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81ST ANNIVERSARY
FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 20186-10PM
NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILDNew York City Chapter
Honoring the 2018 Champions of Justice
Honorees at Previous NLG/NYC Chapter Dinners:1974 The Founders of the Guild (first
Chapter Dinner Journal)1975 Dorothy Shtob1976 Marshall Perlin1977 Arthur Kinoy1978 Victor Rabinowitz1979 Martin Popper 1980 John Abt1981 Ralph Shapiro1982 Catherine Roraback,
Rhonda Copelon, Judith Levin, Nancy Stearns
1983 David Scribner1984 Haywood Burns1985 William Kunstler1986 The Guild’s 5 Decades of Work in
Human Rights, Peace & Justice, with special award to Nelson Mandela
1987 50th Anniversary – Celebrating Our Past, Building the Future
1988 Bonnie Brower1989 Morton Stavis1990 The Guild’s Support of the Labor
Movement, 1937-19901991 Quarter Century of Government-
Funded Legal Services in NYC1992 20th Anniversary of the Attica Uprising1993 The Advocates of Battered Women:
Betty Levinson, Holly Maguigan, Liz Schneider, Nadine Taub, Ellen Yaroshefsky & Carol Lefcourt (posthumously)
1994 Lewis Steel1995 Michael Ratner1996 The Mass Defense Committee,
1968-19961997 60th Anniversary – Honoring Bob
Boehm, Ellen Chapnick, Emily Jane Goodman, Victor Rabinowitz, Bob Rose, Franklin Siegel
1998 Craig Kaplan1999 Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, UAW
Local 2325, on its 30th Anniversary2000 Kristin Booth Glen2001 Danny Greenberg2002 Carlin Meyer2003 Steve Banks2004 Peter J. Neufeld and Barry Scheck2005 Ira Gollobin and Claudia Slovinsky
2006 Frank Big Black Smith and Elizabeth Fink
2007 70th Anniversary – Honoring Past Presidents of the New York City Chapter
2008 Margaret Ratner Kunstler, Mary Kaufman, William Schaap, Sarah Kunstler, and Gideon Orion Oliver
2009 Daniel L. Alterman, Ann Fawcett Ambia, Susan Barrie, Arlene F. Boop, Susan M. Cohen, Timothy L. Collins, Stephen Dobkin, Harvey Epstein, Polly Eustis, Hillary Exter, Robyn D. Fisher, James B. Fishman, William J. Gribben, Amy Hammersmith, Kenneth B. Hawco, Samuel J. Himmelstein, Janet Ray Kalson, Kent Karlsson, Robert A. Katz, Stuart W. Lawrence, Bill Leavitt, Jon Lilienthal, Seth A. Miller, Roberto Morrero, Martin S. Needelman, Paul Peloquin, Deborah Rand, Jessica Rose, Ollie Rosengart, Kenneth Schaeffer, Andrew Scherer, Mary E. Sheridan, Heidi Siegfried, Barbara Small, Gibb Surette, Susan D. Susman, Richard J. Wagner, Marti Weithman, Special Recognition Robert Boyle
2010 Myron Beldock, James I. Meyerson, Lynne Stewart, Evelyn W. Warren, Michael Tarif Warren
2011 Heidi Boghosian and the activist spirit of the NLG
2012 Bina Ahmad, Cristina Lee, Meghan Maurus, Martin R. Stolar, and the OWS work of the Chapter plus a Special Tribute to Emily Jane Goodman
2013 International Human Rights Lawyers of the National Lawyers Guild-New York City Chapter: Lamis Deek, Lennox Hinds, Abdeen Jabara, Jeanne Mirer, and Robert F. Van Lierop Law Student Honoree: Jean Stevens
2014 Honoring The Floyd Stop & Frisk Team Jonathan Moore, Center for Constitutional Rights Team: Baher Azmy, Darius Charney, Ian Head, Sunita Patel, Chauniqua Young Law Student Honoree: Alex Gorman
2015 Honoring the 2015 Champions of Justice: Soffiyah Elijah, Daniel L. Meyers, Michael Steven Smith Law Student Honoree: Michelle Lewin
2017 Honoring the 2017 Champions of Justice: Hon. Lucy Billings, Alan Levine Law Student Honorees: Volunteers with the NLG Prison Law Project
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National Lawyers Guild New York City Chapter
81st Anniversary Dinner
NLG-NYC SPRING FLING 2018
HONORING THE 2018 CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE
Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan Nancy Stearns
LAW STUDENT RECOGNITION AWARD
Kyle Barron
Friday, June 8, 2018 • 6-10PM
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SPRING FLING COMMITTEE
Elba Galvan Susan Howard Anna Joseph
Pooja Patel Ann Schneider
NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD – NYC CHAPTER
168 Canal Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10013 phone 212-679-6018 fax 212-679-6178 email nlgnyc@igc.org www.nlgnyc.org
Design and layout: Judith RewPrinting: Consolidated Color Press, Inc.
PRESIDENT Elba Galvan
VICE PRESIDENTS Andy Izenson Pooja Patel
TREASURER Alejandra (Alex) S. Franco
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Robert Boyle Elena Cohen Marco Conner Michael Decker Alek Felstiner Valerie Gheorghiu
Amith Gupta Anna Joseph Joel R. Kupferman Devin McDougall Daniel L. Meyers Gioconda Rodriguez Andrew Sawtelle Ann M. Schneider Martin R. Stolar Stephen Teich
Representatives from New York Area Law Schools
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Susan C. Howard
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
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PROGRAMWELCOMEElba Galvan
President, New York City Chapter National Lawyers Guild
INTRODUCTION TO NATASHA LYCIA ORA BANNANHon. Jenny Rivera
INTRODUCTION TO NANCY STEARNSHon. Joan Lobis, Ret.
INTRODUCTION TO KYLE BARRONRavi Ragbir & Amy Gottlieb
AWARDS PRESENTATIONSusan C. Howard
Executive Director
REMARKSNatasha Lycia Ora Bannan
Nancy StearnsKyle Barron
CATERED BY CITY BEET KITCHENS
Angel Orensanz Foundation172 Norfolk Street, New York, NY
JUNE 8, 2018
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2018 SPRING FLING SPONSORSGUILD ADVOCATES
Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLPCenter for Constitutional Rights
Collins Dobkin & Miller LLPGeoffrey Schotter, Law Offices
Himmelstein, Mcconnell, Gribben, Donoghue & Joseph LLPKent Karlsson
Levy Ratner, PCMirer, Mazzocchi, Schalet & Julien, PLLC
Oliver & Oliver LawOutten & Golden LLP
SEIU 32 BJ
GUILD ALLIESAlterman & Boop LLP
Asian American Legal Defense & Education FundHelen Baldassarre & Ken Norwick
Robert DembiaCharles Horman Truth Foundation
Joe LipofskyHolly Maguigan & Abdeen JabaraDaniel Meyers and Joan Reinmuth
Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman, P.C.Segal & Greenberg LLP
Elaine Gail Suchman & Jerald ZimmermanMartin R. Stolar & Elsie Chandler
HOST COMMITTEECathy AlbisaNeysa AlsinaMary Lu BilekRosa BorensteinOscar ChaseKristin Booth GlenNatalie Gomez-VelezDavid GalarzaEmily Jane GoodmanSara GozaloBarbara HandschuJoyce HormanJanice Hoseine
Alicia KaplowMichael KrinskySamuel KrinskyDavid LernerJose PerezJulissa ReynosoElizabeth SchneiderFranklin SiegelJan SuslerVincent WarrenPeter and Cora WeissDorothy Zellner
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PRESIDENT’S WELCOMEBy Elba Galvan
This year, my big message is about small acts — about creating a movement, not through the large, but through the minor things that we do.
