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The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel: The Rise of a Village Theocracy and the Battle to Defend the Separation of Church and State
Twenty years ago, in the middle of the night and on the last day of the legislative session, the New York State Legislature created a publicly funded school district to cater to the interests of a religious sect called the Satmar, an insular group of Hasidic Jews that objects to, among other things, female school bus drivers. The rapidly growing sect had bought land in rural Upstate New York, populated it solely with members of its faction, and created a village called Kiryas Joel that exerted extraordinary political pressure over both political parties. Marking the first time in American history that a governmental unit was established for a religious group, the legislature’s action prompted years of litigation that eventually went to the US Supreme Court.
As today’s Supreme Court signals its willingness to view a religious viewpoint like any other speech and accord it equal protection, the 1994 case, Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet , stands as the most important legal precedent in the fight to uphold the separation of church and state. In The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel , plaintiff Louis Grumet opens a window onto the Satmar Hasidic community, where language, customs, and dress have led to estrangement from and clashes with neighboring communities, and details the inside story of his fight for the First Amendment and against New York’s most powerful politicians.
Informed by numerous interviews with key figures such as Governor George Pataki, media accounts, court transcripts, and more, The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel not only tantalizes with a peek at cynical power politics driven by votes and Supreme Court justice squabbling and negotiation; it also provides an important demonstration of how a small, insular, and politically savvy religious group can grasp legal and political power. This story—a blend of politics, religion, cultural clashes, and constitutional tension—is an object lesson in the ongoing debate over freedom of versus freedom from religion.
As today’s Supreme Court signals its willingness to view a religious viewpoint like any other speech and accord it equal protection, the 1994 case, Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet , stands as the most important legal precedent in the fight to uphold the separation of church and state. In The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel , plaintiff Louis Grumet opens a window onto the Satmar Hasidic community, where language, customs, and dress have led to estrangement from and clashes with neighboring communities, and details the inside story of his fight for the First Amendment and against New York’s most powerful politicians.
Informed by numerous interviews with key figures such as Governor George Pataki, media accounts, court transcripts, and more, The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel not only tantalizes with a peek at cynical power politics driven by votes and Supreme Court justice squabbling and negotiation; it also provides an important demonstration of how a small, insular, and politically savvy religious group can grasp legal and political power. This story—a blend of politics, religion, cultural clashes, and constitutional tension—is an object lesson in the ongoing debate over freedom of versus freedom from religion.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 25, 2016
It's tempting not to rate The Curious Case of Kyrias Joel, but I'll give it 4 stars for bringing my attention to an interesting US court case and for the author's enthusiasm. As the head of the Board of Education in the State of New York, Louis Grumet challenged a law that allowed for the establishment of a publicly funded school board that was only to serve a small insular Hasidic Jewish community. Part of the reason the community sought out its own school board was to provide education to children with special needs in a religiously segregated environment; the community did not want its children to be educated in an integrated school system but could not afford to fund special education in its private schools. And the state of New York accommodated this desire by passing a law that created this small separate school board. The motivation for Grumet's challenge was to ensure the continued separation of church and state; his view was that there were many ways to ensure that the community's children with special needs could receive specialized education without creating a separate school board for the community. The establishment of a separate publicly funded school board was a slippery slope that would allow for the public funding of any number of religious segregated school systems. Ultimately, Grumet succeeded in his challenge which went all the way to the US Supreme Court. The book describes in great detail different aspects of the battle -- the public relations issues, the political issues and the court case itself. It doesn't make for scintillating reading. There is some repetition and some unevenness in the book's focus. I also had a strong sense that Grumet is still trying to process his experience through this book, which means that at times it reads more like personal musings than a book meant for an outside audience. But as I said at the outset, the topic is interesting -- albeit complicated -- and Grumet's dedication to the integrity of the US Establishment clause is impressive. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
January 28, 2022
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
An interesting memoir about the battle between the State School Board of New York and then-governor Mario Cuomo over whether a school for mentally challenged children living in an all-Jewish conclave was constitutional.
