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 HeightsYeshiva; 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]
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]
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.[citation needed] 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]
For his tenure as chair of the House Judiciary Committee in the 116th Congress, Nadler earned an "A" grade from the non-partisan Lugar Center's Congressional Oversight Hearing Index.[27]
Nadler is a member of the Vote Blue Coalition, a progressive group and federal PAC created to support Democrats in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania through voter outreach and mobilization efforts.[29]
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".[37]
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.[38]
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.[39][40] He has opposed tax breaks for high-income earners, saying that the country cannot afford it.[38]
Abortion
Nadler has a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.[41]
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.[45]
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.[46]
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."[47]
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.[48]
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."[49]
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.[50]
Climate change
In April 2023, Nadler was one of the 95 co-sponsors of H.Res.319, which calls for the creation of a Green New Deal.[51][52]
Cannabis
Nadler calls for the Biden administration to deschedule cannabis at a press conference with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in 2024
Nadler introduced the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act in July 2019 to legalize cannabis at the federal level by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act.[53] 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."[54] 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.[55] In April 2022, it passed the full House of Representatives by a 228–164 vote.[56]
On July 7, 2024, it was reported that Nadler had expressed interest in Biden dropping out. This was during a call that Hakeem Jeffries held with the committee leaders.[58]
But on July 9, 2024, after a huddle with all the Democrats, Nadler said "he is "enthusiastically" supporting Biden."[59]
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".[60]
His Medicare proposal includes a section that provides for a consortium of organization to study Ground Zero illness.[61]
Personal life
Nadler and Josephine Langsdorr "Joyce" Miller wed in 1976.[62] As of 2013, they lived in Lincoln Square.[63]
^"President's Letter"(PDF). The Campaign for Stuyvesant. Archived from the original(PDF format) on October 28, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2007.
^Fastenberg, Daniel (June 2006). "Liberal ... and Proud of It". Columbia College Today. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^"Notable Alumni". Alpha Epsilon Pi. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
^Nicholas Fandos. (23 August 2022). "Nadler Routs Maloney in Marquee Showdown of Bruising New York Primaries". NY Times website Retrieved 27 August 2022.
^"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.
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