Resident praises Donna Lieberman, cites NYCLU work and pro bono NAACP representation in East Ramapo case

A resident speaking during the meeting’s public-comment period praised Donna Lieberman for her years of civil-rights work and said the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and the law firm Latham & Watkins had supported an NAACP lawsuit addressing representation on the East Ramapo Central School District board.

The commenter said Lieberman was born in Boston, grew up in Cranford, New Jersey, attended Radcliffe College (now part of Harvard University) for her bachelor’s degree and received a J.D. from Rutgers Law School. The resident added that Lieberman worked as a public defender with the Legal Aid Society and taught at the City College of New York before joining the NYCLU as an associate director.

The resident attributed several accomplishments to Lieberman’s tenure at the NYCLU, saying, “After the Webster decision, she founded NYCLU's reproductive rights project,” and listing passage of the New York City Student Safety Act, the Community Safety Act and the Right to Know Act among the organization’s achievements during her time there. The commenter also said Latham & Watkins arranged to represent the NAACP in the lawsuit involving representation on the school board and that the firm “did not charge a fee” for the case.

The resident characterized Lieberman’s engagement with East Ramapo parents and students as aimed at improving the district and said the speaker considers her a supporter of the school district. The commenter also asked three questions near the end of the remarks: where Lieberman attended college, what the initials NYCLU stand for and to name one of the NYCLU’s accomplishments, reflecting the biographical and organizational points made earlier in the comment.

The remarks were presented during public comment and did not include any formal motions or votes by the meeting body.