The legal drama and the character sketches of various politicians are interesting. But what is most interesting are some of the more incidental statements and occurrences.
Grumet spends most of the book kissing up to Mario Cuomo, his opponent in the lawsuit, with a sort of blind loyalty that is disconcerting.
He admits that his challenge to the school funding, and his entire devotion to the "wall of separation" between church and state is not due to anything like the constitution or the country, but is instead a part of his Jewish identity. Seems to me maybe we ought to go back and look at some of these court decisions if that is the case.
We see that the school for Kiryas Joel, one freed from all the rules and regulations from the state, quickly became one of the best schools of its kind in the world. That should tell us all we need to know about the education bureaucracy.
We see how little court decisions have anything to do with the law, or precedents, or anything that we're told matter in these cases. Exactly like we all suspected.
We see that Clarence Thomas, far from being Scalia's puppet is really a very intelligent judge.
We see the terrible power of PC.
A good book, but not necessarily for the reasons the author intended.
An interesting memoir about the battle between the State School Board of New York and then-governor Mario Cuomo over whether a school for mentally challenged children living in an all-Jewish conclave was constitutional.
The legal drama and the character sketches of various politicians are interesting. But what is most interesting are some of the more incidental statements and occurrences.
Grumet spends most of the book kissing up to Mario Cuomo, his opponent in the lawsuit, with a sort of blind loyalty that is disconcerting.
He admits that his challenge to the school funding, and his entire devotion to the "wall of separation" between church and state is not due to anything like the constitution or the country, but is instead a part of his Jewish identity. Seems to me maybe we ought to go back and look at some of these court decisions if that is the case.
We see that the school for Kiryas Joel, one freed from all the rules and regulations from the state, quickly became one of the best schools of its kind in the world. That should tell us all we need to know about the education bureaucracy.
We see how little court decisions have anything to do with the law, or precedents, or anything that we're told matter in these cases. Exactly like we all suspected.
We see that Clarence Thomas, far from being Scalia's puppet is really a very intelligent judge.
We see the terrible power of PC.
A good book, but not necessarily for the reasons the author intended.
January 1, 2017
It's a fascinating story, and the book explains, step-by-step, how Kiryas Joel and the surrounding community got to the current point, both legally & emotionally. However, in an effort to explain it all, the author provides too much ancillary info through extraneous explanations and ample footnotes on each page. Some of this extra information is interesting, especially to me as someone who lives in the area, but much of it is unnecessary. With that knowledge and a strategy of skimming over these parts, the meat of the story is a quick and engaging read.
May 7, 2025
Recomendaría este libro a cualquiera que esté interesado en cómo se configura la libertad religiosa y la laicidad del estado en un marco constitucional, y como a veces la justicia es relativa, con plot twist incluido.
July 15, 2025
I did feel like it was odd that the whole book is about the importance of doing what’s right and whatever it takes to uphold separation of church and state and then the last 10 pages are just “and then I got a new job”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2016
In 1989, the then Governor Mario Cuomo signed a bill creating the Kiryas Joel Village School District. This District became the first governmental unit in NEw York and the USA created to meet the needs of one religious group, the Jewish Satmar.
This book discusses the history of the School District, primarily from a legal point of view, and traces the legal challenges through the NY court system up to the US Supreme Court.
Because I followed this case at the time, I knew the courts had ruled against Kiryas Joel. The author led the challenge of the law creating the school district and provides a unique vantage point.
Of course, us New Yorkers who followed the case know that after the US Supreme Court shot down the school district, the NY Legislature and Governor found another way to keep the school district open...they simply wrote another law that doesn't say it's limited to Kiryas Joel although no other group seems to meet the criteria. It took a few tries but the Legislature and Governor finally got a law passed that the State courts upheld.
This book does not delve much beyond the legal issues, except for how certain events and conditions contributed to the case. I would have liked to see more about what life was like in Kiryas Joel, but that another topic for another book.
