Mike Lebowitz

Michael J. Lebowitz (born August 21, 1977 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a Washington, D.C., attorney and expert in the field of military law and Military Expression.^[1] Along with being an advocate for veterans' issues, he is known to be at the forefront of First Amendment issues pertaining to the military.^[2][3] In 2009, he was appointed to serve as a terror trial prosecutor in the Military Commissions system with the task of prosecuting high value terrorism and war crimes suspects that are currently being detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.^[4]

Relevant history

Mike Lebowitz earned his journalism degree from Kent State University in 1999 and a law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2003.^[5] From there, he was a legal and media consultant in East Africa and a wrote a weekly newspaper column for the Jerusalem Post called "Wednesday's Call."^[6] In 2005-2006, he served in Iraq with the elite Pathfinder Company of the 101st Airborne Division. After returning home from Iraq, he began publicly advocating on behalf of military families and veterans.^[7] Lebowitz continues to serve as a JAG officer in the National Guard. In addition, he lectures at top universities and serves as an attorney at the Washington, DC law firm of Greenberg & Lieberman where he practices military law, along with media law and intellectual property.^[8]

Military law

Mike Lebowitz is regarded as a top attorney in the field of military law and specializes in military free speech.^[9] He regularly lectures on the subject and frequently is asked to serve as a media resource on the burgeoning impact technology continues to play in the field of military free speech.^[10] He receives numerous emails per week from soldiers or their families seeking legal advice.^{[11] [12]} Lebowitz also has testified as a legal expert on Capitol Hill relating to military law issues.^[13] Moreover, he has handled numerous military expression issues that have captured international attention^[14] While his work often includes the representation of prominent anti-war protesters, Lebowitz has acknowledged that he is not a member of any of these groups and does not necessarily agree with his clients, but nonetheless, he has publicly stated that he will always support the veteran.^[15] Besides military law and First Amendment/media law, Lebowitz also engages in intellectual property litigation at the Washington, DC law firm of Greenberg & Lieberman.^[16] This intellectual property expertise has contributed to his reputation as being on the forefront of the issue of how technological advancements are reconciled with the First Amendment and free speech.^[17]

Political activities

Mike Lebowitz is a founder of the Modern Whig Party, a mainstream organization that was originally created in 2008 as an advocacy forum for military families and veterans.^[18] This centrist organization professes to offer common-sense approaches to government, rather than ideology.^[19] In just a few months of its existence, this grassroots movement built 26 state chapters and attracted 25,000 to 30,000 members.^[20] In March 2010, the organization that he founded was named by TIME Magazine as among the "top 10 most popular political movements worldwide." ^[21]

An editorial in one newspaper referred to the Modern Whig Party as the "fastest-growing mainstream political movement in the nation."^[22] A Sunday op-ed piece written by a prominent North Carolina political columnist quoted Lebowitz as stating that "We saw how ideology on both sides was getting in the way of common sense."^[23] Through his law firm, Lebowitz also works with John B. Anderson, who was a 10-term Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives while also garnering 6.6 percent of the general election vote during a 1980 run for President of the United States as an independent.^[24]

References

1. ^ Greenberg & Lieberman http://www.aplegal.com/ourattorneys.html
2. ^ Washington Post covering legal issue http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/30/AR2007053002627_pf.html
3. ^ Yellow Ribbons Optional http://www.freetimes.com/stories/14/24/chatter
4. ^ See bio and posted interviews with the Eliezer group at Yale Law School entitled "Military law expert and terror trial prosecutor Mike Lebowitz discusses his role in upcoming terror trials and the impact of terror prosecution on American law (and American values)". Link is http://www.youtube.com/user/YaleEliezer#p/a/u/1/aUCss9t5TjA.
5. ^ Corps accused of 'muzzle' tactics," by Stephen Koff. Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 31, 2007
6. ^ partial Jerusalem Post list of columns by Mike Lebowitz http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/results.html?QryTxt=%22wednesday%27s%20call%22
7. ^ "I believe our service members are the soul and core of our community and I wanted to give something back," he says http://www.freetimes.com/stories/14/24/chatter
8. ^ Yale University lecture http://www.yaleconservativeparty.com/stm
9. ^ Zip it, Soldier! Mother Jones article http://google.com/search?q=cache:jVWH93oMEHoJ:www.motherjones.com/news/update/2008/09/zip-it-soldier.html+%22mike+lebowitz%22+and+%22mother+jones%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
10. ^ When troop protests meet technology http://www.thetakeaway.org/stories/2008/oct/16/when-troop-protests-meet-technology/
11. ^ http://google.com/search?q=cache:jVWH93oMEHoJ:www.motherjones.com/news/update/2008/09/zip-it-soldier.html+%22mike+lebowitz%22+and+%22mother+jones%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
12. ^ http://www.bouhammer.com/2009/12/decorated-soldier-%E2%80%99s-blog-attrac-ts-loyal-following-but-he-says-his-bosses-are-muzzling-him/
13. ^ May 14, 2008 Military Whistleblowers https://ivaw.org/node/3502
14. ^ "Antiwar to the Corps: Marine Reservist-Protesters Face Discipline", by David Montgomery. Washington Post May 31, 2007; Page C01.
15. ^ comments from Congressional testimony https://ivaw.org/node/3502
16. ^ Greenberg & Lieberman www.aplegal.com
17. ^ http://www.thetakeaway.org/stories/2008/oct/16/when-troop-protests-meet-technology/
18. ^ Wiki News interview http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews_interviews_Mike_Lebowitz,_Chairman_of_the_Modern_Whig_Party
19. ^ KRMS News-Talk 1150 Morning Magazine http://www.ask4direct.com/custom/krms
20. ^ On Lincoln’s 200th birthday the "Modern Whig" Party makes a comeback http://www.richmond-dailynews.com/news.php?id=2674
21. ^ http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1975807_1975805_1976014,00.html
22. ^ Huntsville http://www.huntsvillevoice.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=679:iraqafghanistan-veterans-revive-lincolns-longtime-party&catid=85:local-news&Itemid=26
23. ^ http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1501272.html
24. ^ http://www.aplegal.com/ourattorneys.html

External links

• Greenberg & Lieberman
• Modern Whig Party

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Name	Lebowitz, Mike
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Date of birth	August 21, 1977
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