Ralph Neas
Encyclopedia
Ralph G. Neas is CEO of the National Coalition on Health Care
(NCHC), a non-profit, non-partisan organization working to improve America's health care system.
He earned a B.A.
from the University of Notre Dame
and J.D.
from the University of Chicago Law School
. He began his career as a Republican, serving as chief counsel to Edward W. Brooke and David Durenberger
. He later shifted parties, also serving as the Chairman of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
from 1981 to 1995. He was an unsuccessful Democratic
candidate against Connie Morella
for Maryland
's 8th district
in the House of Representatives
in 1998.
Neas was instrumental in defeating Robert Bork
's nomination to the United States Supreme Court in 1987. (See Ethan Bronner
's book, Battle for Justice: How the Bork Nomination Shook America.) Since the Bork defeat, Neas has continued to lead or remained at the forefront in nearly every battle of Republican
-nominated judicial nominees referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Over the past three decades, Neas has compiled a track record of collaborative leadership, coalition building, bipartisan legislative accomplishments, legal advocacy, effective communications and organizing campaigns.
Neas began his public service career as Chief Counsel to Republican
U.S. Senators Edward W. Brooke (1973–1978) and Dave Durenberger (1979–1980). From 1981 through 1995, he served as Executive Director
of the nonpartisan Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the nation's oldest, largest, and most diverse coalition (185 national organizations).
At LCCR, Neas directed two dozen successful national campaigns that strengthened every major civil rights law, in a political climate not particularly hospitable to civil rights. Landmark laws enacted, with huge bipartisan majorities and many times with the help of the business community, include the Civil Rights Act of 1991
, the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988
, the 1988 Fair Housing Act Amendments, the Japanese American
Civil Liberties Act of 1988
, and the 1982 Voting Rights Act
Extension. Senator Edward Kennedy
, in a 1995 Senate floor statement, described Neas as the "101st Senator for Civil Rights."
As President
of the nonpartisan
People For the American Way
and People For the American Way Foundation
(1999–2007), Neas increased the number of members and supporters of People For from 275,000 to more than one million. He was a national leader in the efforts to preserve an independent and fair judiciary and to fight far-right attempts to reverse seven decades of social justice progress. In addition, he helped put together partnerships and lead coalitions to recruit and manage 25,000 volunteers for the non-partisan and nationally recognized Election Protection program (to help ensure every vote counts), to direct nonpartisan PFAWF programs that registered 525,000 African American
and Latino voters in three years, to block a permanent and massive tax cut, to enact the 2006 Voting Rights Act Extension, to amend the USA Patriot Act
, and to defend and reform our nationÕs public schools.
Neas is a consistent presence in the national media, interviewed regularly by the major TV, radio and print media, including: CBS
's Face the Nation
, ABC
's Nightline; CBS's Sunday Morning
; NBC
's Today Show, ABC's This Week
; PBS
'a The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
; the nightly news shows of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN
, and Fox; National Public Radio; cable television and radio talk shows; and national, regional and local newspapers (in the New York Times and the Washington Post alone, he has been mentioned 250 and 500 times respectively).
Neas is the author of over thirty published articles, op-eds, and commentaries in national media outlets, including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times
, USA Today, Houston Chronicle
, The Nation
, National Public Radio, USA Today Magazine, and Roll Call
.
He has been profiled three times in the New York Times, four times in the Washington Post, twice in the Wall Street Journal, and in many other media entities including: USA Today
, Congressional Quarterly
, The New Republic
, the Washington Star
, the Legal Times
, the Associated Press
, and The Baltimore Sun
. Ralph has also been profiled in a number of books including: The Second Civil War (Ronald Brownstein), Giant Killers (Michael Pertschuk
), The Battle for Justice (Ethan Bronner), and The People Rising (Michael Pertschuk).
He has been honored by organizations representing the spectrum of issues to which he has devoted his career, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award from LCCR; the Benjamin Hooks "Keeper of the Flame" Award from the national NAACP; the Public Service Achievement Award from Common Cause; the Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; the "National Good Guy Award" from the National Women's Political Caucus
; the Isaiah Award for the Pursuit of Justice from the American Jewish Committee
; the Flag Bearer Award from Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
(P-FLAG); the Edison Uno Memorial Civil Rights Award from the Japanese American Citizens League
; the University of Chicago Alumni Public Service Citation; "Citizen of the Year" from the Guillian-Barr Syndrome Foundation International; and named in 2004 one of Vanity Fair
's "Best Stewards of the Environment." In May 2008, the national Legal Times
designated Neas one of the 30 "Champions of the Law" over the past three decades.
