Tag: Nathan Lewin

A day’s work

| by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

I trembled as I left a voice message with Nathan Lewin early this morning.

It’s not every day that I’m contacting one of the country’s leading constitutional lawyers.

He testified in support of my bill regarding religious divorce (a “get”) several years ago.

Today I wanted to talk to him about legislation resulting from the Israel-Hamas war.

My day concluded with a meeting of the advisory committee of neighborhood residents who live near Pimlico Race Track.

Mayor Jack Young and I created this group three years ago.

My job now is to bring the community’s concerns to the decision makers for Pimlico’s renovation.

From the First Amendment to the Daily Racing Form.

All in a day’s work.

Testifying and whispering

| by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

When I took the Constitutional Litigation seminar at Columbia Law School, the professor was Telford Taylor.

Taylor was a chief prosecutor during the Nuremberg war crimes trial after World War II.

Nathan Lewin, a noted Supreme Court litigator, taught the seminar after Prof. Taylor retired.

Prof. Lewin and I testified together today, along with Delegate Dalya Attar, on legislation that would address the fate of Jewish women who are chained to their marriages because their husbands will not grant them a get – a religious divorce.

Del. Attar’s legislation, which I have co-sponsored, would require a husband to state, under penalty of perjury, that he has taken all steps within his control to remove all barriers to his wife’s remarriage.

A committee member asked Lewin about the consequences for the woman if she does not receive a get.

“Her children are considered bastards,” I whispered. Lewin repeated what I had said.

I never whispered in Telford Taylor’s ear.

 

I defer

| by delsandy | Uncategorized | No Comments

Nathan Lewin has argued 28 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States and drafted and filed more than 235 briefs in that Court.

I was on a conference call with him today about get legislation.

Our draft bill seeks to address the problem of Orthodox Jewish women whose husbands are denying them a get, a religious divorce. Senator Cheryl Kagan and Delegate Dalya Attar will be the lead sponsors.

Under Jewish law, no one, including a rabbi, can pressure a man to agree to a get.

You may remember that several years ago I introduced legislation to address this problem.

It failed because of First Amendment concerns.

Nat Lewin drafted the get law that the New York legislature passed 40 years ago.

He believes that we need to make a significant change in our bill.

“Why is our bill drafted this way?” one of the other legislators on the call asked me.

“I defer to Nat Lewin,” I replied. “We should make the changes he proposes.”

When my colleagues and I meet with key legislators to discuss the bill, I will ask Nat Lewin to join us.

  • My Key Issues:

  • Pimlico and The Preakness
  • Our Neighborhoods
  • Pre-Kindergarten
  • Lead Paint Poisoning