David Markus
Encyclopedia
David Evan Markus is an American attorney and government employee. He currently serves as Special Counsel to the New York State Senate
Majority. He resides in Westchester County, New York. He is a leading author of Jewish haiku
.
http://www.williams.edu, Markus earned his Juris Doctor with high honors from Harvard Law School
http://www.law.harvard.edu, where he was a member of the a capella group Scales of Justice http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/scales/, and his Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government
http://www.ksg.harvard.edu in 2001, which awarded Markus the Wilmers Fellowship for State and Local Government. While still a student, Harvard designated Markus an "Innovator in Public Service" for his work to improve legislative processes and government transparency using state-level C-SPAN public affairs systems -- work that prompted other states to explore gavel-to-gavel coverage of their governments and for which Markus won the national Goldsmith Award. Previously Markus had served as policy assistant to environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and as legislative director to New York State Assembly Member Sandy Galef
(D-Westchester).
http://www.courts.state.ny.us/ctapps Associate Judge Albert M. Rosenblatthttp://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/amr.htm. He then was appointed Special Counsel for Programs and Policy under Chief Judges Judith Kaye
and Jonathan Lippman
. In this role, Markus helped guide the Judiciary's legislative program to reform New York's civil and criminal justice systems, as well as numerous blue-ribbon panels including the Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts,http://www.nycourtreform.org and the Commission on Indigent Defense Services. During this time, Markus also successfully represented the Judiciary in high-profile constitutional litigation.
, where he taught courses on public policy, U.S. government and judicial policy, and served as Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Pace University
, where he taught administrative law and policy in the graduate Master in Public Administration program.
and Lt. Governor David Paterson
.
In 2008, Markus took leaves of absence from the Judiciary to join Barack Obama
's presidential campaign. During the primaries, Markus served as a voter protection counsel in Indiana and Pennsylvania. During the 2008 general election, Markus was appointed Deputy Director for Voter Protection in Pennsylvania, where he helped protect voting rights and ensure the sufficiency and integrity of electronic voting machines.
. His most popular haiku appear in weekly Facebook
postings and, as of mid-2010, there are rumors of a forthcoming book. With a special Sukkot haiku (Bountiful harvest, / Internal tangles untied, / Now time to give thanks. Shabbes!) in 2010, Markus began publishing his haiku via Twitter
, where he also created the hash tag #haikus4jews. Markus has also published a series of haiku relating to his political experiences.
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
Majority. He resides in Westchester County, New York. He is a leading author of Jewish haiku
Jewish haiku
Jewish haiku are poetic parodies, based on the 5-7-5 syllable form of Japanese haiku, sometimes combined with traditional Jewish noodging . Many of these poems were first published in "Haikus for Jews: For You a Little Wisdom" by David M...
.
Education and early career
A 1994 honors graduate of Williams CollegeWilliams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
http://www.williams.edu, Markus earned his Juris Doctor with high honors from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
http://www.law.harvard.edu, where he was a member of the a capella group Scales of Justice http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/scales/, and his Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
http://www.ksg.harvard.edu in 2001, which awarded Markus the Wilmers Fellowship for State and Local Government. While still a student, Harvard designated Markus an "Innovator in Public Service" for his work to improve legislative processes and government transparency using state-level C-SPAN public affairs systems -- work that prompted other states to explore gavel-to-gavel coverage of their governments and for which Markus won the national Goldsmith Award. Previously Markus had served as policy assistant to environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and as legislative director to New York State Assembly Member Sandy Galef
Sandy Galef
Sandra R. Galef , widely known as Sandy Galef, is a state legislator and member of the New York State Assembly.-Assembly office:...
(D-Westchester).
Judiciary service
In 2001, after passing the New York Bar, Markus was appointed Law Clerk to New York Court of AppealsNew York Court of Appeals
The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...
http://www.courts.state.ny.us/ctapps Associate Judge Albert M. Rosenblatthttp://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/amr.htm. He then was appointed Special Counsel for Programs and Policy under Chief Judges Judith Kaye
Judith Kaye
Judith S. Kaye is a retired New York judge who served as Chief Judge of New York from March 23, 1993 until December 31, 2008. She was the first woman to occupy the State Judiciary's highest office.-Early life and education:...
and Jonathan Lippman
Jonathan Lippman
Jonathan Lippman is an American jurist and currently Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals.-Early life and education:Lippman is a Manhattan native...
. In this role, Markus helped guide the Judiciary's legislative program to reform New York's civil and criminal justice systems, as well as numerous blue-ribbon panels including the Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts,http://www.nycourtreform.org and the Commission on Indigent Defense Services. During this time, Markus also successfully represented the Judiciary in high-profile constitutional litigation.
Teaching
While working for the New York State Judiciary, Markus also served as Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, where he taught courses on public policy, U.S. government and judicial policy, and served as Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
, where he taught administrative law and policy in the graduate Master in Public Administration program.
Gubernatorial and presidential campaigns
In 2006, Markus staffed the Transition Working Group on Government Reform for the incoming administration of New York Governor Eliot SpitzerEliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
and Lt. Governor David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
.
In 2008, Markus took leaves of absence from the Judiciary to join Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's presidential campaign. During the primaries, Markus served as a voter protection counsel in Indiana and Pennsylvania. During the 2008 general election, Markus was appointed Deputy Director for Voter Protection in Pennsylvania, where he helped protect voting rights and ensure the sufficiency and integrity of electronic voting machines.
Special Counsel to the Senate Majority
On March 9, 2009, New York State Senate Leader Malcolm Smith announced Markus' appointment as Special Counsel to the Senate Majority, focusing on government operations and structure, cities and local governments, the Judiciary, the civil and criminal justice systems, and public integrity.Literary career
In 2008, Markus first published his works in Jewish haikuJewish haiku
Jewish haiku are poetic parodies, based on the 5-7-5 syllable form of Japanese haiku, sometimes combined with traditional Jewish noodging . Many of these poems were first published in "Haikus for Jews: For You a Little Wisdom" by David M...
. His most popular haiku appear in weekly Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
postings and, as of mid-2010, there are rumors of a forthcoming book. With a special Sukkot haiku (Bountiful harvest, / Internal tangles untied, / Now time to give thanks. Shabbes!) in 2010, Markus began publishing his haiku via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, where he also created the hash tag #haikus4jews. Markus has also published a series of haiku relating to his political experiences.