Defending Civil Liberties: Norman Siegel

Norm Siegel, candidate for NYC Public Advocate, has a new website and a new Youtube video:



For those who aren't familiar with Norman Siegel, he has been defending the Civil Liberties of Americans decades. From his website:

Norman Siegel, raised in Brooklyn, has been an advocate for New Yorkers throughout his 40 year career. He has been a leader in the fight for freedom, justice, and equality for all, issues that have pulled at our city’s fabric for too many generations.

Norman Siegel began his career as a civil rights/civil liberties lawyer when, following his graduation from Brooklyn College and New York University Law School, he joined the American Civil Liberties Union's Southern Justice & Voter Law Project in 1968. There, he was co-counsel in numerous lawsuits challenging the systemic exclusion of blacks and women from juries in various counties in South Carolina, Florida, Virginia and Alabama. Two voting rights cases in which he was involved are :

Hadnott v. Amos (U.S. Supreme Court case allowing 89 mainly black candidates to run for political office in Alabama), and

In re: Herndon (civil and criminal contempt conviction under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 of Probate Judge of Greene County, Alabama for not placing black candidates on the ballot).

He was also co-counsel in Levy v. Parker (challenged the constitutionality of the court martial of Dr. Howard B. Levy).

In 1972, as Executive Director of the Youth Citizenship Fund, Inc., he led an effort to register thousands of young, newly eligible voters. In 1973-74, as the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) Field Director, Norman spearheaded the New York campaigns for the impeachment of President Richard M. Nixon and the New York State Equal Rights Amendment. He was also co-counsel in the historic Holtzman v. Schlessinger United States Supreme Court case, an effort to halt the bombing of Cambodia.

In 1978, Norman became Project Director for MFY Legal Services, Inc., which assists poor people in neighborhoods in Manhattan. As Executive Director of the NYCLU (1985-2000), Norman was involved in some of the City's most critical civil rights and civil liberties struggles: the creation of an independent Civilian Complaint Review Board; the successful defense of the Brooklyn Museum’s right to exhibit controversial art; the fight for citizens' access to the steps of City Hall; the involuntary hospitalization of people with mental illness; the struggle for improved community-police relations and greater accountability on the part of the NYPD.

Over the last five years in private practice, Norman has continued his work in civil rights - civil liberties law in the process expanding his practice throughout New York. Norman has represented the Williamsburg 7, a group of community activists in Brooklyn who were arrested protesting the closing of their local firehouse, and the Nyack 10, a group of New Yorkers who brought a lawsuit for the right to obtain marriage licenses for same sex couples. Norman also is counsel to the West Harlem Business Group in its fight against the possibility of eminent domain in Columbia University’s expansion plan, and was counsel for Develop - Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, the group of community residents who are fighting the use of eminent domain to condemn private property in Atlantic Yards. Norman also advocated for and represented the following groups:

* The Skyscraper Safety Campaign and Firefighters Families who seek the implementation of a skyscraper safety program and provisions for our firefighters to guarantee they have proper working communications equipment;

* Families who lost a loved one on September 11, 2001, as they successfully sought the public record of materials from that day, including 911 emergency tapes and transcripts (co-counsel)...

* Republican National Convention arrestees held for more than 24 hours – filed habeas corpus petition (co-counsel); and

* The World Trade Center Families for A Proper Burial (co-counsel).

I know Norm and he is one of my top candidates for 2009. If you want to find out more about him, please visit his new website. I have already sent him a donation. And I hope you will consider doing so as well.