We are experiencing unique challenges in terms of leadership, and as is often the case in such times, teaching moments abound. We have an opportunity to determine what we want in our leaders, what it means to lead, and how much “leadership” comes from following others and responding to our own “inner leaders.”
Although circumstances may sometimes feel bigger than us, NLG is well suited for the percolating change. Our culture is one of thoughtfulness and sharing. I can’t tell you how many committee meetings I’ve attended where we delayed a vote in favor of additional information, participation, or expertise. There ought to be a word that describes NLG’s considerate and deliberate “alt-democratic” process — a process that breaks from an increasingly efficient and impersonal world. It’s particularly inspiring when both our new and long-time members endeavor to bridge generational differences, inevitably resulting in richer exchanges and outcomes.
Our common denominator is in the small things we do together and separately, and my pitch to you is to keep doing and sharing those things. Our mindful interactions inevitably lead to deeper trust, consciousness and connections, the foundation of any worthwhile membership.
So please, continue to drop in on committee meetings, attend CLEs to help promote education on relevant topics, volunteer with our prison mail project, visit our new website where members can share job listings, connect with us on twitter and/or facebook, and share news, events, and information to cross-pollinate ideas. Even if you don’t have time to serve as a mentor, or mentee, come to one of our social events (the Mass Defense Committee is planning a new series with speakers) — I guarantee an eager audience on all sides.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your president and witness your spectacular generosity in all things, big and small.
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her work and created opportunities for community engagement and enlightened discourse on law reform efforts. For example, she initiated public programming, bringing New York’s then Chief Judge, Jonathan Lippman, to the school to deliver a major policy address on access to justice. She also was an editor of the Law Review, and led the charge to increase the journal’s visibility and impact within the legal community.
During her tenure at CUNY, Natasha also served as a law student fellow at the Law School’s Center for Latino/a Rights and Equality (CLORE). She was instantly attracted to CLORE’s interdisciplinary approach to issues impacting the Latino community and CLORE’s commitment to collaborative problem solving and public education
Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, President of the National Lawyers Guild has worked
tirelessly to develop community-based responses to human rights abuses, domestically and internationally. Natasha’s commitment to justice is grounded in her belief that entrenched inequality must be addressed through collaborative social movements of legal workers, nonlawyers, and other activists working in partnership. By rejecting a top down approach to lawyering, Natasha has led by example at every organization where she has worked, challenging her colleagues to place the community at the center of the struggle for justice. She has worked both on domestic and international progressive causes to improve the lives of others. Few people have been so instrumental in such a short time and at such a young age in bringing about positive change.
Natasha’s career trajectory reflects her dedication to defending the rights of all people and to creating sustainable solutions to exploitive legal and economic structures. Those who have worked with Natasha have been inspired by her words and deeds, and the passion she brings to every project.
Natasha began her work with the Guild as a student at CUNY School of Law, where she was an active member of the Law School community. She characteristically energized the classes she was enrolled in and led by example in multiple student organizations. In a school populated by activists, she stood out. She brought her progressive sensibilities to all of
Natasha, New York City, 2018
NATASHA LYCIA ORA BANNANBy Hon. Jenny Rivera
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District Court of the Southern District of New York (now retired). Judge Ellis was a well-respected civil rights lawyer before his appointment to the bench, having directed the Fair Employment Program at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He describes Natasha as “that rare talent who transforms the institutions she encounters.” Indeed, Natasha exceeded all his expectations:
“Not only did she have the technical skills of a great advocate, but she was personally engaging. She handled complex cases. She and her co-clerk supervised the largest number of interns for any term. She planned parties and dinners for Chambers. And she got it all done with style and grace. I’ve always told people that what I looked for in a law clerk was someone who could see problems and find solutions. Not only is Natasha the kind of person who would find a solution, she would lead the charge. Natasha is one of my “triple E” clerks: high Expectations based on the record before application; Excellence in carrying out the duties of a clerk; Exemplary public service in her legal career. I’m looking forward to seeing her build on the third.”
After her clerkship, Natasha commenced a much-sought after fellowship with the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), the first international human rights organization focusing on reproductive rights, founded in 1992 by the late Janet Benshoof. There, she partnered with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and worked on access to women’s health care in Texas, challenging a state law which severely restricted access to abortion. Natasha eagerly embraced the opportunity to work with Stephanie Toti on the district court trial in Whole Woman’s
programs. As a CLORE Fellow, Natasha worked on issues involving gender and racial inequality, environmental justice, and economic empowerment, with a particular focus on decolonizing Puerto Rico and obtaining justice for the people of Vieques.
As CLORE founder and former Executive Director and Professor of Law, I was immediately impressed by Natasha’s work and her ability to deconstruct complex legal issues. Natasha was everything I was looking for in a CLORE Fellow. She’s smart, well versed on social justice issues facing the Latino community, resourceful, imaginative, naturally curious, intuitive, and willing to roll up her sleeves and work on all aspects of a task—no job is too small. Her concern about our world extends to global environmental and antipoverty movements. She was constantly making suggestions for CLORE projects and challenging the Law School faculty and students to be more vocal and connected to domestic and international struggles for peace and equality. She made all of us think deeply about how the rule of law could serve as a tool for liberation and how it was incumbent upon lawyers to work with communities to end legally-sanctioned injustice. She is personally engaging, compassionate, and able to laugh in the face of adversity. Most important, she is kind, a necessary quality to withstand the emotional toll of social justice work. It is easy to see how she has earned the respect of her peers and those who have benefited from her work.
After graduation Natasha clerked for the Honorable Ronald L. Ellis, Magistrate Judge of the federal
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Health v. Hellerstedt. The case eventually was appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which held that the Texas statute requiring clinics to meet the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers was unconstitutional, as it imposed an undue burden on women seeking abortion.
Upon completion of her fellowship at CRR, Natasha joined the staff of LatinoJustice PRLDEF (formerly the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.) where she continues to work on gender and racial justice issues, violence against women in conflict zones, and the economic crisis in Puerto Rico, as part of the organization’s economic justice platform. President and General Counsel Juan Cartagena says of Natasha, “[i]t is an honor to join the NYC chapter of the Guild in praising, recognizing and celebrating the work of a human rights warrior, our own colega, Natasha Bannan. She is principled, relentless, scholarly, and passionate. But most of all she is making a difference.”
Describing her overall contribution to LatinoJustice, Mr. Cartagena explains that “she elevated our collective work, consolidated our analysis and broadened our reach.” Specifically, she helped shape and expand what had been sporadic work on Puerto Rico. Natasha brought to LatinoJustice a Vieques human rights matter pending before the Inter American Commission on Human Rights that LatinoJustice immediately adopted. She was instrumental in framing the organization’s approach to Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis and Hurricane Maria. According to Mr. Cartagena, “as a result of Natasha’s work and vision, LatinoJustice has developed a policy framework for all future Puerto Rico projects, all centered on decolonization.”
She has similarly been instrumental in LatinoJustice’s revamped approach to economic justice. Natasha was hired to work on economic exploitation of Latinas at the workplace in New York City. She expanded that work statewide and is helping guide efforts to stop similar exploitation of workers in the hospitality industry and beyond the labor market. Natasha similarly took this work to another level in the area of human rights, helping to define a legal analysis focused on systemic problems.
Natasha’s interest and commitment to Puerto Rico are well known among her colleagues. She works both here and globally on behalf of the People of Puerto Rico, through her work at LatinoJustice, and as a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Task Force on Puerto Rico and the Inter-American Affairs Committee.