Neas has taught courses on the legislative process at the University of Chicago Law School, Georgetown University Law Center
, and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
National Coalition on Health Care
National Coalition on Health Care ' is America’s oldest and most diverse coalition working to achieve comprehensive health system reform. Founded in 1990 by Dr. Henry E...
(NCHC), a non-profit, non-partisan organization working to improve America's health care system.
He earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
and J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago Law School
The University of Chicago Law School was founded in 1902 as the graduate school of law at the University of Chicago and is among the most prestigious and selective law schools in the world. The U.S. News & World Report currently ranks it fifth among U.S...
. He began his career as a Republican, serving as chief counsel to Edward W. Brooke and David Durenberger
David Durenberger
David Ferdinand Durenberger is an American politician and a former Republican member of the U.S. Senate from Minnesota.- Early life :...
. He later shifted parties, also serving as the Chairman of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights , formerly called The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, is an umbrella group of American civil rights interest groups.-Organizational history:...
from 1981 to 1995. He was an unsuccessful Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate against Connie Morella
Connie Morella
Constance Albanese "Connie" Morella is a Republican United States politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2003. She also served as Permanent Representative to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development from 2003 to 2007. She...
for Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
's 8th district
Maryland's 8th congressional district
Maryland's 8th congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives every two years. The district mostly consists of the larger part of Montgomery County, also including a small portion of Prince George's County...
in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1998.
Neas was instrumental in defeating Robert Bork
Robert Bork
Robert Heron Bork is an American legal scholar who has advocated the judicial philosophy of originalism. Bork formerly served as Solicitor General, Acting Attorney General, and judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit...
's nomination to the United States Supreme Court in 1987. (See Ethan Bronner
Ethan Bronner
Ethan Samuel Bronner has been Jerusalem bureau chief of The New York Times since March 2008 following four years as deputy foreign editor.-Biography:...
's book, Battle for Justice: How the Bork Nomination Shook America.) Since the Bork defeat, Neas has continued to lead or remained at the forefront in nearly every battle of Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
-nominated judicial nominees referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Over the past three decades, Neas has compiled a track record of collaborative leadership, coalition building, bipartisan legislative accomplishments, legal advocacy, effective communications and organizing campaigns.
Neas began his public service career as Chief Counsel to Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
U.S. Senators Edward W. Brooke (1973–1978) and Dave Durenberger (1979–1980). From 1981 through 1995, he served as Executive Director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of the nonpartisan Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the nation's oldest, largest, and most diverse coalition (185 national organizations).
At LCCR, Neas directed two dozen successful national campaigns that strengthened every major civil rights law, in a political climate not particularly hospitable to civil rights. Landmark laws enacted, with huge bipartisan majorities and many times with the help of the business community, include the Civil Rights Act of 1991
Civil Rights Act of 1991
The Civil Rights Act of 1991 is a United States statute that was passed in response to a series of United States Supreme Court decisions which limited the rights of employees who had sued their employers for discrimination...
, the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988
Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988
The Civil Rights Restoration Act was a U.S. legislative act which specified that recipients of federal funds must comply with civil rights laws in all areas, not just in the particular program or activity that received federal funding...
, the 1988 Fair Housing Act Amendments, the Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
Civil Liberties Act of 1988
Civil Liberties Act of 1988
The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 is a United States federal law that granted reparations to Japanese-Americans who had been interned by the United States government during World War II. The act was sponsored by California's Democratic Congressman Norman Mineta, an internee as a child, and Wyoming's...
, and the 1982 Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
Extension. Senator Edward Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
, in a 1995 Senate floor statement, described Neas as the "101st Senator for Civil Rights."
As President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
People For the American Way
People For the American Way
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy group in the United States. Under U.S. tax code, People For the American Way is organized as a tax-exempt 501 non-profit organization.-Purpose:...
and People For the American Way Foundation
People for the American Way Foundation
People For the American Way Foundation is the charitable arm of People For the American Way , a progressive advocacy organization in the United States...
(1999–2007), Neas increased the number of members and supporters of People For from 275,000 to more than one million. He was a national leader in the efforts to preserve an independent and fair judiciary and to fight far-right attempts to reverse seven decades of social justice progress. In addition, he helped put together partnerships and lead coalitions to recruit and manage 25,000 volunteers for the non-partisan and nationally recognized Election Protection program (to help ensure every vote counts), to direct nonpartisan PFAWF programs that registered 525,000 African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and Latino voters in three years, to block a permanent and massive tax cut, to enact the 2006 Voting Rights Act Extension, to amend the USA Patriot Act
USA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001...
