Jerry Goldfeder
Goldfeder told Law360 in a recent interview that he came up with the idea for the project in light of a growing number of restrictive voting rights laws being introduced and passed in state legislatures.
Since the beginning of 2022 alone, 250 bills with restrictive voting rights provisions have been introduced in at least 27 states, according to Goldfeder.
"Laws are being put into place that are threatening our democratic institutions, and so a program like this is so important to address head-on the important role that lawyers can and should play in expanding our democratic institutions," he said.
Prior to attending Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Goldfeder, who earned a graduate degree in political science, taught political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn College, according to his law firm bio.
Over the course of Goldfeder's legal career, he has represented many high-profile figures in politics, including a mayor, a governor, a U.S. president and members of Congress, according to his bio. He was also previously special counsel for public integrity to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo when Cuomo was New York attorney general.
Goldfeder will remain special counsel at Stroock while serving as director of Fordham Law's voting rights project.
Here, he spoke with Law360 about the project and the importance of protecting voting rights in the U.S.
What will be your responsibilities as project director?
We're in the process of designing a program that enables students to have a variety of classes that touch on these areas. We are going to conduct panel discussions with constitutional and election law scholars [and] provide opportunities for students to have internships with various voting rights lawyers and elected officials. So they get a firsthand taste of the issues. In addition, we are starting an online journal and a podcast relating to election law issues.
Why is it important to train more voting rights lawyers?
Our constitutional democracy is at a real inflection point where our institutions and our norms have been under attack for the last several years, and it's continuing. The role of lawyers is so important in our country to defend our institutions [and] to defend our norms. It just makes sense on so many levels for law students to have the opportunity to develop the expertise, the skills [and] the abilities to deal with these issues in court and on a policy level as well.
Is there a shortage of voting rights lawyers?
Our democratic institutions are being challenged constantly in a variety of ways on the federal level and on the state level. And there is a real need for lawyers to step up to the plate to involve themselves in protecting our democracy.
Would you say that the way that our democratic institutions are being challenged is unprecedented?
Unfortunately, it's not unprecedented, but we are at a point in our country's history where there has been a particular onslaught that we're experiencing that really requires our attention.
What do you think are the most troubling trends today in respect to voting rights?
Number one, in some states, it's becoming more difficult to vote with the enactment of a variety of procedures being put in place that are making it more difficult to vote. Secondly, certain states are making it easier for partisan actors to decide as to how votes are counted and which votes should be counted. Thirdly, there's an effort to replace election administrators, who've generally been objective and neutral, with partisan actors that could have an impact on the actual results that are reported.
What sparked your interest to become a voting rights and election law attorney?
I date my interest in politics from the John Kennedy election and the Bobby Kennedy presidential campaign, because they inspired me to understand the importance of politics [and] public policy. They lit a spark in me like they did with so many other people of my generation. Plus, the Vietnam War and my advocacy for ending it got me involved in politics at a relatively young age.
What are the most meaningful cases that you worked on?
Every case is meaningful to the client. Most of the cases I worked on had an impact beyond my particular client in the sense that they helped shape election and voting rights laws. They were all monumental and significant. I loved them all.
All Access is a series of discussions with leaders in the access to justice field. Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Have a story idea for Access to Justice? Reach us at accesstojustice@law360.com.
--Editing by Katherine Rautenberg.
Correction: A previous version of this article did not include the full name of Yeshiva University's law school. The error has been corrected.