly acknowledged the unique attachment of the Jewish people to Jerusalem, the timing and circumstances surrounding this decision are deeply worrying."

Housing

In 2020, Nadler praised a judge for a ruling that could lead to the removal of 20 or more stories in an already constructed 52-story building in the Upper West Side of New York City. The developer had received a permit to construct the building, but the judge said the permit should not have been given.

Cannabis

In July 2019, Nadler introduced the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act that, among other reforms, seeks to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act. He said, "It's past time to right this wrong nationwide and work to view marijuana use as an issue of personal choice and public health, not criminal behavior." In November 2019 the bill passed the House Judiciary Committee by a 24–10 vote, marking the first time that a bill to end cannabis prohibition had ever passed a congressional committee.

Voting record

Nadler has a liberal voting record in the House. He gained national prominence during the impeachment of Bill Clinton, when he described the process as a "partisan railroad job".

His Medicare proposal includes a section that provides for a consortium of organization to study Ground Zero illness.

Personal life

Nadler and Josephine Langsdorr Miller wed in 1976. As of 2013, they lived in Lincoln Square.

In 2002 and 2003, Nadler had laparoscopic duodenal switch surgery, helping him lose more than 100 pounds.

See also

• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress

References

1. COHEN, DAVID (January 26, 2020). "Nadler to miss part of impeachment trial due to wife's cancer". Politico. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
2. "PlanNYC: World Trade Center Redevelopment News". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
3. "EPA's Response to the World Trade Center Collapse: Challenges, Successes, and Areas for Improvement Report No. 2003-P-00012" (PDF format). August 21, 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
4. "AOC, Jerry Nadler, and dozens of other NY Dems call for Gov. Cuomo's resignation". March 12, 2021.
5. "Joyce Miller Is Wed To Jerrold Nadler". The New York Times. December 13, 1976. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
6. "Miriam Nadler". Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
7. ^ "Man in the News; Persistence Pays Off: Jerrold Lewis Nadler". The New York Times. September 25, 1992. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
8. Connolly, Griffin; Connolly, Griffin (November 9, 2018). "Meet Jerry Nadler, the Next House Judiciary Chairman and Trump's New Enemy No. 1". Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
9. "Jerrold Nadler". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
10. "Nadler, Jerrold Lewis". Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
11. "President's Letter" (PDF). The Campaign for Stuyvesant. Archived from the original (PDF format) on October 28, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
12. Fastenberg, Daniel (June 2006). "Liberal ... and Proud of It". Columbia College Today. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
13. "Notable Alumni". Alpha Epsilon Pi. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
14. ^ "Jerry Nadler's Biography". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
15. Manhattan Borough President - D Primary Archived August 11, 2018, at the Wayback Machine Our Campaigns.
16. "New York Primary Election Results: 10th Congressional District". The New York Times. July 6, 2020.
17. Purdum, Todd S. (September 25, 1992). "Man in the News; Persistence Pays Off: Jerrold Lewis Nadler". The New York Times. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
18. "PlanNYC: World Trade Center Redevelopment News". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
19. "EPA's Response to the World Trade Center Collapse: Challenges, Successes, and Areas for Improvement Report No. 2003-P-00012" (PDF format). August 21, 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
20. "Committee on the Judiciary - Democrats". Committee on the Judiciary - Democrats. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
21. Turner, Douglas (February 27, 2006). "Working Up the Nerve Toward 'Impeachment'". The Buffalo News. p. A.6.
22. Bellantoni, Christina (April 6, 2007). "Liberals Push to Impeach Bush; Key Democrats Balk at Timing". The Washington Times. p. A.01. ISSN 0732-8494.
23. "Detainee Interrogations Hearing Today | C-SPAN.org". C-SPAN. July 15, 2008. Event occurs at 11. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
24. Oprysko, Caitlin. "House Dem: Impeaching Trump on party lines would 'tear the country apart'". Politico. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
25. "GOP congressman issues resolution to remove Nadler as House Judiciary chairman". Washington Examiner. September 24, 2019. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
26. Zilbermints, Regina (September 24, 2019). "GOP lawmaker introduces measure to remove Nadler as Judiciary chairman". TheHill. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
27. "House Committee on Judiciary". Congressional Oversight Hearing Index. The Lugar Center. December 6, 2020. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
28. "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
29. "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
30. "Members". Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
31. Osita Nwanevu. "House Progressives Launch the Medicare for All Caucus". Slate. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
32. "House Passes Bill on Federal Wiretapping Powers". The New York Times. June 21, 2008. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
33. ^ "Nadler: On Taxes GOP Are a Bunch of Gangsters". CBS News. December 12, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
34. "Tax Burdens Tilt Coastal, and System's Fairness Is Debated". The New York Times. November 11, 2011. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
35. "Liberal Tax Revolt". The New York Times. July 23, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
36. "Catholics wary of possible bill on abortion" Archived November 29, 2018, at the Wayback Machine.
37. "NARAL Pro-Choice America 2018 Congressional Record on Choice" (PDF). prochoiceamerica.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
38. Eleveld, Kerry (September 15, 2009). "Respect for Marriage Act Debuts" Archived November 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine The Advocate. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
39. "House Debate on the Equality Act". C-SPAN. May 17, 2019. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
40. Brufke, Juliegrace (March 26, 2019). "House fails to override Trump veto on border wall". The Hill. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
41. "Jerrold Nadler, New York Congressman, Endorses Iran Nuclear Deal". The New York Times. August 21, 2015. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
42. "Who's Speaking Out Against Trump's Jerusalem Move". J Street. December 12, 2017. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
43. "High-Rise Developer Decries Ruling That Could Lead to Removal of 20 Floors". www.ny1.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
44. Angell, Tom (July 23, 2019). "Top Congressional Chairman And Presidential Candidate File Marijuana Legalization Bills". Marijuana Moment. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
45. "Nadler & Harris Introduce Comprehensive Marijuana Reform Legislation" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: house.gov. July 23, 2019. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
46. Jaeger, Kyle (November 20, 2019). "Marijuana Legalization Bill Approved By Congressional Committee In Historic Vote". Marijuana Moment. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
47. "Congressional Record". December 18, 1988. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
48. Press release (September 7, 2006). "Nadler Introduces Major New 9/11 Health Bill: The 9/11 Comprehensive Health Benefits Act". Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
49. "Joyce Miller Is Wed To Jerrold Nadler". The New York Times. December 13, 1976. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
50. New York City Office of the City Register Archived February 8, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
51. Hernandez, Raymond (November 16, 2002). "Nadler, as a Last Resort, Sheds Weight by Surgery". The New York Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018.
52. Associated Press, Rep. Nadler to Undergo Second Surgery for Weight Loss Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, July 16, 2003.
53. Danielle Kurtzleben, U.S. News and World Report, Political Figures: Diet Secrets of Famous Politicians: Politicians and Weight Loss Archived March 29, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, November 9, 2011.

External links

• Congressman Jerry Nadler official U.S. House website
• Jerry Nadler for Congress
• Template:Curlie

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN

• 1947 births
• 20th-century American politicians
• 21st-century American politicians
• Columbia College (New York) alumni
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
• Fordham University School of Law alumni
• Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives
• Living people
• Members of the New York State Assembly
• Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
• New York (state) Democrats
• Politicians from Brooklyn
• People from Manhattan
• Stuyvesant High School alumni
• 21st-century American Jews