Джей Алан Секулов: Америкалық адвокат және медиа тұлғасы

American attorney (born 1956)

Jay Alan Sekulow ('/s//ɛ//k//j//ə/,/l//oʊ/; born June 10, 1956) is an American lawyer, radio, television talk show host and politically conservative media personality. He has been chief counsel of the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) since 1991. As a member of President Donald Trump's legal team, he served as lead outside counsel for Trump's first impeachment trial in the United States Senate. Sekulow built a legal and media business over a thirty year period by representing conservative, religious, and anti abortion groups. He hosts a syndicated radio show and is a frequent guest commentator on the Christian Broadcasting Network and the Fox News Channel television networks. Sekulow was raised on Long Island, in the town of Jericho. He came from a Jewish family, attended Hebrew School, and had a bar mitzvah. While in high school Sekulow and his family moved to Atlanta, where he graduated from Lakeside High School, then earned a B. A. in 1977 and a J. D. from Mercer University in 1980. While attending Atlanta Baptist College (now the Atlanta campus of Mercer University), Sekulow became interested in Christianity and converted to Messianic Judaism after encountering Jews for Jesus. Sekulow earned a Ph. D. from Regent University in 2004, writing his dissertation on religious influence on Supreme Court Justices and their opinions.

Beginning in 2017, Sekulow served as a personal attorney to President Donald Trump during the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and investigations by Congressional committees into the myriad links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies. Sekulow also represented Trump confidant and Fox News host Sean Hannity during the investigation by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.

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. from 2011 to 2015, the two charities paid $5.5 million to Sekulow and members of his family, and $23 million to their businesses. and many "transactions that benefit members of the Sekulow family are disclosed on the CASE returns, but not the ACLJ's." 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",

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. In 2007, Sekulow endorsed Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. He has opposed the building of Park51, an Islamic center in Lower Manhattan two blocks from the World Trade Center. On February 27, 2019, Michael Cohen reported in testimony before Congress that Jay Sekulow and other members of Trump's legal team made “several” changes to his false statement to the House Intelligence Committee, including a change to the “length of time that the Trump Tower project stayed and remained alive.” Sekulow disputed the testimony "Today’s testimony by Michael Cohen that attorneys for the president edited or changed his statement to Congress to alter the duration of the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations is completely false". The Intelligence Committee announced on May 14, 2019, that it would investigate whether Sekulow “reviewed, shaped and edited” Michael Cohen's false testimony to Congress. The Washington Post reported on May 20, 2019, that Cohen testified in closed session before the Intelligence Committee that Sekulow instructed him to falsely testify that the Trump Tower Moscow discussions ended in January 2016. The Senate Intelligence Committee's August 2020 final report on 2016 election interference noted that after his indictment, Cohen discussed a presidential pardon with Sekulow more than six times, and that "he understood that the pardon discussions had come from Trump through Sekulow." The New York Times reported in December 2019 that people close to Sekulow said he told them he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Sekulow and Pamela McPherson married in 1978 and have two adult sons, Jordan and Logan. 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. Sekulow is a Messianic Jew and a convert to Christianity. Sekulow's youngest brother Scott was the founder and Rabbi of the Messianic Jewish Congregation Beth Adonai in Atlanta, Georgia, until his death in August 2021 of COVID 19. Sekulow is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D. C. He plays drums and guitar in the "Jay Sekulow Band", which includes John Elefante, a former member of the band Kansas, and John W. Schlitt, a former member of Head East and Petra, among its members.

In 1994, Sekulow was named to the National Law Journals Power List. In 1997, he was named to The American Lawyers Public Sector 45, a list dedicated to legal public servants who have had the greatest effect in their respective fields. Legal Times profiled him as one of the "90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 years".

Sekulow has argued in front of the United States Supreme Court 12 times, specializing in issues of the First Amendment. 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, 555 U. S. 460 (2009). Sekulow 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. Sekulow was counsel to Robert and Mary Schindler during the controversy surrounding their daughter, Terri Schiavo. 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.

Case:Date:Argument:Result:Board of Airport Commissioners v. Jews for Jesus 1987Arguing on behalf of Jews for Jesus, Sekulow argued that LAX's policy banning all "First Amendment activities" violated the organization's right to free speech. Judgment for Jews for Jesus. Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens 1990Sekulow argued on behalf of students who were denied their request to form a Bible and prayer club at their school. Judgment for the Students. U. S. v. Kokinda 1992Sekulow was co counsel, arguing on behalf of ISKCON against a regulation that prohibited distribution of literature in airport terminals. Judgment for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic 1993Sekulow argued on behalf of United States anti abortion activists who were originally found as violating a statute by conducting demonstrations at abortion clinics. Judgment for the Activists. Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District 1993In another case involving the use of school property, Sekulow represented Lamb's Chapel and their right to show religious oriented films in a school after hours. Judgment for Lamb's Chapel. Schenck v. Pro Choice Network of Western New York 1997Sekulow argued on behalf of Schenck, challenging a District court ruling that provided for speech free floating "bubble zones" surrounding abortion clinics. Judgment for Schenck. Hill v. Colorado 2000This case revolved around protesters' rights to distribute literature in front of abortion clinics and a statute that barred them from approaching a non consenting person. Sekulow, representing the protesters, argued that Colorado's "eight foot rule" was unconstitutional. Judgment for Colorado. Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe 2000Sekulow, representing the school district, argued that prayer, initiated and led by students at football games, did not violate the Establishment Clause. Judgment for Doe. McConnell v. FEC 2003In a highly publicized case, Sekulow, on behalf of a group of students including Emily Echols, argued that a portion of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 violated the First Amendment and was thus unconstitutional. Judgment for Echols, et al. Locke v. Davey 2003Sekulow, representing student Joshua Davey, argued that a statute excluding theology students from publicly funded scholarships was unconstitutional. Judgment for Locke. Pleasant Grove City v. Summum2008Sekulow, representing the city of Pleasant Grove, challenged a Tenth circuit opinion allowing Summum to erect a monument alongside a Ten Commandments monument donated to the city by the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Judgment for Pleasant Grove City.