This book discusses the history of the School District, primarily from a legal point of view, and traces the legal challenges through the NY court system up to the US Supreme Court.
Because I followed this case at the time, I knew the courts had ruled against Kiryas Joel. The author led the challenge of the law creating the school district and provides a unique vantage point.
Of course, us New Yorkers who followed the case know that after the US Supreme Court shot down the school district, the NY Legislature and Governor found another way to keep the school district open...they simply wrote another law that doesn't say it's limited to Kiryas Joel although no other group seems to meet the criteria. It took a few tries but the Legislature and Governor finally got a law passed that the State courts upheld.
This book does not delve much beyond the legal issues, except for how certain events and conditions contributed to the case. I would have liked to see more about what life was like in Kiryas Joel, but that another topic for another book.
January 28, 2017
It suggested more than it delivered but it certainly broadened my knowledge of NY school boards and state politics. I wasn't actually interested in the how they worked but it certainly was fascinating (also boring to a large degree). What I did come away with was the huge influence voting blocs can have on election and bill passages. Helped me to "get" what's happening right now in this country. As far as Kiryas Joel - I would have liked more information on this sect of Satmars. Regarding a large population of children - many with disabilities I would think the Satmars should have provided all that was needed for schooling with their town. But I also realize the financial advantages that accrue to publically funded organizations - such as schools. All sects that are enclosed - in any faith - have little regard for their "other" - they do not play well with others and they can be very annoying. The book had very little to do with ant-Semitism and more to do with bad manners, insensitivity and insulation. Some live in parts of my larger area and are polite but not cordial. Strict, secretive and moving in place. But the book was well written and informative. I suspect it has a small audience.
September 11, 2016
Brilliant story, but badly over written and needed a good editor.
July 25, 2017
About twenty years ago, a community of Satmar Jews from Brooklyn bought land in upstate New York and built Kiryas Joel, an ever-expanding village that has been the source of disputes and litigation for many years, covering such topics as property rights, education law and boundaries between church and state. As a (relatively) local Jew I have followed the story closely in religious and secular press, and often find myself very torn between siding with the Satmars and their secular neighbors.
It is with that background that I selected this book to read, which presents the legal case surrounding establishment of a Kiryas Joel public school district, and how the establishment of the district infringed on the Establishment Clause. The district was formed in response to the inability of the local district, Monroe-Woodbury, to educate disabled Satmar children in a manner congruent with their lifestyles and beliefs. Grumet and his attorney argued that the district was formed solely to benefit the Satmar Jews and therefore could not stand.
Grumet did his research and the book is well written. Unfortunately, it suffers from Grumet's utter confidence that he and his positions are always correct. He was a career bureaucrat and is quite proud of the job he did marketing himself and his opinions, and promoting his agency as the one thought leader for the school boards of NYS. I find this less appealing than he does and although I respect his honesty in revealing his true character and values, it detracts from my belief that he, as narrator, is a reliable arbiter of the truth. To an extent this is reflective of the quote "history is written by the victors."
It is my opinion that the facts of the story are compelling enough without Grumet's exposition and denigrating comments about his opponents. Although I found the commentary unappealing, the writing was interesting and the book reads like a story rather than a history book. I still find myself on the fence as to whether I agree with the Supreme Court or the Satmars on this case, and I find it troubling that the Satmars use their influence to bully and destroy the local ways of life around their communities. It is impossible not to hear about the cultural, educational and resource issues in Rockland County related to the explosion of the ultra-Orthodox population. Whether one agrees with the religious block or their secular neighbors, one would have to be blind not to acknowledge that strife is frequent and there are few good, legal solutions to the disputes between the ultra-Orthodox and their neighbors.
Unlike Grumet, I find it exceedingly disturbing that religious sects are asked to integrate in order to receive services - but the same is not asked, for example, of the atheists. Grumet seems to believe that the elimination of ethics and religion is acceptable but the acknowledgement of such is not. In my way of thinking, this is a problematic view: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. I believe in balance: If everyone is a little uncomfortable, you know you've reached a compromise. If the only ones who are comfortable are those seeking complete elimination of religion from public space, you've got a problem.
