Jay Alan Sekulow

Jay Alan Sekulow (born June 10, 1956 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American attorney and radio talkshow host. He currently serves as Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), an international public interest law firm and educational organization.

Education

Sekulow graduated cum laude from Mercer University, receiving both a bachelor's degree and a doctor of jurisprudence while serving as an editorial staff member of the Mercer Law Review. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, authoring his dissertation on the subject of American Legal History.

Career

As a young lawyer, Sekulow worked in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service as a tax trial attorney, bringing suit in the United States Tax Court on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury. [cite web
url= http://www.aclj.org/About/Default.aspx?Section=11
title= ACLJ.org
accessdate=2008-05-13]

In 1990, Sekulow became the director of The American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative religious organization founded by evangelist Pat Robertson as a counterweight to the American Civil Liberties Union.

In addition to his duties as Chief Counsel for the ACLJ, Sekulow hosts "Jay Sekulow Live!", a syndicated daily radio program that airs on nearly 850 stations nationwide, broadcast on terrestrial radio, as well as XM and Sirius. This live call-in program focuses on legal and legislative battles currently underway across America, occasionally featuring in-studio guests such as Jackie Mason and Chuck Colson. [cite web
url= http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/4/prweb377722.htm
title= Comic Icon Jackie Mason ‘Hams it Up’ on National Radio Show ‘Jay Sekulow Live’
date= April 27, 2006
publisher= PRWeb Press Release Newswire
accessdate=2008-05-13] [cite web
url= http://www.wdcmedia.com/newsArticle.php?ID=1705
title= Prison Fellowship Founder Chuck Colson Special Guest on National Radio Show “Jay Sekulow Live!”
date= August 22, 2006
publisher= WDC Media News
accessdate=2008-05-13] He is also the host of "ACLJ This Week", a weekly television news program broadcast on TBN. [cite web
url= http://www.tbn.org/index.php/2/4/p/299.html
title= Our Programs: ACLJ This Week
accessdate=2008-05-13]

In 2007, Sekulow endorsed Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. [cite web
date=May 4, 2007
author= Zoll, Rachael
url= http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-05-04-3508816219_x.htm
title= Romney travels to Pat Robertson's school
publisher= Associated Press
accessdate=2007-12-16]

Cases before the Supreme Court

Sekulow has argued in front of the United States Supreme Court quite frequently throughout the course of his career. Beginning in 1987 with a case involving Jews for Jesus and their clash with Los Angeles International Airport’s policy against free speech, Sekulow quickly became one of the preeminent advocates for religious liberty cases in front of the Supreme Court. He specializes in arguing key issues of the First Amendment, squaring off against formidable opponents such as current Chief Justice John Roberts, the Deputy Solicitor General at the time. cite web |url= http://www.oyez.org/cases/1980-1989/1989/1989_88_2031/ |title= United States v. Kokinda, 497 U.S. 720 (1990). |publisher= Oyez.org |accessdate=2008-05-29]

In addition to his work as a Supreme Court advocate, Sekulow, as lead counsel of the ACLJ, has submitted several amicus briefs in support of conservative issues. Most notably, he has submitted amicus briefs in landmark cases such as Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Rasul v. Bush, Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood, and Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation. His amicus briefs for Van Orden v. Perry and Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC were cited by Justices John Paul Stevens and John Roberts respectively. [ cite court
litigants=Van Orden v. Perry
vol=545
reporter=U.S.
opinion=677
date=2005
url=http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/faclibrary/case.aspx?case=Van_Orden_v_Perry&88] [cite court
litigants=Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC
vol=546
reporter=U.S.
opinion=410
date=2006
url=http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/05pdf/04-1581.pdf] Furthermore, he served as counsel to Robert and Mary Schindler during the controversy surrounding their daughter, Terry Schiavo. While he is widely acknowledged as a member of the Christian Right, Sekulow’s amicus brief in Morse v. Frederick was in support of the ACLU’s position; he argued that schools banning “offensive” speech would also be able to prohibit religious speech with which the administrators disagree.

Sekulow will be back before the Supreme Court in November 2008 in Pleasant Grove City v Summum, case No.07-665. Sekulow represents the City in this case which will impact the ability of Governments to maintain control over monuments and memorials in public places.

Awards and Accomplishments

Sekulow has been honored numerous times throughout his career. In 1994, he was named to the National Law Journal’s Power List, which highlights some of the most prolific attorneys in America. [ Citation
title = 1994 Power List
newspaper = National Law Journal
volume = 16
issue = 31
year = 1994
date = April 4, 1994] In 1997, he was named to the American Lawyer’s Public Sector 45, a list dedicated to legal public servants who have made the most impact in their respective fields. [ Citation
title = The Public Sector 45
newspaper = The American Lawyer
page = 81
year = 1997
date = Jan/Feb 1997] Following this accolade, the National Law Journal placed Dr. Sekulow in their highly coveted 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America list. [ Citation
title = The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America
newspaper = National Law Journal
volume = 19
issue = 35
year = 1997
date = April 28, 1997] Most recently, Legal Times profiled him as one of the 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 years, solidifying his place as one of the most renowned legal professionals in the United States today. [ Citation
title = 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years
newspaper = Legal Times
volume = 31
issue = 20
year = 2008
date = May 19, 2008]

Criticism

In November 2005 Legal Times published an article in which it was alleged that Sekulow "through the ACLJ and a string of interconnected nonprofit and for-profit entities, has built a financial empire that generates millions of dollars a year and supports a lavish lifestyle -- complete with multiple homes, chauffeur-driven cars, and a private jet that he once used to ferry Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia." The article quotes a number of former donors and supporters (none of whom were identified by name) who claim that Sekulow has engaged in a pattern of self-dealing to finance his "high-flying lifestyle." The article reviewed hundreds of pages of financial, real estate and tax filings, outlining the corporate structure of the ACLJ and other closely held for-profit companies founded by Sekulow including CASE, PGMS, Regency and the similarly-named Center for Law and Justice, a for-profit law firm owned by Sekulow and two other ACLJ executives.cite web
date=November 1, 2005
author= Mauro, Tony
url= http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1130499506270
title= The Secrets of Jay Sekulow
publisher= Legal Times
accessdate=2007-12-17]

According to a ranking by the American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog group, Sekulow is the 13th-highest-paid executive of a charitable organization in the United States if the given figure for his salary is accurate.

Personal

He is the father of Logan Sekulow, host of the Christian variety show, "The Logan Show". [ [http://www.usareligiousnews.com/newsArticle-printView.php?ID=101 USA Religious News ] ]

Sekulow also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.

Publications

*Jay Sekulow, Witnessing Their Faith: Religious Influence on Supreme Court Justices and Their Opinions, Rowman & Littlefield (2005).
*Jay Sekulow, The Christian, The Court, and The Constitution, The American Center for Law and Justice (2000).
*Jay Sekulow, Christian Rights in the Workplace, The American Center for Law and Justice (1997).
*Jay Sekulow, Knowing Your Rights: Taking Back Our Religious Liberties (1993).
*Jay Sekulow, And Nothing But the Truth (1996).
*Jay Sekulow, From Intimidation to Victory, Creation House (1990).

References

External links

* [http://www.aclj.org/About/Default.aspx?Section=11 American Center for Law & Justice Bio]
* [http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1130499506270 "The Secrets of Jay Sekulow" Legal Times November 1, 2005]
* [http://www.oyez.org/advocates/s/j/jay_alan_sekulow/roles/ Oyez Profile]