Her political vision has continued to expand from the time she first met Judith Berkan, the NLG civil rights attorney who moved to San Juan to be on the staff of the NLG’s Puerto Rico Legal Project. Natasha and Judith quickly forged natural bonds over Natasha’s interest in Vieques, and Judith introduced Natasha to key legal figures on the Island. These connections have remained vital to the work Natasha does at LatinoJustice today. Along with Judith and Jan Susler, Natasha helped revive the Subcommittee on Puerto Rico, which they co-chair. Natasha and Judith were instrumental in hosting the 2013 Guild Convention in beautiful San Juan. Their collaboration has deepened as Natasha became a mainland leader of Ayuda Legal Huracan Maria, the legal assistance effort for victims of Hurricane Maria.
After the hurricane, Natasha
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personally travelled several times to Puerto Rico to deliver basic essentials, medical supplies, and messages from relatives on the mainland. Ariadna Godreau-Aubert, the San Juan-based staff attorney and coordinator of Ayuda Legal Huracan Maria, describes Natasha’s immediate response to the crisis:
“Natasha was one of the first voices I heard hours after the hurricane. I remember calling her, almost crying, that night and telling her that everything was destroyed and that we needed to do something, anything. I remember that she simply said, “estoy contigo, vamos a hacerlo” (I am with you and we are going to get it done) and everything has been possible since then. In addition to all her work and her fierceness, Natasha’s energy inspires, heals and most important: acompaña (accompanies). Y eso es la vida (and that’s life).”
International issues continue to be the center of Natasha’s work. She has worked with the International Committee’s Task Force on the Americas as an intern and eventually became its co-chair. As Jeanne Mirer points out, it was after attending the International Committee Retreat in
Puerto Rico in 2010 that her passion for the Guild led her to take on greater responsibility and leadership: “As she travels, teaches and writes, she promotes the NLG’s progressive agenda of human rights over property interests.” Simply put, Jeanne adds, “Natasha is a force of nature.”
Since taking the helm of the Guild in 2015 as national President, Natasha has brought this same energy and commitment to her leadership initiatives. She is an indefatigable organizer. In 2016, she participated in a Guild delegation as follow up to the International Tribunal of Conscience for People in Movement (which the Guild co-hosted) in Mexico, including visiting the Migrant Center in Southern Mexico. She organizes the twice-yearly Guild trip to Cuba and will be leading the delegation scheduled for September 1-8, 2018, with Elena Cohen, NLG National’s incoming president. Past delegations have explored Cuban labor law, family law, criminal defense, economic regulation, and LGBTQ rights. Natasha has also traveled several times to Venezuela, including last month for the national elections, and to Argentina for the Latin America Workers Conference and the International Labor Justice working group, an inter-Guild committee. Former Guild President Marjorie Cohn notes:
“Natasha’s anti-imperialist work is exemplary. When we were in Cuba together, she won the hearts of the Cuban lawyers for her passion and solidarity with the Cuban revolution. Natasha made an important academic contribution in her law review article analyzing Puerto Rico’s illegitimate odious debt imposed on it in the context of colonialism. She has used Natasha with Judith Berkan, at RebLaw 2018.
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international legal mechanisms to address human rights violations, including a complaint to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of the residents of Vieques.”
Suzanne Adely, who took part in the May Justice Delegation to Palestine, echoes this sense of Natasha’s ability to connect progressive work globally:
“Natasha is committed to supporting the path of decolonization and liberation for all people. After her return from Palestine, she shared with us the words of someone she was moved by at Dheisheh Refugee Camp, to wit, “The intensity of the colonial project is so strong, that your existence must be about resistance.” In her work inside and outside the NLG, Natasha succeeds in building lasting solidarity and support for resistance movements from Puerto Rico to Palestine.”
Natasha seamlessly integrates her social justice values with her work on behalf of various advocacy and legal organizations. Vincent Warren, the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), first met Natasha when she was a CCR Ella Baker intern from CUNY Law School. Even then she impressed him as exceedingly smart, knowing, and caring. Natasha is now a member of the Board of Trustees of CCR. As Warren describes, “[w]e couldn’t ask for a better person to help blaze the trail for justice as we move forward.” Natasha is also a board member of MADRE, the grass-roots international women’s human rights group, in which she lends her leadership skills to empower women throughout the world. The Executive Director, Yifat Susskind, credits Natasha for her “bold, creative and thoughtful leadership”:
“Our work for social justice is stronger, in communities here in the United States and globally, thanks to Natasha. As a member of the MADRE Board, she brings her deep and strategic thinking, clarity of vision and warm heart to every aspect of the work that she touches. She embodies the principle that the law must be mobilized in the service of people’s needs, and I’ve seen her bring that principle to life—from traveling to rural, Indigenous communities to provide human rights trainings to advancing legal strategies to protect all people.”
As her achievements and work demonstrate, Natasha is staunchly devoted to the pursuit of justice and most deserving of this recognition from the Guild, as we are all better for her tenacity and commitment to social justice lawyering.
For this “mujer poderosa” (powerful woman), only one phrase embodies her determined spirit:
!P’alante siempre!
Natasha at the NLG Convention in Washington DC, 2017
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of the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), who was represented by Arthur Kinoy. In the course of assembling a historical appendix for Stamler’s challenge to his HUAC subpoena, Nancy worked with dozens of NLG lawyers who had fought HUAC, among them, Catherine Roraback of Griswold v. Connecticut fame.
Women’s Liberation Movement Lawyering
Arthur Kinoy, William Kunstler, Ben Smith and Morton Stavis, all NLG lawyers, founded the Civil Rights Legal Defense Fund in September 1966, (now the Center for Constitutional Rights-CCR). Nancy joined CCR’s staff in February 1969. CCR was modeled on the NLG’s Jackson, Mississippi civil rights office, designed to foster a culture of “movement” lawyering. In that setting, Nancy began to think of challenging New York’s law outlawing abortion. Working with a group of women’s health organizers, Nancy used the approach she had seen NLG lawyers use in the South where massive numbers of people stood up to challenge unjust laws. Applying feminist
NANCY STEARNSBy Franklin Siegel
As the March on Washington ends, SNCC staff gather to sing. Nancy (center) wearing sunglasses.
Nancy was a master’s degree student at UC-Berkeley when a friend was driving South to
volunteer with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Nancy went along and volunteered with SNCC’s Atlanta office for the summer. It was the summer of 1963 as SNCC was mobilizing for the March on Washington. By summer’s end, Nancy was on the SNCC staff, working with Dottie Zellner, Jim Forman, Bob Moses, John Lewis and a corps of organizers who were out to change the world. While at SNCC, Nancy met NLG lawyers Arthur Kinoy and Catherine Roraback. Seeing NAACP-LDF attorney Constance Baker Motley trying a case set Nancy on a course to become a shaper of feminist and movement lawyering.
Nancy enrolled in NYU Law School, where as a summer fellow of the Law Students Civil Rights and Research Council (LSCRRC), she worked at Kunstler, Kunstler & Kinoy.
Following law school, Nancy spent a year working for the NY Civil Liberties Union and the defense fund of noted cardiologist Jeremiah Stamler, a target
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theory to legal doctrine, Nancy posited that criminalizing abortion did not just hurt pregnant women, but all women.
In 1969 with four other NLG women’s rights lawyers, Carol Lefcourt, Ann Garfinkle, Diane Schulder and Florynce Kennedy, Nancy filed the first feminist challenge to New York’s law prohibiting abortion, Abramowicz v. Lefkowitz. Women filled U.S. Judge Edward Weinfeld’s courtroom on the motion for a three-judge court, argued by Nancy. After they defeated the state’s motion to dismiss, the legislature saw the writing on the wall, and repealed the law before the court ruled on the merits.
