Jerrold Nadler
Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byJim Jordan
In office
December 20, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byJohn Conyers
Succeeded byDoug Collins
Chair of the House Judiciary Committee
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byBob Goodlatte
Succeeded byJim Jordan
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from New York
Assumed office
November 3, 1992
Preceded byTed Weiss
Constituency17th district (1992–1993)
8th district (1993–2013)
10th district (2013–2023)
12th district (2023–present)
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office
January 1, 1977 – November 3, 1992
Preceded byAlbert H. Blumenthal
Succeeded byScott Stringer
Constituency69th district (1977–1982)
67th district (1983–1992)
Personal details
Born
Jerrold Lewis Nadler

(1947-06-13) June 13, 1947
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Josephine Langsdorr Miller
​
​
(m. 1976)​
Children1
EducationColumbia University (BA)
Fordham University (JD)
SignatureCursive signature in ink
WebsiteHouse website

Jerrold Lewis Nadler (/ˈnædlər/; born June 13, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician who since 2023 has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 12th congressional district, which includes central Manhattan. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to Congress in 1992 to represent the state's 17th congressional district, which was renumbered as the 8th district from 1993 to 2013 and as the 10th from 2013 to 2023. Nadler chaired the House Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2023. In his 17th term in Congress, Nadler is the dean of New York's U.S. House delegation. Before his election to Congress, he served eight terms as a New York State Assemblyman.[1]

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.[2][3] 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.[4] In his youth, he attended Crown Heights Yeshiva; he is the only member of Congress with a yeshiva education.[5][6] He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1965[7] (where his debate team partner was the future philosopher of science Alexander Rosenberg, and Dick Morris managed his successful campaign for student government president).[8]

Nadler received his B.A. in 1969 from Columbia University,[9] where he became a brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi.[10] 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.[11] 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.[11]

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.[4]

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, Nadler ran for Manhattan Borough President. He lost the Democratic primary to David Dinkins.[12] In the general election, he ran as the New York Liberal Party nominee, and again lost to Dinkins.[13]

In 1989, he ran for New York City Comptroller, but lost to Kings County D.A. and former U.S. representative Elizabeth Holtzman in the Democratic primary.

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

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 1992, Democratic representative 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. However, Weiss died a day before the primary election, and 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 very little 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.[14] 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.[15]

From 2013 to 2023, Nadler's 10th district included 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.[16][17]

In 2022, Nadler defeated his longtime House colleague Carolyn Maloney in a three-way Democratic primary with 56% of the vote after he and Maloney were both drawn into the newly-drawn 12th district during redistricting.[18]

Tenure

Nadler with First Lady Michelle Obama in 2009
Nadler giving a press conference with Nydia Velazquez at the 2017 John F. Kennedy International Airport protest

Nadler is the ranking member of the House Committee on the Judiciary and is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure committees.[19]

Despite earlier efforts to impeach George W. Bush[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23]

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.[24][25]

Nadler served as an impeachment manager (prosecutor) during the first impeachment trial of President Trump.[26]

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.[27]

PolitiFact criticized Nadler for falsely claiming in the Kenosha unrest shooting that Kyle Rittenhouse had brought a gun across state lines and might thus be subject to a federal Department of Justice review, when in fact he had not.[28]

Committee assignments

Current

Former

Caucus memberships

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".[34]

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.[35]

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.[36][37] He has opposed tax breaks for high-income earners, saying that the country cannot afford it.[35]

Abortion

Nadler has a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.[38]

Nadler sponsored the Freedom of Choice Act in 2004[39] and 2007.[40] In 2009 he said he might soon reintroduce the bill.[41]

LGBT rights

Nadler at New York City's Gay Pride parade in 2004

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 that would have repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and required the federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages.[42]

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.[43]

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."[44]

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.[45]

Israel

Of Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017, Nadler said, "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."[46]

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 luxury high-rise 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.[47]

Climate change

In April 2023, Nader was one of the 95 cosponsors of H.Res.319, which calls for the creation of a Green New Deal.[48][49]

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.[50] 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."[51] 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.[52]

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Nadler was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[53]

Voting record

Nadler has had 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".[54]

His Medicare proposal includes a section that provides for a consortium of organization to study Ground Zero illness.[55]

Personal life

Nadler and Josephine Langsdorr "Joyce" Miller wed in 1976.[56] As of 2013, they lived in Lincoln Square.[57]