That said, I was raised by parents who fervently supported the separation of church and state, but at a time when that separation was a whole lot blurrier than it is today. Religion and religious practice was tolerated in a way that it no longer is. Grumet bemoans the court's drift to the right, but I believe that is because the laws have drifted left. As the laws "prohibit the free exercise thereof" the courts will necessarily reign in the lawmakers in order to attain a balance.
For those who find the discussion of the Establishment Clause, religion and government interesting, this is a great read....
If you can overlook the bias.
It is with that background that I selected this book to read, which presents the legal case surrounding establishment of a Kiryas Joel public school district, and how the establishment of the district infringed on the Establishment Clause. The district was formed in response to the inability of the local district, Monroe-Woodbury, to educate disabled Satmar children in a manner congruent with their lifestyles and beliefs. Grumet and his attorney argued that the district was formed solely to benefit the Satmar Jews and therefore could not stand.
Grumet did his research and the book is well written. Unfortunately, it suffers from Grumet's utter confidence that he and his positions are always correct. He was a career bureaucrat and is quite proud of the job he did marketing himself and his opinions, and promoting his agency as the one thought leader for the school boards of NYS. I find this less appealing than he does and although I respect his honesty in revealing his true character and values, it detracts from my belief that he, as narrator, is a reliable arbiter of the truth. To an extent this is reflective of the quote "history is written by the victors."
It is my opinion that the facts of the story are compelling enough without Grumet's exposition and denigrating comments about his opponents. Although I found the commentary unappealing, the writing was interesting and the book reads like a story rather than a history book. I still find myself on the fence as to whether I agree with the Supreme Court or the Satmars on this case, and I find it troubling that the Satmars use their influence to bully and destroy the local ways of life around their communities. It is impossible not to hear about the cultural, educational and resource issues in Rockland County related to the explosion of the ultra-Orthodox population. Whether one agrees with the religious block or their secular neighbors, one would have to be blind not to acknowledge that strife is frequent and there are few good, legal solutions to the disputes between the ultra-Orthodox and their neighbors.
Unlike Grumet, I find it exceedingly disturbing that religious sects are asked to integrate in order to receive services - but the same is not asked, for example, of the atheists. Grumet seems to believe that the elimination of ethics and religion is acceptable but the acknowledgement of such is not. In my way of thinking, this is a problematic view: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. I believe in balance: If everyone is a little uncomfortable, you know you've reached a compromise. If the only ones who are comfortable are those seeking complete elimination of religion from public space, you've got a problem.
That said, I was raised by parents who fervently supported the separation of church and state, but at a time when that separation was a whole lot blurrier than it is today. Religion and religious practice was tolerated in a way that it no longer is. Grumet bemoans the court's drift to the right, but I believe that is because the laws have drifted left. As the laws "prohibit the free exercise thereof" the courts will necessarily reign in the lawmakers in order to attain a balance.
For those who find the discussion of the Establishment Clause, religion and government interesting, this is a great read....
If you can overlook the bias.
May 23, 2018
In 1989, a school district for the entirely Satmar Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel was created. Louis Grumet, the lawyer who spearheaded a lawsuit against the district that ultimately went to the Supreme Court, has written a memoir of the case.
As the opponent of the district, the account is biased against the district, and Grumet is clearly no fan of Satmar. That said, I don't think, based on my prior knowledge of the situation and of New York politics, that Grumet is terribly unfair. He also acknowledges that Monroe-Woodbury failed to meet the needs of the Satmar children (though he's too dismissive of issues surrounding Christmas), in effect giving KJ the impetus to demand control, and that the KJ district did hire highly qualified personnel and provide a good program.