Nancy filed cases modeled on Abramowicz in New Jersey with Nadine Taub; in Connecticut with Katie Roraback, both NLG lawyers; and in Rhode Island. When Roe v. Wade was decided, the U.S. Supreme Court cited the cases Nancy and her colleagues litigated.
Soon after the victory in New York, poor women started to be pressured to agree to voluntary sterilization as a condition of receiving an abortion. Esta Armstrong, head of Quality Assurance at the New York Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), enlisted Nancy
as part of a multi-disciplinary working group to draft the first guidelines to prevent sterilization abuse. The guidelines later became the model for NY State and federal guidelines.
“We Did So Many Different Things” at CCR
Nancy was part of a group of lawyer/organizers who energized CCR and the NLG in the 1970’s. In fall 1970, the patronizing hand of patriarchy had a reckoning with Nancy. Jane Monell, a social worker who directed a small shelter for neglected and abused adolescent girls in Brooklyn, was told that she would have to go on unpaid leave from the NYC Department of Social Services because city policy required mandatory leave when a pregnant woman reached the end of her fifth month. Her husband, Oscar Chase, a former legal services lawyer and then a nascent law professor, contacted Nancy, who thought the policy both unconstitutional and outrageous. Nancy proposed that she and Oscar bring a class action with Monell and three teachers as class plaintiffs.
Judge Constance Baker Motley, the first African-American woman federal judge, rejected the city’s dismissal motion and certified the class, ruling “…equal rights for women is an idea whose time has come.”1 The city got the message and abandoned the mandatory leave policy. The issue of remediation for hundreds of City employees who had lost pay under the sexist policies remained to be resolved. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled in its historic Monell decision2, that municipalities can be liable for violations under federal civil rights laws, making possible claims against cities and local governments for police and other official misconduct. Speaking about their experiences in Monell, Jane comments that Nancy “didn’t demand
1 357 F.Supp. at 1053.2 436 U.S. 658 (1978).Nancy, Liz Schneider and Yvonne Wanrow,
1977
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the spotlight.” Oscar says that Nancy was “a powerhouse in court.”
At the same time that Monell was filed, Nancy filed a federal case for Ross Danielson, who was denied parental leave by the New York Board of Higher Education when he sought to stay home to take care of his newborn child so his wife could return to her teaching job. That case, also before Judge Motley, resulted in a change of policy by the Board of Higher Education permitting parental leave for men.
Nancy represented Shirley Wheeler in an appeal of her 1971 Florida conviction for having an abortion. 21 year-old Wheeler was indicted because she refused to identify who performed the abortion, and faced 20 years in prison on the manslaughter charge.
With Jim Reif and other CCR and NLG colleagues, Nancy represented Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) members subpoenaed to a political grand jury in Tallahassee before the 1972 Republican National Convention. She was one of the defense counsel in the “Gainesville 8” trial when VVAW members were indicted for conspiracy to disrupt the RNC. During the trial it was disclosed that one of Nancy’s grand jury clients
was an FBI informer, and FBI agents were found eavesdropping on the defense lawyers as they consulted with their clients in the courthouse during the trial. Ultimately the Gainesville 8 were acquitted by the jury.
In 1975, a rape victim came to Nancy and her CCR colleague Elizabeth Schneider asking for help defending New York’s new Rape Shield law. Nancy and Liz assisted the Queens District Attorney develop model legal submissions in People v. Mandel to bar evidence of the victim’s prior sexual conduct. The Court of Appeals upheld the new statute.
In October 1977, Nancy, Peter Weiss, Rhonda Copelon and John Corwin filed Horman v. Kissinger against President Nixon’s Secretary of State for U.S. government complicity in the detention and death of American journalist Charles Horman in the days after the 1973 coup d’etat in Chile. U.S. complicity in Horman’s death was exposed in a State Department memo describing Horman’s detention as “negligence on our part, or worse, complicity in Horman’s death.” Proceedings in U.S. courts on behalf of the Horman family were thwarted by the invocation of national security,
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but the case brought public attention to the falsity of claims that the U.S. was not involved. “Nancy was the perfect collaborator for Joyce Horman’s legal team,” Peter Weiss recalls. “Over four decades Nancy brought legal acumen, tactical smarts, a passion for justice and sisterly support for Joyce.” The Academy Award winning motion picture “Missing” depicts Charlie’s capture and death and the efforts by his wife Joyce and his father Edmund to find him after he disappeared.
Nancy and Elizabeth Schneider established groundbreaking feminist jurisprudence in representing Yvonne Wanrow. Wanrow, a Native American (Colville), was convicted by an all-white jury in Washington State in 1973 for killing a known child molester who had broken into her babysitter’s home and tried to attack the children. Nancy and Liz represented Wanrow in the appeal of her 20 year prison sentence, attacking the sex stereotyped jury instructions on self-defense, arguing that the trial judge’s failure to consider Wanrow’s perspective as a woman defending herself and her family was prejudicial to all women claiming self-defense. The Washington State Supreme Court ruled Wanrow was entitled to have a
jury consider her “perceptions of the situation, including those perceptions which were the product of our nation’s long and unfortunate history of sex discrimination.” The ruling was the first recognizing the right of women to defend themselves from male attackers. “I learned so much from her,” Liz Schneider comments. “She is a brilliant lawyer and strategist, a pioneer on issues of women’s reproductive justice and women’s rights, is very warm, has a great sense of humor and is a great teacher. I can’t think of any woman lawyer of our generation who has contributed more to the development of this work.”
Nancy sued adoption agencies and the government when the U.S. undertook a “Babylift” to evacuate orphanages as the end neared to the Vietnam War, but which had included children who were not orphans and had been separated from their parents. Nancy and her co-counsel Neil Gotanda of the Asian Law Caucus, Mort Cohen and Tom Miller were fiercely opposed by the American adoption agencies who had facilitated the placements.
Nancy argued twice in the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1974 she co-argued with the NYCLU’s Jeremiah Gutman to quash a subpoena from the
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Senate Internal Security Committee seeking bank records of an anti-war organization in United Servicemen’s Fund. v. Eastland, and in 1981 she represented a peace group seeking to bar the storage of nuclear weapons near an airport runway in Weinberger v. Catholic Action of Hawaii.
Tackling Toxics
After twelve years at CCR, Nancy joined the New York State Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Bureau in late 1981. She became head of the AG’s Toxic’s Unit just as the Reagan Administration withdrew the federal government from enforcing environmental protection laws. Nancy helped make New York State a national leader filling the regulatory void. There she was in charge of enforcing New York’s newly enacted workers’ “right to know” law; was one of the negotiators for the state in securing remediation of an oil spill by an Exxon barge in New York harbor; and argued in the New York Court of Appeals to defend New York’s successful prosecution of a corporation that exposed its workers to deadly hazards cleaning up spilled mercury from broken thermometers. She sued Con Edison to enforce the duty to train its workers in safety issues, and was involved in the wave of legal efforts to prevent environmental violators from avoiding liability through the bankruptcy process.
Nancy now works in state Supreme Court in Manhattan. ”I was thrilled anytime we could work on the same case,” retired Justice Emily Jane Goodman remarks. “Of course Nancy was always correct, even when she warned me that we’d be reversed. She is my hero!”
