Claude Solnik
Long Island Business News
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Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348
Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
Jay Sekulow
Jay Alan Sekulow /ˈsɛkjəˌloʊ/ (born June 10, 1956) is an American attorney who serves as Chief Counsel at the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ). He also hosts a talk showthat airs on radio and television. Sekulow is a frequent guest commentator on the Christian Broadcasting Network and the Fox News Channel. A self-described Messianic Jew, Sekulow built a legal and media empire over a thirty-year period by representing conservative, religious, pro-life groups.[1]
Sekulow is on President Donald Trump's personal legal team, which is advising the president in connection with the investigation into possible collusion between members of Trump's 2016 campaign and the Russian government.[2]
Contents
Early life and education
Jay Alan Sekulow was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Natalie (née Wortman) and Stanley Sekulow.[3][4] Sekulow graduated from Lakeside High School in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned a B.A. and a J.D. from Mercer University. While attending Atlanta Baptist College (now the Atlanta campus of Mercer University), Sekulow became interested in Christianity and converted after encountering Jews for Jesus.[5] Sekulow earned a Ph.D. from Regent University in 2005, writing his dissertation on religious influence on Supreme Court Justices and their opinions.
Career
As a young lawyer, Sekulow worked in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a tax trial attorney, defending lawsuits in the United States Tax Court on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury.[6] He formed a private practice with Stuart J. Roth that was initially successful, but fell apart after IRS regulations changed in the 1980s. Sekulow filed for bankruptcy in 1987 asserting $13,071,748 in debts and $638,000 in assets.[5] In 1992, Sekulow became the director of the ACLJ, where he serves as Chief Counsel.
In addition to his duties as Chief Counsel for the ACLJ, Sekulow hosts Jay Sekulow Live!, a syndicated daily radio program broadcast on terrestrial radio, and XM and Sirius satellite radios. This live call-in program focuses on legal and legislative topics.[7] Sekulow is the host of ACLJ This Week, a weekly television news program broadcast on Trinity Broadcasting Network[8] and Daystar.
Sekulow is thought by some in Washington to have been one of the "Four Horsemen" who "engineered" the nomination of Chief Justice John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court.[9] In 2007, Sekulow endorsed Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.[9][10] He has opposed the building of Park51, an Islamic center in Lower Manhattan two blocks from the World Trade Center.[11][12][13]
News and politics
In November 2005, Legal Times published an article which 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." In the article, former donors and supporters claimed that Sekulow engaged in a pattern of self-dealing to finance his "high-flying lifestyle." According to a ranking by the American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog group, Sekulow was the 13th highest paid executive of a charitable organization in the United States.[14]
On June 27, 2017, The Washington Post reported that "Jay Sekulow's family has been paid millions from charities they control".[15]
On June 27 and 28, 2017, The Guardian reported, that documents obtained by them confirmed later that "millions in donations" were steered to his family members,[16] that Sekulow "approved plans to push poor and jobless people to donate money to his Christian nonprofit, which since 2000 has steered more than $60m to Sekulow, his family and their businesses",[16] and that attorneys general in New York and North Carolina opened investigations of Jay Sekulow’s group Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism (CASE) for possibly using pressure tactics in telemarketer calls to raise money which was allegedly misdirected to Sekulow and his family.[17]
Personal life
Sekulow and his wife, Pamela (McPherson), have been married since 1978, and have two adult sons, Jordan and Logan. (All four live in Brentwood, TN.)[18][19] Jordan Sekulow is an attorney with the ACLJ and Director of International Operations. He also co-hosts the radio and television programming with his father. Logan briefly starred in the Nickelodeon series U-Pick Live in 2005.[20] Sekulow was raised Jewish. He converted to Christianity in college and is now a Messianic Jew.[21] His youngest brother Scott is the founder and Rabbi of the Messianic Jewish Congregation Beth Adonai in Atlanta, Georgia.[22] Sekulow also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.
