Michael J. Lebowitz (born August 21, 1977) is a
Washington, D.C.,
attorney
Attorney may refer to:
* Lawyer
** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions
* Attorney, one who has power of attorney
* ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film
See also
* Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...
and expert in the field of military law and
Military Expression. Along with being an advocate for veterans' issues, he has published a number of legal articles on
First Amendment issues pertaining to the military as well as the field of national security and war crimes.
[Terrorist Speech: Detained Propagandists and the Issue of Extraterritorial Application of the First Amendment https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&doctype=cite&docid=9+First+Amend.+L.+Rev.+573&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&key=1bd35066d1029163f2596c5b602da16b][The Cyber-Enemy: Using the Military Justice System to Prosecute Organized Computer Attackers http://illinoisjltp.com/journal/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Lebowitz.pdf][A Question of Allegiance: Choosing Between Dueling Versions of ‘Aiding the Enemy’ During War Crimes Prosecution http://www.afjag.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-111121-039.pdf ] In 2009, he became a prosecutor in the Military Commission for the terrorism and war crimes suspects detained in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
[Detailing Memorandum United States v. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, et al http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2012/04/17/10/57/1174fl.So.56.pdf][About the 9/11 War Crimes Trial http://www.miamiherald.com/2008/02/27/v-fullstory/436366/about-the-911-war-crimes-trial.html]
Background
Born in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, Lebowitz has a journalism degree from
Kent State University (1999) and a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Case Western Reserve University School of Law is one of eight schools at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the first schools accredited by the American Bar Association. It is a member of the Association of American ...
(2003). In 2005–2006, he served in Iraq as a Pathfinder with the
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...
, where he helped capture foreign fighters. After returning from Iraq, he began advocating on behalf of military families and veterans. Lebowitz continues to serve as a military lawyer in the
Judge Advocate General's Corps of the
Virginia National Guard.
Military law
Lebowitz is an attorney in the field of military law and specializes in military free speech where he served as defense counsel in a number of cases where uniformed personnel faced discipline for speech-related activities. Lebowitz has worked on trials involving military freedom and expression. He lectures on the subject and is asked to serve as a media resource on the impact technology continues to play in the field of military free speech. More recently, he has written on the subject of war crimes and national security, and has served as a war crimes prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay.
Political activities
Lebowitz is a founder of the
Modern Whig Party, an organization originally created in 2008 as an advocacy forum for military families and veterans. This
centrist organization professes to offer common-sense approaches to government, rather than
ideology
An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied pri ...
. In March 2010, the Modern Whig Party was named by ''
Time'' as among the "top 10 most popular political movements worldwide".
Since 2009, Lebowitz ceased activity with the organization upon entering government service.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebowitz, Mike
1977 births
Living people
Lawyers from Cleveland
American male journalists
United States Army personnel of the Iraq War
Case Western Reserve University School of Law alumni
Kent State University alumni
Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
Journalists from Ohio
National Guard (United States) officers
Virginia National Guard personnel
United States Army soldiers