Nancy taught seminars at Rutgers Law School for 20 years, taking over Women and the Law when Ruth Bader Ginsburg left Rutgers, and later teaching a Toxics seminar. She was an inaugural board member of the Women’s Rights Law Reporter,
founded by Ginsburg, and in 2008 was an honoree in the “Salute to Feminist Lawyers 1963-1975” presented by Veteran Feminists of America. Nancy also taught Women and the Law at Northeastern University and the University of Hawaii Law Schools.
Nancy has a parallel career as a cabaret singer, and will be presenting a new show this fall. Nancy sat on the NYC Chapter board in the early 1970’s, where she met Alicia Kaplow, who worked in the NLG National Office. They were part of new leadership who helped make the Guild welcoming to legal workers and law students.
The Age of Trump
The week after the 2017 presidential inauguration, Nancy, Kris Glen, Emily Jane Goodman and Danny Alterman spoke on a panel at the NLG/CUNY/SALT CLE. That afternoon, Nancy said she was thinking about what had sustained the NLG lawyers who endured political repression during the 1940’s and 1950’s. Recently she recalled with optimism, the activism that began to unfold that evening, when lawyers battled to stop the First Muslim Ban, and continued with the women’s demonstrations, the fight for immigrants’ rights in the courts, and the actions of the high school students in Parkland, reminding Nancy of what set her on her way. “Once you’ve been bitten by the Movement bug, it doesn’t go away. It changes who you are.”
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Kyle Elizabeth Barron has worked at the intersection of immigration and human rights for over two
decades in New York, Arizona, and Colorado.
Currently a second-year Law student at New York University and Ph.D. candidate in Politics at the New School, Kyle’s connection to immigrant rights began at an early age. Hailing from Alamosa, Colorado, she grew up with classmates whose parents were migrant workers. She became acutely aware of her classmates’ hardships as they were uprooted and relocated after just a few short months, unable to truly put down roots or form community, based largely on their immigration status. Those that were able to stay in Alamosa struggled to continue their education and earn high school degrees. As a high school freshman, Kyle began volunteering for Alamosa’s local radio station, KRZA (KRaza), a station dedicated to the Chicanx movement and providing Spanish language programming to the larger migrant farmer network in southern Colorado.For college, Kyle relocated to Arizona, at the heart of the immigration fight in the United States. During her undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, Kyle’s immigration advocacy work continued when she founded the ASU chapter of No More Deaths. At a critical time in the U.S. militarization of the border, Kyle organized groups of volunteers on the Arizona-Mexico border to provide food, water, and medical assistance to people in need. Through this work, Kyle was introduced to the critical role that law has in supporting social movements and protecting the rights of activists. She graduated from ASU with degrees in Spanish and Political science with a
LAW STUDENT RECOGNITION AWARD: KYLE BARRONBy Christina Licata
certificate in Latin American studies in 2007. After undergrad, Kyle toured the U.S., Canada, and Europe as a bassist in a gogo Detroit garage band before settling in New York City to pursue an M.A. in Politics at New York University. During her time in the NYU Master’s program, Kyle worked as an editor for the publication the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA), contributing articles on U.S. and Latin American policy and producing podcasts for NACLA Radio. Upon completion of her Master’s in 2013, Kyle began working with the New Sanctuary Coalition, where she coordinated legal services and advocated for families facing deportation in New York City. There, she coordinated the accompaniment program, matching volunteers with people facing deportation to ensure community support for immigration hearings and check-ins. Along with the Executive Director Ravi Ragbir, she also launched the pro se asylum clinics, which organizes teams of community
Kyle, Havana, Cuba, December 2016
17
volunteers to work with people facing deportation to file asylum applications. This program has grown and now serves up to 100 people facing deportation each week. Organizing legal trainings for attorneys and advocates at the New Sanctuary Coalition further intensified Kyle’s desire to make significant change within the legal system in regards to immigration policy and her resolve to abolish ICE. This led to her decision to attend Law School at New York University. As Kyle pursues her J.D., she has continued to work for the immigrant community in NYC. She worked with people in immigrant detention with the Bronx Defenders in the summer of 2017. In 2017, Kyle founded the Sanctuary Defense Committee at the NYC National Lawyers’ Guild, where she coordinates civil rights and criminal/federal defense attorneys and law students in developing know your rights presentations and litigation strategies for communities standing against deportation and considering providing physical sanctuary to people facing deportation. Through a Guild Grant awarded in 2017, Kyle helped launch a partnership between the NYU chapter of NLG and the New Sanctuary Coalition to support people in immigration detention. As part of this initiative, in the Spring of 2018, the (anti)Detention Committee began a pro se habeas petition clinic to organize volunteers to work with people in their
fight to be free from immigration detention. As a student with the the NYU Law Immigrant Rights Clinic, she and her classmate Gerardo Romo will be arguing a case in front of the Second Circuit in the summer of 2018.
She anticipates receiving her J.D. in May 2019 from NYU Law and Ph.D. in Politics the following year. Upon completion of her studies, Kyle hopes to continue to participate in movement lawyering to build a more just system for immigrants in New York City and beyond. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her partner and two dogs.
Kyle at NYU Law, May 2018
Kyle on the Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn, NY, Summer 2016
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Statement of PurposeThe National Lawyers Guild is an association dedicated to the need for
basic change in the structure of our political and economic system. We seek to unite the lawyers, law students, legal workers and jailhouse lawyers of America in an organization which shall function as an effective political and social force in the service of the people, to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests.
— From the Preamble to the Constitution of the National Lawyers Guild, originally adopted on February 22, 1937, at Washington, D.C., and amended in July of 1971 at Boulder, Colorado.
SAFER SPACES POLICYThe Spring Fling committee recognizes that issues of privilege and
oppression exist in society both socially and institutionally. In tonight’s gala, as in all of the Chapter’s work, we hope to create a safe space that fosters common understanding and solidarity among Guild members, guests and allies. We strive to make the Spring Fling welcoming, engaging and supportive to everyone. While we understand that not all oppressive behaviors are intentional, we ask our attendees to be mindful of their words and actions while enjoying tonight’s event. We abhor all forms of oppressive conduct, including those based on one’s age, gender, sexual identity, religion, race, ethnicity, or disability.
In accordance with this safer space policy, if anyone in attendance feels that the group space is unsafe or oppressive, please contact an NLG-NYC volunteer at the registration table for assistance. If efforts to address the problem fail, the offending person(s) may be asked to leave.
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We salute this year’s honorees—
stalwart all in our common struggle for
Justice!
Abdeen Jabara & Holly Maguigan
Congratulations to all of tonight’s outstanding Honorees
∞Workers’ Compensation • soCial seCurity Disability
employment DisCrimination • Civil rights
∞65 lenox roaD #1e • brooklyn, ny 11226
(347) 413-9014geoffrey.sChotter@gmail.Com
WWW.sChotterlaW.Com
“First, we kill all the
lawyers!” Except the members of
the NLG!
Robert
20
CONGRATULATIONS
TO KYLEWith Our Love
&
Admiration
Your Krinsky-Meyerson & Other Relations
Michael ~ Ann ~ Josh Samantha ~ Sam ~ Laura Martin ~ Naomi ~ Amara
21
Congratulations to honorees Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Kyle Barron, and Nancy Stearns from Lew and Gideon Oliver
Lewis B. Oliver, Jr. Oliver Law Office
156 Madison Avenue Albany, New York 12202
(518) 463-7962
Gideon Orion Oliver Attorney at Law
Gideon@GideonLaw.com www.GideonLaw.com
(718) 783-3682
The Center for Constitutional Rights congratulate this year’s NLG-NYC honorees, and sends special appreciation and love to
Nancy StearnsFormer CCR staff attorney, advisor, and mentor, and a groundbreaking
lawyer fighting early on at the intersection of racial, gender, andeconomic justic and whose creative and brilliant litigation made realdifference in the lives of her clients, colleagues and countless others,
and inspired succeeding generations of social justice lawyers. Nancy is a shining example of movement lawyering in the U.S. and abroad.