Awards and accomplishments
- In 1994, Sekulow was named to the National Law Journal's Power List.[25]
- In 1997, he was named to The American Lawyer's Public Sector 45, a list dedicated to legal public servants who have had the greatest effect in their respective fields.[26]
- Legal Times profiled him as one of the "90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 years".[27]
Publications
- 1990: From Intimidation to Victory, Creation House
- 1993: Knowing Your Rights: Taking Back Our Religious Liberties
- 1996: And Nothing But the Truth
- 1997: Christian Rights in the Workplace, The American Center for Law and Justice
- 2000: The Christian, The Court, and The Constitution, The American Center for Law and Justice
- 2005: Witnessing Their Faith: Religious Influence on Supreme Court Justices and Their Opinions, Rowman & Littlefield
- 2014: "Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can't Ignore" (with Jordan Sekulow, Robert W. Ash, and David A. French), Howard Books
- 2015: Undemocratic: How Unelected, Unaccountable Bureaucrats Are Stealing Your Liberty and Freedom, Howard Books
- 2016: Unholy Alliance: The Agenda Iran, Russia, and Jihadists Share for Conquering the World
- 2018: Jerusalem: A Biblical and Historical Case for the Jewish Capital
Cases before the Supreme Court
Sekulow has argued in front of the United States Supreme Court 12 times during his career. He has specialized in arguing key issues of the First Amendment.[28] Sekulow most recently argued before the Supreme Court on November 12, 2008 in Pleasant Grove City v Summum, case No.07-665. Sekulow represented the city in this case concerning government control over monuments and memorials in government-owned public places, which ended the following February with the Court ruling in the city's favor. On March 2, 2009, the Supreme Court issued a summary disposition in the companion case of Summum v Duchesne City. The Court vacated the Tenth Circuit opinion and remanding the case for an opinion consistent with Pleasant Grove City v Summum.[clarification needed]
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. 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.[29][30] Sekulow served as counsel to Robert and Mary Schindler during the controversy surrounding their daughter, Terri 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.
List of Supreme Court cases
References
- ^ Hawkins, Derek (19 June 2017). "Jay Sekulow, Trump's unlikely lawyer". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ Trump hires another high-profile lawyer as special counsel probe heats up, Politico, Josh Dawsey, June 16, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ^ "Susan-M-Klau-NJ - User Trees - Genealogy.com".
- ^ "Crowd Control in Judge Battle, Mr. Sekulow Plays A Delicate Role". The Wall Street Journal. May 17, 2005. pp. A1. Archived from the original on May 17, 2005.
- ^ a b Pinsky, Mark (2 September 1993). "Legal Weapon : Jay Alan Sekulow is the Christian Right's leading lion in the judicial arena. Those he opposes say he's a zealot, an opportunist--and a formidable foe". Los Angeles Times. p. 3. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ "ACLJ.org". Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ "Prison Fellowship Founder Chuck Colson Special Guest on National Radio Show "Jay Sekulow Live!"". WDC Media News. August 22, 2006. Archived from the original on November 11, 2006. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ "Our Programs: ACLJ This Week". Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ a b Bazelon, Emily (2007-11-26) On the Advice of Counsel, Slate.com
- ^ Zoll, Rachael (May 4, 2007). "Romney travels to Pat Robertson's school". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ "Petition filed to nix NY Islamic center". The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
- ^ "Jay Sekulow: Landmark Church to be Rebuilt at Ground Zero". Faith & Justice.
- ^ Mauro, Tony (November 1, 2005). "The Secrets of Jay Sekulow". Legal Times. Archived from the original on March 1, 2007.
- ^ Davis, Aaron C.; Boburg, Shawn. "Trump attorney Jay Sekulow's family has been paid millions from charities they control". Washington Post. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ a b Swaine, Jon. "Trump lawyer's firm steered millions in donations to family members, files show". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ Swaine, Jon (28 June 2017). "Authorities to investigate Jay Sekulow nonprofit after 'troubling' revelations". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ Pinsky, Mark I. (September 2, 1993). "Legal Weapon : Jay Alan Sekulow is the Christian Right's leading lion in the judicial arena. Those he opposes say he's a zealot, an opportunist--and a formidable foe". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Anna Handzlik, Jordan Sekulow - Weddings". The New York Times. October 23, 2011.
- ^ "Jay Sekulow Fighting for Your Freedoms". DFW Christian Family. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- ^ Mauro, Tony (October 31, 2005). "Jay Sekulow's Golden Ticket". Legal Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2007.
- ^ Beth Adonai Leadership Archived 2012-11-15 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Jay Sekulow Band YouTube". December 22, 2017.
- ^ "Jay Sekulow Band Facebook page". December 22, 2017.
- ^ "1994 Power List". National Law Journal. 16 (31). April 4, 1994.
- ^ "The Public Sector 45". The American Lawyer. January–February 1997. p. 81.
- ^ "90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years". Legal Times. 31 (20). May 19, 2008.
- ^ a b "United States v. Kokinda, 497 U.S. 720 (1990)." Oyez.org. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677 (2005).
- ^ Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC, 546 U.S. 410 (2006).
- ^ "Board of Airport Commissioners v. Jews for Jesus, 482 U.S. 569 (1987)." Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ "Board of Education of Westside Schools v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226 (1990)." Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ "Lee v. Int. Society for Krishna Consciousness, 505 U.S. 831 (1992)." Oyez.org. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ "Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches School District, 508 U.S. 284 (1993)." Oyez.org. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ Koons, Jennifer (April 8, 2008). "On the Docket: Pleasant Grove City, Utah v. Summum". Northwestern University. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
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