Jerry Nadler

Jerrold Lewis Nadler (born June 13, 1947) is an American attorney and Democratic politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for New York's 12th congressional district since 1993. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Nadler graduated from Stuyvesant High School, earned a B.A. from Columbia University in 1969, and received a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1978. Prior to Congress, he represented the 77th district in the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 1992, focusing on issues like consumer protection and transportation.

As a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, Nadler chaired the panel from 2019 to 2023, overseeing investigations into executive actions and leading the House managers in the 2019 impeachment of President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, as well as the 2021 impeachment trial for incitement of insurrection. His tenure emphasized civil liberties advocacy, including opposition to warrantless surveillance and support for patent reform to curb abusive litigation, though critics have questioned the partisan nature of some oversight efforts under his leadership. In September 2025, Nadler announced he would not seek re-election in 2026 after 17 terms, attributing the decision partly to the Democratic Party's electoral setbacks and the need for younger leadership.

Jerrold Nadler was born on June 13, 1947, in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York, to Emanuel Nadler and Miriam Nadler (née Schreiber), both of Jewish descent.

In his early childhood, the family relocated briefly to New Jersey, where Emanuel Nadler pursued an unsuccessful venture in chicken farming as a poultry producer. Following the failure of this endeavor, the Nadlers returned to Brooklyn, where Jerrold was raised in a working-class Jewish household and attended the Crown Heights Yeshiva for primary education.

Nadler attended the Crown Heights Yeshiva for early education before graduating from Stuyvesant High School in 1965. He then enrolled at Columbia University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969.