The account is interesting as an insider view of New York politics. I've long viewed it as a corrupt cesspit, and the book does little to dispel that view, with its accounts of political machines, bloc voting, and legislative manipulation. It contains a lot of detail about legal strategy and Lemon v. Kurtzman, the previous Supreme Court decision that the court cases focused on. (The New York Supreme Court chose not to focus on the state level Blaine Amendment.)
It's a bit of a specialist topic, but those people interested in religion and politics in New York State will find this a good read.
As the opponent of the district, the account is biased against the district, and Grumet is clearly no fan of Satmar. That said, I don't think, based on my prior knowledge of the situation and of New York politics, that Grumet is terribly unfair. He also acknowledges that Monroe-Woodbury failed to meet the needs of the Satmar children (though he's too dismissive of issues surrounding Christmas), in effect giving KJ the impetus to demand control, and that the KJ district did hire highly qualified personnel and provide a good program.
The account is interesting as an insider view of New York politics. I've long viewed it as a corrupt cesspit, and the book does little to dispel that view, with its accounts of political machines, bloc voting, and legislative manipulation. It contains a lot of detail about legal strategy and Lemon v. Kurtzman, the previous Supreme Court decision that the court cases focused on. (The New York Supreme Court chose not to focus on the state level Blaine Amendment.)
It's a bit of a specialist topic, but those people interested in religion and politics in New York State will find this a good read.
August 10, 2018
Wow. I started reading this book November 2016 and just finished it August 2018... I put it down. A lot.
The subject matter drew me in, but the narrative wasn’t what I was expecting. There was too much “legal-ese” and I found the writing very dry.
I did learn a bit, was just hoping to learn a bit more of the Satmar culture.
1.5 stars.
The subject matter drew me in, but the narrative wasn’t what I was expecting. There was too much “legal-ese” and I found the writing very dry.
I did learn a bit, was just hoping to learn a bit more of the Satmar culture.
1.5 stars.
September 19, 2023
This was an interesting read. Grumet includes a great deal of Constitutional and case law review which is well over my head (although I did learn several things). The underlying story however that makes it such a good read is background on the state politics and well-known politicians involved in the case, and getting a sense of how things get done.
May 30, 2018
I won a copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. I am paying it forward by passing this book along to a family member who I think will enjoy it too.
October 24, 2018
Great history of political and legal issues with 1st amendment to constitution. It addresses the difference between Establishment clause and Free Exercise Clause. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...". Spoiler: after losing the legal battle, Kiryas Joel won the political battle and got its own theocratic school district. A sign of the times, like religion-based organizations using public school facilities, which I find legitimate but the author calls "church-planting ... preferential and grossly unconstitutional behavior"
January 2, 2020
This book was good enough. I have to say that living in this region has made me aware of 80% of the ongoings and doings of the Satmar Hasids, but the book has enlightened me with other details I was not aware of.
June 1, 2021
Very interesting how the state can manipulate laws to undermine the US constitution. The Satmar are a very interesting group of people. After reading this book I watched City of Joel from Netflix for a better understanding of this ancient culture in our modern society.
July 8, 2021
A colleague mentioned reading this book to me and truthfully the concept/premise was pretty foreign. However, the content was riveting and really speaks to the power of a community to organize and create political change...and not always in a constitutional manner. Told by the president of the NYSSBA, I had no idea that he had taken such a stance against KJ in the courts, ultimately resulting in a Supreme Court decision striking down laws that had been enacted to benefit the KJ community. A really great read!
January 19, 2022
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It was a good, well-developed read with a lot of background and detail into the case. It describes in accessible language how the state legislature does its work and the ramifications of questionable legislation. Overall a good read
June 6, 2023
A good analysis of the legal wrangling that created the Kiryas Joel public school district for Satmar children with Special needs. Through numerous court cases, all of which were lost by the defendants as a clear violas of the First Amendment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2018
I’ve had this on my TBR shelf for a couple years & I should have picked it up sooner - it’s a quick read, if you’re into legal history at all. This covers the background & aftermath of the court cases over the creation of a specialized school district in the New York village of Kiryas Joel, which is (almost?) entirely composed of Satmar Hasidic Jews. The author is the named plaintiff in the suit, the head of an association of school boards at the time who sued the then-governor (Mario Cuomo) for signing a law allowing the district, so there’s some interesting back-room knowledge. Having lived in Albany, I found the state politics part fascinating. Ymmv.
