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Dershowitz Criticizes
U.S. Supreme Court
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
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y the end of the cen-
tury, the U.S.
Supreme Court will
turn America into a Chris-
tian nation, predicted Alan
Dershowitz, one of the coun-
try ' s leading criminal
defenders.
Speaking before a crowd of
200 patrons on Sunday at
Temple Israel, the Harvard
law professor said he is wor-
ried about the future of civil
liberties, especially church
and state issues.
Mr. Dershowitz, author of
Chutzpah, flew into town for
one day as a guest of Temple
Israel and the American
Israel Education Institute.
Later, he spoke about
"Daring To Be Jewish In
America" to a sold-out crowd
of 1,200.
"We are running into real
serious problems with chur-
ch and state," said Mr. Der-
showitz, known as the
premier defender of the
famous and notorious.
Recently he defended hotel
queen Leona Helmsley, con-
victed of tax evasion, and
boxer Mike Tyson, convicted
of rape. He also has defended
indigents on death row, Pent-
house magazine and the Nazi
marchers in Skokie, Ill.
In the coming weeks, he
said, the High Court is ex-
pected to render an opinion
on a case involving the
Providence, R.I., school
system, which invites local
clergy to deliver prayers at
graduation ceremonies.
In Lee vs. Weisman, the
U.S. Court of Appeals in
Boston ruled that a rabbi's
mention of God during a
1989 middle school gradua-
tion violated the First
Amendment's Estab-
lishment Clause.
The clause, which states
Congress cannot make laws
respecting the estab-
lishment of religion, is con-
sidered binding on state and
local governments.
The Providence School
Committee asked the Court
to overturn the lower court
decision. And the Bush ad-
ministration urged the court
to hold that, in some cases,
the government may pro-
mote religion.
If overturned, the Rhode
Island case could endanger
the 40-year-old landmark
case that safeguards the
separation of church and
state.
Referring primarily to
three recent appointments to
the nation's High Court,
justices Anthony Kennedy,
David Souter and Clarence
Thomas, Mr. Dershowitz
said he also spends time
worrying about unqualified
Supreme Court justices.
"The Supreme Court is in
trouble," he said. "When
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
was president, he had a lit-
mus test. It had to be ab-
solutely clear that a judge
would sustain the New Deal.
"They (the judges) are all
anonymous today and that
applies to all issues, including
abortion and racism. Our
primary qualification is that
they have strong convic-
tions," Mr. Dershowitz said.
"We just don't know what
they are.
"I would not hire Souter,
Thomas or Kennedy to work
for me as research
"I would not hire
Souter, Thomas or
Kennedy to work
for me as research
assistants."
Alan Dershowitz
assistants," he said. "They
don't understand the basics.
They haven't tried cases in-
side a courtroom."
In his second speech, Mr.
Dershowitz reiterated many
of his thoughts from Chutz-
pah. He criticized the
organized Jewish communal
leaders for lack of asser-
tiveness and cited a rise in
subtle anti-Semitism.
"I am here to complain,"
Mr. Dershowitz said'.
"Nobody is trying to serve
our interests. We have an
obligation to complain."
Pointing to Patrick
Buchanan, who is waging a
bid for the Republican presi-
dential nomination, he said
anti-Semitic and anti-
Zionistic sentiments are on
the rise.
It is frightening, Mr. Der-
showitz said, that those who
supported Mr. Buchanan did
so despite his anti-Semitic
and racist undertones. He
said the growing tolerance
for this behavior is "an in-
vitation to disaster."
"I worry about Jewish
leadership not doing a good
enough job," he said. "We
allow this to exist." ❑