, and to defend and reform our nationÕs public schools.
Neas is a consistent presence in the national media, interviewed regularly by the major TV, radio and print media, including: CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's Face the Nation
Face the Nation
Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer is an American Sunday-morning political interview show which premiered on the CBS television network on November 7, 1954. It is one of the longest-running news programs in the history of television...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Nightline; CBS's Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning may refer to:* "Sunday Morning" , a Canadian radio program formerly aired on CBC Radio One* CBS News Sunday Morning, a television news program on CBS in the United States...
; NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Today Show, ABC's This Week
This Week (ABC TV series)
This Week is ABC's Sunday morning political affairs program.The Sunday morning talk show has aired on Sunday mornings on ABC since 1981; the program is initially aired at 9:00 AM ET, although many stations air the program later, especially those in other time zones...
; PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
'a The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
PBS NewsHour is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. The show is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, a company co-owned by former anchors Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil, and Liberty Media, which owns a 65% stake in the...
; the nightly news shows of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and Fox; National Public Radio; cable television and radio talk shows; and national, regional and local newspapers (in the New York Times and the Washington Post alone, he has been mentioned 250 and 500 times respectively).
Neas is the author of over thirty published articles, op-eds, and commentaries in national media outlets, including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, USA Today, Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, National Public Radio, USA Today Magazine, and Roll Call
Roll Call
Roll Call is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States, from Monday to Thursday when the United States Congress is in session and on Mondays only during recess. Roll Call reports news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of...
.
He has been profiled three times in the New York Times, four times in the Washington Post, twice in the Wall Street Journal, and in many other media entities including: USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
, The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, the Washington Star
Washington Star
The Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C. between 1852 and 1981. For most of that time, it was the city's newspaper of record, and the longtime home to columnist Mary McGrory and...
, the Legal Times
Legal Times
Legal Times is a weekly legal newspaper based in Washington, D.C. It is owned by ALM....
, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, and The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
. Ralph has also been profiled in a number of books including: The Second Civil War (Ronald Brownstein), Giant Killers (Michael Pertschuk
Michael Pertschuk
Michael Pertschuk is a consumer and public health advocate, author and former government official. He served as consumer counsel and later chief counsel and staff director to the U.S...
), The Battle for Justice (Ethan Bronner), and The People Rising (Michael Pertschuk).
He has been honored by organizations representing the spectrum of issues to which he has devoted his career, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award from LCCR; the Benjamin Hooks "Keeper of the Flame" Award from the national NAACP; the Public Service Achievement Award from Common Cause; the Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; the "National Good Guy Award" from the National Women's Political Caucus
National Women's Political Caucus
The National Women's Political Caucus is a national bipartisan grassroots organization in the United States dedicated to recruiting, training, and supporting women who seek elected and appointed offices....
; the Isaiah Award for the Pursuit of Justice from the American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
; the Flag Bearer Award from Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is a socio-political group of family members and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Its mission statement describes the goals of PFLAG as promoting health and well being of LGBT persons as well as actively supporting...
(P-FLAG); the Edison Uno Memorial Civil Rights Award from the Japanese American Citizens League
Japanese American Citizens League
The was formed in 1929 to protect the rights of Japanese Americans from the state and federal governments. It fought for civil rights for Japanese Americans, assisted those in internment camps during World War II, and led a successful campaign for redress for internment from the U.S...
; the University of Chicago Alumni Public Service Citation; "Citizen of the Year" from the Guillian-Barr Syndrome Foundation International; and named in 2004 one of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
's "Best Stewards of the Environment." In May 2008, the national Legal Times
Legal Times
Legal Times is a weekly legal newspaper based in Washington, D.C. It is owned by ALM....
designated Neas one of the 30 "Champions of the Law" over the past three decades.
Neas has taught courses on the legislative process at the University of Chicago Law School, Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
, and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
External links
- Ralph G. Neas biography at National Health Care Coalition
- People For the American Way: Ralph G. Neas biography
- http://www.pww.org/article/view/4467/1/191/A question of fairness: rights for gay couples, Ralph G. Neas, People's Weekly WorldPeople's Weekly WorldThe People's World is a news web site associated with the Communist Party USA.The People's World / Mundo Popular, formerly the People's Weekly World / Nuestro Mundo is a national, grassroots weekly newspaper and the direct descendant of the Daily Worker, founded in 1924...
, 11/26/03]