Ron Kuby - Biography

Ronald L. Kuby (born July 31, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, radio talk show host and TV commentator. He has hosted radio programs on WABC Radio in New York and Air America Radio.

Beginnings

After his parents divorced when he was five years old, Kuby lived with his mother. At thirteen, he joined the Jewish Defense League under the influence of his father, a follower of Meir David Kahane. He would later defend El Sayyid Nosair, convicted of Kahane's murder as part of his conviction for conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

In junior high school, Kuby says he was nearly expelled for publishing an underground newspaper critical of the school administration. As a teenager, he visited Israel, but soon returned to the United States complaining of "anti-Arab racism".

After dropping out of college, Kuby briefly worked on a tug boat in the U.S. Virgin Islands, then moved to New England, and Kansas, where he eventually completed his degree at the University of Kansas.

Partnership with William Kunstler

While in college, Kuby interned with William Kunstler, a lawyer known for his defense of the Chicago Seven. Kuby earned his Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School in 1983. His grades entitled him to a position on the prestigious Cornell Law Review but Kuby turned down the invitation. He graduated as one of the top students in his class.

From 1983 until Kunstler's death in 1995, Kuby worked as junior partner in Kunstler's law firm, primarily on civil rights and criminal cases. They represented Gregory Lee Johnson, a protester who burned a U.S. Flag at the 1984 Republican National Convention; Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, head of the Egyptian-based militant group Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, accused of planning and encouraging terrorist attacks against Americans; Colin Ferguson, the man responsible for the LIRR shootings (who chose to represent himself at trial); Qubilah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, accused of plotting to murder Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam; Glenn Harris, a New York public school teacher who absconded with a fifteen year-old girl for two months; Darrell Cabey, a convicted felon who attempted to mug Bernard Goetz and was subsequently shot; Yu Kikumura, a member of the Japanese Red Army; and associates of the Gambino Crime Family. During the Gulf War, they represented American soldiers claiming "conscientious objector" status. They also represented El Sayyid Nosair, assassin of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, whom Kuby's father had admired. In 2009/2010, he represented Queens based Imam Ahmed Wais Afzali in a terror-related case.

Kunstler and Kuby never formalized a partnership with a contract or tax filings. Despite a letterhead that read "Kunstler and Kuby", Kuby was paid as an employee and never shared in the firm's profits and losses. On this basis Kuby was denied ownership rights to the firm's case files, accounts, and name after Kunstler died. Kunstler's widow Margaret Ratner put her late husband's archives under lock and key. Kuby filed a complaint against her with the attorney disciplinary committee. The committee dismissed the complaint in August 1996. In December 1996 a court case brought by Ratner resulted in Kuby being denied any rights in the Kunstler firm.

Post-Kunstler Career

After Kunstler's death, Kuby continued the work of his late mentor. In 1996, he won a judgment of forty three million dollars against Bernhard Goetz., He also won nearly a million dollars for members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, who were wrongfully arrested by the New York City Police Department. He won the 2001 release of two men imprisoned 13 years for a murder they did not commit, winning a judgment of 3.3 million dollars for the pair. He secured a reversal of a murder conviction for a mentally ill homeless man whose candle accidentally caused the death of a firefighter. In 2005, Kuby won close to a million dollars for another wrongfully convicted man who spent eight years in prison. Kuby currently leads the Law Office of Ronald L. Kuby in Manhattan.

2009

In April 2009 Kuby spoke about the capture of Abduhl Wal-i-Musi, a Somali teenager apprehended during the rescue of Richard Phillips, the Captain of the MV Maersk Alabama -- a freighter briefly captured by Somali pirates. Kuby said he was discussing organizing a team to defend Wal-i-Musi, suggesting he was captured when he was protected by a flag of truce.

In September 2009 Kuby appeared on behalf of Ahmad Wais Afzali, an imam accused of lying to authorities in a terrorism related case. Afzali told Najibullah Zazi that authorities were asking questions about him. Kuby mocked the charges against Zazi, asserting they were internally inconsistent. He asserted that the charge that Afzali had warned Zazi that their call was being recorded was not consistent with the charge that he had denied to authorities that he had conversed with Zazi. Kuby mocked the idea that Afzali would deny having a conversation that he knew had been taped.

Radio and television personality

From 1999 to 2007, Kuby co-hosted (with Curtis Sliwa) the popular Curtis and Kuby in the Morning program aired on weekdays from 5 to 10 am on WABC-AM 770 in New York City. After the eight-year run, WABC replaced the show with Don Imus and retained Sliwa.

Kuby began broadcasting on Air America Radio in 2008, at first as a replacement for Randi Rhodes, then later with a regular show, Doing Time with Ron Kuby. In May 2009 Air America moved Kuby's show to a new time slot, which took him off of the schedule for many affiliates. By June, Doing Time was removed from Air America's schedule.

He is also a frequent pundit and substitute anchor on Court TV. He and Sliwa once shared a short-lived midday television program on MSNBC.

During the week of August 16, 2010, Kuby filled in as the host of the WOR morning show, in place of the vacationing John Gambling. WOR is the main competitor of WABC among New York City talk radio stations.

Testimony/Controversy during John Gotti Jr. retrial

In 2006, Kuby was subpoenaed by the defense to testify at the second trial of John A. Gotti, the son of Gambino crime family leader John Gotti, which included the charges for the kidnapping and attempted murder of Kuby's then on-air co-host Curtis Sliwa. Kuby testified that in a 1998 conversation, Gotti said he had wanted to leave organized crime. "He told me he was sick of this life", Kuby told the court. "He wanted to rejoin his family and be done with this." Sliwa reacted angrily to his longtime co-host's testimony for the defense, calling him a "Judas", though Kuby claimed he was following the law by answering a subpoena to testify.

Personal life

Since 1986, Kuby has been in a long-term relationship with Marilyn Vasta, whom he refers to on air as "the beloved Marilyn." On January 23, 2006, Ron Kuby married Vasta. The date was chosen because it was the 20th anniversary of their first date. Kuby made the marriage announcement on his radio program.

Pop Culture References

• In the film The Big Lebowski, Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (played by Jeff Bridges) demands representation either by Mr. Kuby or Bill Kunstler during the Malibu Police Station scene.

External links

• Ron Kuby's website, Law Office of Ronald L. Kuby
• Air America Radio show site
• Newsmeat, Kuby's Federal Campaign Contribution Report
• A free speech warrior
• Jonathan Leaf Talks With Ron Kuby
• Saddam Hussein's Defense Transcript from the Paula Zahn show of a debate between Ron Kuby and David Horowitz