Special Counsel
Jerry Goldfeder’s forty-year election law and voting rights practice has included representing a variety of high-profile candidates and elected officials – including Mayor, Governor and President of the United States. He also has represented members of the United States Congress, the New York State legislature, New York’s City Council, members of the judiciary, as well as unions, not-for-profits, and a variety of groups on local, state and federal campaign finance law, lobbying compliance and governmental procedures.
Goldfeder is currently Special Counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, and serves as Director of the Fordham Law School Voting Rights and Democracy Project. Previously, he served as Special Counsel for Public Integrity to the New York State Attorney General.
Since 2003, he has taught Election Law at Fordham Law School, where he was voted Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2015 and 2019, and from 2009 through 2019 at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is the author of the treatise Goldfeder’s Modern Election Law (NY Legal Pub. Corp., 6th Ed., Mar. 2022), and is the author of the New York Law Journal’s regular column, Election and Political Law. He is a prolific writer of legal and political commentary, having published in the New York Times, the L.A. Times, the N.Y. Daily News, USA Today, and various other publications. He is also author of Could Terrorists Derail a Presidential Election, in 32 Ford. Urb. L. J. 523 (2005), Election Law and the Presidency, in 85 Fordham L. Rev. 965 (2016), and Excessive Judicialization, Extralegal Interventions, and Violent Insurrection: A Snapshot of our 59th Presidential Election, in 90 Fordham L. Rev. 335 (2021).
Goldfeder served as a writing consultant for CNN’s mini-series, Race for the White House, and has a podcast on public radio WFUV, Election Connection.
Goldfeder is a member of the American Bar Association’s Task Force for American Democracy, as well as Chair of the NY State Bar Association’s Voting Rights and Democracy Task Force and Chair of the NY State Bar Association's Presidential Task Force, which advises attorneys, journalists and the public on pertinent legal issues. He is also a Special Advisor to the American Bar Association’s Election Law Committee.
Previously, he was Chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Election Law and the Committee on New York City Municipal Affairs. He currently serves on the New York City Bar Association’s Rule of Law Task Force.
Among several awards and recognitions, Goldfeder is the recipient of the New York Law Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Burton Award for Legal Writing.
He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, and since 2014 as a trustee of the Museum of the City of New York, as appointed by the Manhattan Borough President.
He was in the first class of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University, where he served on its Law Review.
Prior to enrolling in law school, Goldfeder was a graduate student in Political Science at UCLA, where he earned a Master’s degree and was a Teaching Assistant; during his tenure there he organized and was president of a local union of teaching and research assistants. He then taught American Politics as an Adjunct at Brooklyn College.
Before getting his graduate degree, he taught fifth grade in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, NYC, where he established and taught the school’s first African American social studies class.
Mr. Goldfeder has been honored by numerous organizations for his accomplishments and community service. In 2019, Mr. Goldfeder was named to an exclusive list of Lifetime Achievement Award winners by the New York Law Journal. He was also the recipient of Tzedek Award for his work as an advocate for New Yorkers in need by the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and received the Judge Harold R. Tyler, Jr. Award for his civic work by Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation.
In addition, Mr. Goldfeder was honored by City & State with its Corporate Social Responsibility Award in Labor & Law for promoting respect for human rights, good governance and transparency, combating exploitative working conditions and pro bono services and community giving. In 2023, Mr. Goldfeder was recognized by City & State as one of their "Law Power 100," which recognizes New York's most politically powerful lawyers. City & State also honored him as part of its inaugural 50 Over Fifty list, a tribute to some of the most distinguished public servants who have made New York City a better place. He was also named to the publication’s Law Power 50 list, which recognizes the most powerful leaders in New York’s legal community. Most recently, Jerry was named Best Lawyers in America for 2021.
In 2015 and 2019, Mr. Goldfeder was selected as Adjunct Professor of the Year by Fordham Law School.
Mr. Goldfeder is the author or co-author of numerous articles. A complete list of previously published articles are available upon request. Selected publications include:
Mr. Goldfeder is a frequent speaker and has participated in many legal symposiums and seminars. His most recent engagements include:
Presenter, "How Terrorist Attacks or Natural Disasters Can Upend a Presidential Election," Keep Our Republic, June 23, 2023
Panelist, "Gerrymandering, Race and Inequality," Federal Bar Council, October 27, 2022
Moderator, “An Urgent Call to the Bar for Action to Protect our Elections: Now, During the Midterms and Beyond,” NYC Bar Association, October 17, 2022
Moderator, “NYSBA Election Integrity Panel,” April 28, 2022
Speaker, "Voting Rights & Elections: Safeguarding Constitutional Democracy," Fordham Law's Voting Rights and Democracy Project, Friday, April 8, 2022
Guest Speaker, "Renowned Election Law Attorney, Two Lawyers Walk Into a Bar," January 27, 2022
Speaker, "The Supreme Court, Justice Breyer, and the Electoral Count Act," The Bulwark, January 27, 2022
J.D., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, 1979; Cardozo Law Review
M.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1972; Political Science
B.A., Brooklyn College, 1968
Jerry Goldfeder’s forty-year election law and voting rights practice has included representing a variety of high-profile candidates and elected officials – including Mayor, Governor and President of the United States. He also has represented members of the United States Congress, the New York State legislature, New York’s City Council, members of the judiciary, as well as unions, not-for-profits, and a variety of groups on local, state and federal campaign finance law, lobbying compliance and governmental procedures.