In 2002 and 2003, Nadler had laparoscopic duodenal switch surgery, helping him lose more than 100 pounds (45 kg).[58][59][60]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "AOC, Jerry Nadler, and dozens of other NY Dems call for Gov. Cuomo's resignation". March 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ "Miriam Nadler". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "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.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "Jerrold Nadler". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Nadler, Jerrold Lewis". Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
  8. ↑ "President's Letter" (PDF). The Campaign for Stuyvesant. Archived from the original (PDF format) on October 28, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
  9. ↑ Fastenberg, Daniel (June 2006). "Liberal ... and Proud of It". Columbia College Today. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Notable Alumni". Alpha Epsilon Pi. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Jerry Nadler's Biography". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ Barbanel, Josh (September 11, 1985). "Dinkins Is Victorious, Setting Stage To Return a Black to Estimate Board". The New York Times. p. 4. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  13. ↑ "The '85 Elections; Election Results in Voting Tuesday in City and on Long Island; Vote Totals for the Elections Held in New York and New Jersey". The New York Times. November 7, 1985. p. 6. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  14. ↑ "New York Primary Election Results: 10th Congressional District". The New York Times. July 6, 2020.
  15. ↑ Purdum, Todd S. (September 25, 1992). "Man in the News; Persistence Pays Off: Jerrold Lewis Nadler". The New York Times. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
  16. ↑ "PlanNYC: World Trade Center Redevelopment News". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
  17. ↑ "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.
  18. ↑ Nicholas Fandos. (23 August 2022). "Nadler Routs Maloney in Marquee Showdown of Bruising New York Primaries". NY Times website Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  19. ↑ "Committee on the Judiciary - Democrats". Committee on the Judiciary - Democrats. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  20. ↑ Turner, Douglas (February 27, 2006). "Working Up the Nerve Toward 'Impeachment'". The Buffalo News. p. A.6.
  21. ↑ Bellantoni, Christina (April 6, 2007). "Liberals Push to Impeach Bush; Key Democrats Balk at Timing". The Washington Times. p. A.01. ISSN 0732-8494.
  22. ↑ "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.
  23. ↑ Oprysko, Caitlin (November 26, 2018). "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.
  24. ↑ "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.
  25. ↑ Zilbermints, Regina (September 24, 2019). "GOP lawmaker introduces measure to remove Nadler as Judiciary chairman". The Hill. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  26. ↑ "List of Individuals Impeached by the House of Representatives | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  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. ↑ Laura Schulte (November 26, 2021). "Nadler wrong on claim Rittenhouse crossed state line with gun before shooting at Kenosha protest". Politifact. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Caucus Members". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Members". Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  32. ↑ Osita Nwanevu. "House Progressives Launch the Medicare for All Caucus". Slate. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Members". August 19, 2021.
  34. ↑ "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.
  35. 1 2 "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.
  36. ↑ "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.
  37. ↑ "Liberal Tax Revolt". The New York Times. July 23, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  38. ↑ "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.
  39. ↑ Freedom of Choice Act (Introduced in House) Archived 2016-01-25 at the Wayback Machine - Text of House bill HR 3719 IH (2004)
  40. ↑ Freedom of Choice Act (Introduced in House) Archived 2016-01-25 at the Wayback Machine - Text of House bill HR 1964 IH (2007)
  41. ↑ Turner, Ford (March 10, 2009). "Catholics wary of possible bill on abortion". The Patriot-News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018.
  42. ↑ Eleveld, Kerry (September 15, 2009). "Respect for Marriage Act Debuts" Archived November 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine The Advocate. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  43. ↑ "House Debate on the Equality Act". C-SPAN. May 17, 2019. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  44. ↑ 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.
  45. ↑ "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.
  46. ↑ "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.
  47. ↑ "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.
  48. ↑ "H.Res.319 - Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal". www.congress.gov. April 24, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  49. ↑ "Safeguarding the Environment". Jerry Nadler for Congress. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  50. ↑ 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.
  51. ↑ "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.
  52. ↑ 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.
  53. ↑ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  54. ↑ "Congressional Record". December 18, 1988. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
  55. ↑ 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.
  56. ↑ "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.
  57. ↑ New York City Office of the City Register Archived February 8, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  58. ↑ 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.
  59. ↑ Associated Press, Rep. Nadler to Undergo Second Surgery for Weight Loss Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, July 16, 2003.
  60. ↑ Danielle Kurtzleben, U.S. News & World Report, Political Figures: Diet Secrets of Famous Politicians: Politicians and Weight Loss Archived March 29, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, November 9, 2011.
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