Natasha Lycia Ora Bannon CCR board member and former Ella Baker Intern is at the forefront of this
generation of social justice lawyers. Through her extraordinary work at LatinoJustice, her inspirational work on behalf of Puerto Rico,
and her NLG leadership, Natasha personifies the excellent lawyer andmovement partner that we need more of.
It is a privilege to join with others in honoring you both andthe deep work for liberation you pursue so fiercely.
Please join Molly Knefel and Gideon Oliver in welcoming
Alfreda “Freddie” Attica Oliver
Due June 8, but born May 4, 2018, at 5:55pm, in Brooklyn, weighing 4 lbs. 5 oz.
“Alfreda” means “counselor to elves” and “Attica” means “fight back”
Also in memory of Elizabeth M. Fink – live like her
22
In Honor ofNancy Stearns
andIn Memory of
Rhonda Copelon
c
Danny GreenbergKaren Nelson
23
Viva Nancy!Our Friend of Many Years
Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard,Krinsky & Lieberman, P.C.
New York, New York
Nancy Stearns was one of the original lawyers in the Horman suit against Henry Kissinger to find the truth about US support of Charles Horman’s murder at the hands of Pinochet forces in the aftermath of the coup against democracy in Chile in 1973. Our Foundation mission is to seek truth, inform broadly, and encourage the prosecution of human rights crimes.
24
THANKS TO THE GUILD
THE BEST
THING TO HAPPEN
IN LAW=
Kent Karlsson
25
We who are sworn to
uphold the constitutions of the United States and the State of New York
are pleased to renew that commitment publicly.
Carol Arber (ret.)
Maggie Cammer
Marc Finkelstein
Kristin Booth Glen (ret.)
Ellen Gesmer
Emily Jane Goodman (ret.)
Debra James
Doris Ling-Cohen
Joan Lobis (ret.)
Joan Madden
Andrea Masley
Rita Mella
William Mogulescu
Ann O’Shea
Jenny Rivera
Wayne Saitta
Michelle Schrieber
Marcia Sikowitz
Margarita Lopez Torres
26
YOU MAKE THE GUILD WORKYour generous support; from making a contribution to giving back through a donation of legal fees, to including the chapter foundation in your estate and the countless hours volunteering – you and the Guild community make all the programs and projects of the NYC Chapter possible. Thank you!
NLG-NYC CHAPTER FOUNDATION, INC.
Join us today in supporting the great work and make a tax-deductable gift today.
To make a gift or to learn more about planned giving, call (212) 679-6018, email nlgnyc@igc.org or write to: 168 Canal Street 6th Fl. New York, NY 10013
A 501(c)(3) entity dedicated to enhancing the growth and agenda of the NYC Chapter
27
Tremendous thanks to the National Lawyers Guild and to its extraordinary honorees
for leading the way.
From
COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL FACULTY:Elizabeth Emmens, Brett Dignam, Carol Liebman, Lance Liebman,
Mavis Fowler, Eben Moglen, Harold Edgar, Conrad Johnson, Susan Kraham, Mary
Marsh Zulack, Edward Lloyd, Ellen Chapnick, Philip Genty, Katherine Franke, and others….
The Parole Preparation Project of the National Lawyers Guild-New York City Chapter wishes to congratulate:
NLG President Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Nancy Stearns
and law student Kyle Barron.
Thank you for your tireless work in the struggle for justice!
The Parole Preparation Project collaborates with and advocates for people serving life sentences in New York State prisons.
You can reach us at:Parole Preparation Project168 Canal Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10013347-620-5906
28
We congratulate the 2018 Champions of Justice
Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan Nancy Stearns
Kyle Barron
for their extraordinary work on behalf of the civil rights and liberties of the People
Aaron AmaralBruce K. Bentley
Joan L. BeranbaumMichael Fahey
Abe GreeneWilliam Whalen
Past and present lawyers with District Council 37
Municipal Employees Legal Services
We Salute our Amazing Honorees:
Past, present and future trailblazers in the struggle for Justice
Marty Stolar & ElSiE ChandlEr
Danny Meyers 50 years married
to the Guild:
Salutes Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan
Nancy Stearns Kyle Barron
and welcomes: Freddie Attica Oliver.
With appreciation and love.
Joan Max Reinmuth Daniel Meyers
29
SCOTUS has RBG….and we’ve got NJS (Nancy Judith Stearns).
A toast to you, Nancy, our own women’s rights pathbreaker!!!!!
THE RUTGERS TEAM:Nancy Biberman Richard Feldman
Louise Halper (in memoriam) & Fred HalperPeggy Hayden
Judy Levin Donna Lieberman
Joan LobisCarlin Meyer
Deborah Rand
Marci SevilleLoren SiegelJane Sufian
Elizabeth St.ClairJoan VermeulenPhyllis Warren
Barbara WolvovitzEllen Yaroshefsky
James Yates
30
Hats off to Nancy Stearns
– Advocate Extraordinaire !
Peter Kinoy and Barbara
Webster
To Natasha, Nancy and Kyle:
“Well behaved Women Seldom Make History.”—Laurel Thatcher Urich
Congratulations to all the honorees who have made history in so many ways. You inspire us and keep us motivated.
Your friends at Mirer, Mazzocchi & Julien PLLC Jeanne Mirer, Kristina Mazzocchi, and Ria Julien
Evelyn Raxon Kassandra Sparks and Rachel Garbus: Paralegals and Legal Assistants
Phil Arnone, Legal InternRodolfo Diaz: Accountant150 Broadway, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10039 212 231 2235
Specializing in Labor, Civil and Human Rights Law.
Congratulations to the National Lawyers Guild
on honoring NLG President
Natasha Lycia Ora BannanNancy Stearns
and
Law Student Kyle Barron
GERALD B. LEFCOURTt
31
0-000-00006: 10924750
joins theNational Lawyers Guild NYC Chapter
in honoring and congratulating the 2018
Champions of JusticeNatasha Lycia Ora Bannan
Nancy Stearnsand
Law Student Recognition Award RecipientKyle Barron
__________________________Daniel J. Ratner Richard L. Dorn Special Counsel:Daniel Engelstein Robert H. Stroup Richard A. LevyGwynne A. Wilcox Dana E. LossiaPamela Jeffrey Micah Wissinger Kimberly A. LehmanCarl J. Levine Ryan Barbur Aleksandr FelstinerDavid Slutsky Alexander Rabb Jessica I. ApterAllyson L. Belovin Laureve D. Blackstone Rebekah Cook-MackSuzanne Hepner Courtney L. Allen
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Levy Ratner's record of successfully representing unions and working people places the firm at the forefront of thelabor side advocacy movement. We offer comprehensive representation for our clients -- labor organizations, unionleaders, workers, benefit funds, and political parties and candidates - in the workplace, in arbitrations, at thebargaining table, before federal, state and municipal labor boards, and in the courtroom.
We are a team of seasoned and diverse professionals who provide counsel that is proactive, responsive and helps ourclients win. Levy Ratner attorneys teach, lecture at events sponsored by bar associations and write extensively onsignificant legal issues. Our attorneys come from varied backgrounds: some served as law clerks for federal judges,others have experience in government and public service, and many came to the firm after careers in union, politicalor community organizing.