Goldfeder is currently Special Counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, and serves as Director of the Fordham Law School Voting Rights and Democracy Project. Previously, he served as Special Counsel for Public Integrity to the New York State Attorney General.
Since 2003, he has taught Election Law at Fordham Law School, where he was voted Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2015 and 2019, and from 2009 through 2019 at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is the author of the treatise Goldfeder’s Modern Election Law (NY Legal Pub. Corp., 6th Ed., Mar. 2022), and is the author of the New York Law Journal’s regular column, Election and Political Law. He is a prolific writer of legal and political commentary, having published in the New York Times, the L.A. Times, the N.Y. Daily News, USA Today, and various other publications. He is also author of Could Terrorists Derail a Presidential Election, in 32 Ford. Urb. L. J. 523 (2005), Election Law and the Presidency, in 85 Fordham L. Rev. 965 (2016), and Excessive Judicialization, Extralegal Interventions, and Violent Insurrection: A Snapshot of our 59th Presidential Election, in 90 Fordham L. Rev. 335 (2021).
Goldfeder served as a writing consultant for CNN’s mini-series, Race for the White House, and has a podcast on public radio WFUV, Election Connection.
Goldfeder is a member of the American Bar Association’s Task Force for American Democracy, as well as Chair of the NY State Bar Association’s Voting Rights and Democracy Task Force and Chair of the NY State Bar Association's Presidential Task Force, which advises attorneys, journalists and the public on pertinent legal issues. He is also a Special Advisor to the American Bar Association’s Election Law Committee.
Previously, he was Chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Election Law and the Committee on New York City Municipal Affairs. He currently serves on the New York City Bar Association’s Rule of Law Task Force.
Among several awards and recognitions, Goldfeder is the recipient of the New York Law Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Burton Award for Legal Writing.
He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, and since 2014 as a trustee of the Museum of the City of New York, as appointed by the Manhattan Borough President.
He was in the first class of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University, where he served on its Law Review.
Prior to enrolling in law school, Goldfeder was a graduate student in Political Science at UCLA, where he earned a Master’s degree and was a Teaching Assistant; during his tenure there he organized and was president of a local union of teaching and research assistants. He then taught American Politics as an Adjunct at Brooklyn College.
Before getting his graduate degree, he taught fifth grade in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, NYC, where he established and taught the school’s first African American social studies class.
Mr. Goldfeder has been honored by numerous organizations for his accomplishments and community service. In 2019, Mr. Goldfeder was named to an exclusive list of Lifetime Achievement Award winners by the New York Law Journal. He was also the recipient of Tzedek Award for his work as an advocate for New Yorkers in need by the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and received the Judge Harold R. Tyler, Jr. Award for his civic work by Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation.
In addition, Mr. Goldfeder was honored by City & State with its Corporate Social Responsibility Award in Labor & Law for promoting respect for human rights, good governance and transparency, combating exploitative working conditions and pro bono services and community giving. In 2023, Mr. Goldfeder was recognized by City & State as one of their "Law Power 100," which recognizes New York's most politically powerful lawyers. City & State also honored him as part of its inaugural 50 Over Fifty list, a tribute to some of the most distinguished public servants who have made New York City a better place. He was also named to the publication’s Law Power 50 list, which recognizes the most powerful leaders in New York’s legal community. Most recently, Jerry was named Best Lawyers in America for 2021.
In 2015 and 2019, Mr. Goldfeder was selected as Adjunct Professor of the Year by Fordham Law School.
Mr. Goldfeder is the author or co-author of numerous articles. A complete list of previously published articles are available upon request. Selected publications include:
Mr. Goldfeder is a frequent speaker and has participated in many legal symposiums and seminars. His most recent engagements include:
Presenter, "How Terrorist Attacks or Natural Disasters Can Upend a Presidential Election," Keep Our Republic, June 23, 2023
Panelist, "Gerrymandering, Race and Inequality," Federal Bar Council, October 27, 2022
Moderator, “An Urgent Call to the Bar for Action to Protect our Elections: Now, During the Midterms and Beyond,” NYC Bar Association, October 17, 2022
Moderator, “NYSBA Election Integrity Panel,” April 28, 2022
Speaker, "Voting Rights & Elections: Safeguarding Constitutional Democracy," Fordham Law's Voting Rights and Democracy Project, Friday, April 8, 2022
Guest Speaker, "Renowned Election Law Attorney, Two Lawyers Walk Into a Bar," January 27, 2022
Speaker, "The Supreme Court, Justice Breyer, and the Electoral Count Act," The Bulwark, January 27, 2022
J.D., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, 1979; Cardozo Law Review
M.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1972; Political Science
B.A., Brooklyn College, 1968
