Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

Jay Sekulow

Major investigative piece by Tony Mauro for Legal Times on “the leading Supreme Court advocate of the Christian right,” alleging that Sekulow has feathered his nest very nicely through the use of his American Center for Law and Justice, which in 2003 raised $14.5 million for its high-profile legal advocacy. Among the specifics: payments to […]

Major investigative piece by Tony Mauro for Legal Times on “the leading Supreme Court advocate of the Christian right,” alleging that Sekulow has feathered his nest very nicely through the use of his American Center for Law and Justice, which in 2003 raised $14.5 million for its high-profile legal advocacy. Among the specifics: payments to Sekulow that are very high by non-profit standards, along with perks such as the use of a private jet, chauffeur-driven cars and several houses; jobs for his family members on the payroll; and circuitous routings of both donations and expenditures that have the effect of sanitizing ACLJ’s financial statements. “A review of publicly available tax and court documents, as well as interviews with several former employees, paints a stark portrait of Sekulow as a hard-charging man who emerged from bankruptcy and allegations of securities fraud in the late 1980s to build a complex network of personal, business, and nonprofit entities. At times, those financial dealings have alienated employees and been criticized in court.” They have also produced a backlash among many associates who believe that Sekulow’s handling of his organizations’ finances, which draw heavily on support by small donors, does not well exemplify Christian teachings. Vital reading (“The Secrets of Jay Sekulow”, Legal Times, Nov. 1). More: Mike Cernovich, Jeremy Richey, Legal Reader, Mike Airhart. And: Jonathan Rowe, Ed Brayton, Rob Huddleston, Radley Balko, Greg Prince; and welcome Andrew Sullivan readers.

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8 Comments

  • The profession of Mr. Sekulow would be …?

  • Mr. Sekulow is a lawyer, if memory serves.

  • Guys, how could anyone on a site about law, who takes law and politics seriously, not know who Jay Sekulow (and the ACLJ)is? He’s on TV all the time. Cripes.

    He comes off as very smooth and amiable on Tv… just goes to show you how easily the religious right is conned, by politicians and ‘activists’ like this guy. He does sound slimey.

    • By Del

  • Insomniac: Thank you. Case closed.

  • Just look at Ralph Reed and his supposed “anti-gambling” stance, and contrast that with how he has played one casino off another while laying claim to the pious hearts of his religious supporters? The supposedly sincerely religious people who worship these types just support the popular notion that they (the religious types, that is) are a bunch of hayseeds and dupes!

    • By dan

  • two words: elmer gantry. this is not a new idea, and sinclair lewis needs to be on everyone’s bedside table these days.

    • By rael

  • Sekulow’s fundraising

    Bob Felton of Civil Commotion got a fund-raising appeal from the ACLJ in his email last April, and was not impressed by its contents. He hasn’t been troubled with any follow-up appeals, though. See yesterday’s…

  • Jay Sekulow: America’s Christian Right Lawyer

    The most important legal figure in the Christian Right is probably Jay Sekulow, chief counsel fro the American Center for Law and Justice (a group created by Pat Robertson). A consummate lawyer and political pundit, he has been a leading…