Through hands-on, individualized representation by advocates with national reputations, and an unwaveringcommitment to social justice, we consistently provide our clients with progressive, high-quality, cost-effectiverepresentation.____________________________________________________________________________________________
union-side labor, employee benefits, bankruptcy, campaign finance, election law, civil rights and plaintiffs’ employment law80 Eighth Avenue, 8th floor • New York, NY 10011 • 212-627-8100
www.levyratner.com
32
MATRIMONIAL LITIGATION
P A U L L E A V I NAttorney At LAw
325 Broadway, Suite 203 215-B Grove Street
New york, Ny 10007 Merrick Ny 11566212.352.9251 (918) 748-1036www.PaulleaviN.coM pleavin@att.net
SEGAL & GREENBERG LLPSalutes 2018 Champions of Justice
Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan & Nancy Stearns For Their Advocacy and Vision
Philip C. Segal Margery A. GreenbergWilliam R. Dalsimer Louise Gruner Gans Stephen M. Latimer
179 Franklin Street • New York, New York 10013 • (212) 297-0503 • www.segal-greenberg.com
Nancy – This honor is so justly earned.
Enjoy!
Aloha, Sylvia Law
33
WE SALUTE THE HONOREES FOR THEIR TIRELESS WORK IN THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE.
Collins Dobkin & Miller, LLP277 Broadway, 14th floorNew York, NY 10007Tel (212) 587-2400collinsdobkinmiller.com
Grap
hic
by S
eth
Tobo
cman
PROTECTING TENANTS’ RIGHTS SINCE 1994
We Salute You! Congratulations to NLG-NYC honorees Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Nancy Stearns, and Kyle Barron.
HIMMELSTEIN, MCCONNELL,GRIBBEN, DONOGHUE & JOSEPH LLPTENANT, COOP AND CONDO UNIT OWNER REPRESENTATION
B E S T W I S H E S F R O M T H E T E A M AT
HMGDJ LAW.COM
34
Bob and Decca Treuhaft on the Woman Question, San Francisco Bay Guardian February 26, 1971 interview: Decca: Bob gave me the Book of Housekeeping, on everything, like How to Clean Bedsprings. I’d curl up and read this fascinating stuff and the house would just –Bob: I’d come home and the floor would be covered with dirty diapers.Bob: Over the sink we had a sign, a quotation from a letter Lenin had written to Rosa Luxembourg. Something like, “Of all tasks, housework is the most barbaric, degrading and menial.“Interviewer; Do you feel, as some people say, that having a successful wife is castrating?(He looked down pensively at his crotch): No, 1 don’t think so.
In Memory of Robert Treuhaft & Jessica MitfordConstancia Dinky Romilly • Benjamin Treuhaft • Terry Weber
99 Hudson St. 12th Fl. New York, NY 10013 | (212) 966-5932
aaldef.orgwww /asianamericanlegal @aaldef
Fordham Law School’s Clinical Faculty Congratulate the 2018 Champions of Justice
Natasha Lycia Ora BannanNancy StearnsKyle Barron
Thank you to the New York City Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild for all you do.
Liz CooperPaolo GalizziBrian GlickLeah HillRon LazebnikMike MartinPaul Radvany Martha RaynerBeth SchwartzMarcella SilvermanGemma SolimeneIan Weinstein
35
FOR HER STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO EQUAL
JUSTICE WE SALUTE
NANCY STEARNS
A TRUE CHAMPION OF JUSTICE
And we are pleased to announce that Luna Droubi has become a partner in the Firm
BELDOCK LEVINE & HOFFMAN LLP
Jonathan C. Moore, Jonathan Pollack, David Rankin, Luna
Droubi, Karen Dippold, Marc Cannan, Cynthia Rollings, Peter Matorin, Jeffrey Greenberg, Bruce Trauner, Henry Dlugacz, Keith Szczepanski, Gillian Cassell-Stiga, Stephen J. Blumert,
Emily Jane Goodman (Justice, NYS Supreme Court, Ret), Frank Handelman, Marjory D. Fields (Justice, NYS Supreme
Court, Ret), Joseph Sestak, Scott Held, Asha McLachlan, Donald Pooler, Sonia Clarke and Yvonne Hunter
Specializing in trial and appellate work in the areas of civil
rights, constitutional law, international human rights, criminal defense, mass defense, employment discrimination,
matrimonial, trusts and estates and entertainment law.
36
Congratulations to NANCY STEARNS,
our Supreme Colleague and FriendMary AmendolaSam Cherniak
Julie Hauptman CohenJulia Cort
John EckertAlison Edwards
Bill Epstein Andrea FieldJanet GordonBetsi Gertz
Hon. Emily Jane Goodman (Ret.)Lisa Grasso (owes)
Suzanne HaileBeth Herstein
Lois Hernandez-McGibbonMichele Kern-Rappy
Michelle KucsmaDean Leslie
Rose Ann MagaldiAnna Mikhaleva
Johnson Ng Hon. Alice Schlesinger (Ret.)
Marilyn SugarmanGregory TestaLisa Trocchio
Advocates for Workplace Fairness
Outten & Golden LLP is pleased to support National Lawyers Guild-New York City
We join you in honoring the 2018 Champions of Justice
Nancy Sterns • Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan
and Law Student Recognition Awardee Kyle Barron
www.outtengolden.com New York • Chicago • San Francisco • Washington DC
37
From the F I S H FAM I LY AT C AT E R S O N
Congratulations!
38
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2018 CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE
JOSEPH LIPOFSKY
We are proud supporters of the
National Lawyer’s Guild of NYC.
Congratulations to thisyear’s honorees!
Brooklyn For Peacebrooklynpeace.orgbfp@brooklynpeace.org
You’re always there when needed!
ALTERMAN & BOOP LLP
99 Hudson Street, 8th Floor New York, New York 10013
212-226-2800
dalterman@altermanboop.com aboop@altermanboop.com www.altermanandboop.com
Daniel L. Alterman, Esq.
Arlene F. Boop, Esq. A full service law firm specializing in
employment discrimination and general litigation
Congratulations to the Honorees Adelante!
- Dan Alterman and Arlene Boop
Jews Say No! congratulates the honorees
and NLG-NYC!
Read our special issue on the Nakba and the Jewish National Fund:
movingforwardd.com
We are so pleased that the New York City Chapteris honoring
Nancy Stearns
A fine Guild champion and a wonderful friend—Lewis & Kitty Steel
39
We honor Nancy Stearns,
a true champion of justice
z
Adco FoundAtionSUPPORTING SOCIAL JUSTICE SINCE 1971
Emily J.Goodman Founder and President
Dr. Leith Mullins
Dr. Michelle Fine
Dr. Dana-Ain Davis
40
The Labor Movement can be a great force for democracy, social progress, and social justice.
To fulfill that potential, it must be thoroughly democratic
in its internal life.
ASSOCIATION FOR UNION DEMOCRACY104 Montgomery Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225, USA
Phone: 718-564-1114 info@uniondemocracy.org
Koehler & Isaacs is Proud to Support the 2018 National
Lawyers Guild NYC Chapter Spring Fling
A FULL SERVICE LEGAL PRACTICE
ASSISTING UNION MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN LEGAL MATTERS, INCLUDING:
PERSONAL INJURY LABOR & CIVIL SERVICE LAW
CRIMINAL DEFENSE FAMILY AND MATRIMONIAL CONCERNS
REAL ESTATE • BANKRUPTCY WILLS, TRUSTS & ESTATES
LANDLORD & TENANT MATTERS
EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION & CIVIL RIGHTS
IMMIGRATION LAW
61 Broadway, 25th Floor New York, NY 10006
917-551-1300 www.koehler-isaacs.com
Congratulations to honorees: Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Kyle Barron, and Nancy Stearns.
Many thanks to the National Lawyers Guild for your essential, tireless work for human rights, civil liberties and social justice.
International Action Center
41
NLG-NYC MASS DEFENSE COMMITTEE
Bruce Bentley
Marc A. Cannan
Gillian Cassell-Stiga
Elena Cohen
Karen L. Dippold
Luna Droubi
Michael Fahey
Susan Howard
Nan Kripke
Joel Kupferman
Holly Maguigan & Abdeen Jabara
Meg Maurus
Ben Meyers
Daniel Meyers
Paul Mills
Jonathan C. Moore
Gideon Oliver
David B. Rankin
Nina Reznick
Andew Sawtelle
Franklin Siegel
Martin Stolar
Keith M. Szczepanski
John Upton
Standing shoulder to shoulder with those who take to the streets
to protest oppression, the Mass Defense Committee proudly salutes
tonight’s Champions of Justice!
42
Nancy Stearns, a “People’s Lawyer”
Gladstein, Reif & Meginniss, LLP 817 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY 10003 (212) 228-7727
With great respect and admiration
i join in honoring
NANCY STEARNS
DJohn Mage
Met Council on Housing congratulates Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Kyle
Barron, and Nancy Stearns for their tireless
work and fearless advocacy.
43
ross wisdom, cpaMANAGING PARTNER
Kimerling & Wisdom, LLC150 BROADWAY, SUITE 1105
NEW YORK, NY 10038TAX & ACCOUNTING SERVICES
212-980-0892 EXT 103 rwisdom@kwllc.usFAX 212-661-1970 www.kwllc.com
44
In celebration of Harold Cammer, a Guild Founder, and Nancy Stearns, a courageous groundbreaking lawyer...and
fabulous singer.
MAGGIE CAMMER
The Puerto Rico Subcommittee of the National Lawyers Guild
joins the NLG NYC Chapter in celebrating our sister co-chair
NATASHAfor her wonderful internationalist work
and also celebrating the other honorees
End colonialismRepeal PROMESA / Cancel the debt / Eliminate the Jones Act
salutes our friends at theNational Lawyers Guild in our shared struggle for social justice.
100 William St., NY, NY 10038www.mobilizationforjustice.org
BUSTED IN THE PARK RAID?
Please invite former OWS clients arrested in
Zuccotti Park 11/15/11 to participate
in a pending federal civil rights class action. Contact: Law Office of
Paul L. Mills, plm36@columbia.edu.
45
46
The NLG-NYC Executive Committee is delighted to honor the 2018 Champions of Justice, NLG President Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Nancy Stearns and Kyle Barron.
May your tireless dedication in the service of the people continue to be an inspiration to all.
We celebrate Hon. Lucy Billings, Alan H. Levine and the NLG Prison Law Project for their pursuit of
justice.
Demanding Rights, Resources & Results for Women Worldwide
www.MADRE.org
Our work for social justice is stronger, in communities here in the US and globally,
thanks to you, Natasha. We’re grateful to have your
bold, creative and thoughtful leadership in this vital work.
35 Years of Fighting for Feminist Futures
47
Nancy, You are my hero!
Emily
CONGRATULATIONS
NANCY—
(“LEFTY” TO US)
Helen Baldassare & Ken Norwick
GREETINGS
Kent KarlssonLinden Miller
Marty Needleman
Deborah Rand Jeff Senter
Lanny Walters
I congratulate the nlg for 81 years of workIng for
peace and justIce.
JudithREWGRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION
PRINT | DIGITAL | WEB
A Proud Contributor to the Work of the NLG for 31 years
jrew7@comcast.net
With abiding admiration
NANCY STEARNS
Heidi Boghosian
Nancy – This honor is so justly earned.
Enjoy!
Aloha, Sylvia Law
48
Resist war! Find more anti-militarist resources like brochures, organizing
guides, and calendars online.
warresisters.org/store
salutes
National Lawyers Guild – New York City Chapter for its commitment to racial justice, civil rights and workers’ rights.
congratulations to,
2018 Champions of Justice Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan ● Nancy Stearns
Law Student Recognition Award
Kyle Barron
Héctor J. Figueroa President
Larry Engelstein Kyle Bragg
Executive Vice President Secretary-Treasurer
32 BJ SEIU ................................................48Adco Foundation ......................................39 Alterman & Boop LLP .............................38Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund .........................................34Association for Union Democracy ..........40Baldassare, Helen & Ken Norwick ..........47 Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP ............35Boghosian, Heidi ......................................47 Brandworkers International .....................23Brooklyn for Peace ....................................38 Cammer, Maggie .......................................44 Center for Constitutional Rights .............21Charles Horman Truth Foundation .......23 Collins, Dobkin & Miller LLP ..................33 Columbia Law School, Faculty ................27 Consolidated Color Press Inc. .................32Dembia, Robert, PC ..................................19 D.C. 37, Lawyers with Municipal Employees Legal Services, past & present ............................................28Fish Family at Caterson ............................37Fordham Law School, Students, Professors and Administrators .................34Friends from Supreme Court ..................36 Gladstein, Reif & Meginniss, LLP ...........42 Goldstein Karlewicz & Goldstein, LLP ...45Goodman, Emily Jane ...............................47 Greenberg, Daniel & Karen Nelson .......22 Greetings Page...........................................47 Himmelstein, McConnell, Gribben, Donoghue & Joseph .................................33 International Action Center ....................40International Publishers Co. ....................45 Jews Say No ................................................38 Judges Page ................................................25 Karlsson, Kent ............................................24Kimerling & Wisdom, LLC ......................43 Koehler & Isaacs, LLP ..............................40Krinsky-Meyerson & Relations .................20LatinoJustice, PRLDEF .............................28
Law, Sylvia ..................................................32 Leavin, Paul, Law Office...........................32 Lefcourt, Gerald ........................................30 Levy Ratner, P.C. ........................................31 Lipofsky, Joseph .........................................38 MADRE ......................................................46 Mage, John .................................................42 Maguigan, Holly & Abdeen Jabara .........19 Mass Defense Committee, members, NYC Chapter ...........................41Met Council on Housing .........................42Meyers, Daniel & Joan Reinmuth ...........28Mills, Paul ...................................................44Mirer, Mazzocchi, Schalet & Julien PLLC ...............................................30Mobilization for Justice ............................44National Lawyers Guild, National Office ..........................................46 New York City Chapter Executive Committee .................................................46NLG-NYC Foundation, Inc. ....................46NLG Puerto Rican Sub Committee ........44Oliver, Gideon & Molly Knefel ................21Oliver, Lewis & Gideon.............................21Outten & Golden LLP ..............................36Parole Preparation Project of the NLG-NYC ...................................................27Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman, P.C. .......................23 Rew, Judith, Graphic Design ....................47Romilly, Constancia Dinky, Benjamin Treuhaft & Terry Weber ...........................34 Rutgers Alumni .........................................29Segal & Greenberg LLP ...........................32Schotter, Greoffrey, Law Offices ..............19 Steele, Lewis & Kitty ..................................38 Stolar, Martin & Elsie Chandler ..............28 War Resisters League ................................48Webster, Barbara & Peter Kinoy ...... 30Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America .........43
INDEX OF ADS
NATIO
NAL LAW
YERS GUILD
– NEW
YORK C
ITY CH
APTER
168 Canal Street, 6th floor
New
York, NY 10013
phone 212-679-6018w
ww
.nlgn
yc.org
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