November 3, 2016
Louis Grumet's The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel tells the inside story of one of the Supreme Court's Establishment Clause cases: Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet. That's the same Grumet in both places: he was the president of the New York State School Boards Association at the time a law was passed in the New York State Legislature creating a school district for a small village in upstate New York that was home exclusively to the Satmar, a sect of strict Hasidic Jews. The Satmar, a community that previously lived in Brooklyn but found the modern world to be too intrusive in the middle of New York City, bought up large chunks of land outside a town called Monroe and founded a village that they called Kiryas Joel after their leader, a rabbi who had survived the Holocaust. They shunned contact with the outside, established their own private yeshivas to educate their children, and caused a lot of strife within the larger Monroe community by doing things like blatantly ignoring building codes with impunity, crying anti-Semitism anytime they were challenged. The issue arose because, like any small group that intermarries extensively, there came to be many children with genetic disorders and resultant learning disabilities. The Satmar were not equipped to educate these children, so they sought to take advantage of the legal obligation of the Monroe school district to provide appropriate education to the local children and sent their kids to public school. It did not go well: the children, who already had special needs, struggled in a radically different environment and the district made several problematic blunders. The Satmar kids were pulled out of the district, and an idea was hatched: to give the village its own district, which would be able to take in and spend public money for the education of these children.
That's a problem under the Establishment Clause, because the law was designed to benefit and was exclusive to one particular religious group. So why would this bill have even been drafted? And then passed? And then signed? The answer: politics! The Satmar are a relatively small group, but they're powerful: they vote as a bloc the way their rabbi tells them to...and they don't have an ideological purity test to pass. They support whoever helps steer money and services to them. Politicians like winning elections, and so they're willing to do what they can to lock down those votes. Grumet was there as it all was happening, and guides the reader through the process: fleshing out the details of who the Satmar are, how they came to settle at Kiryas Joel, their conflicts with the local population, why sending their kids to public school failed, and how the bill came to be conceived and passed.
A lot of the political behind-the-scenes stuff was familiar and understandable to me as someone who does this kind of thing for a living, but if that's not you, Grumet lays it out in a way that's logical and easy to follow. I think a lot of people don't quite understand how the sausage is made (I know I didn't before I started doing what I do), and the way Grumet tells the story helps shed light on the process. He also helps illuminate what it actually means to take a case to the Supreme Court: it starts small, with a lawsuit in district court, and goes up from there. The court portion of the book is actually the weakest part...it mostly copies and pastes sections of transcripts to show the arguments made and the decisions reached.
At the end of the day, this book is almost certain to only be interesting to those already inclined to enjoy the subject matter. Some broader context is provided, but the story is almost entirely about this situation and case and doesn't go out of its way to make it easy to understand the legal issues if you're a layperson. It's not especially well-written, and suffers for Grumet's insistence on telling his own story as much as the case's story. It's not a bad book per se, but it isn't one I'd recommend to anyone but people with some already existing background and interest in the subject matter.
That's a problem under the Establishment Clause, because the law was designed to benefit and was exclusive to one particular religious group. So why would this bill have even been drafted? And then passed? And then signed? The answer: politics! The Satmar are a relatively small group, but they're powerful: they vote as a bloc the way their rabbi tells them to...and they don't have an ideological purity test to pass. They support whoever helps steer money and services to them. Politicians like winning elections, and so they're willing to do what they can to lock down those votes. Grumet was there as it all was happening, and guides the reader through the process: fleshing out the details of who the Satmar are, how they came to settle at Kiryas Joel, their conflicts with the local population, why sending their kids to public school failed, and how the bill came to be conceived and passed.
A lot of the political behind-the-scenes stuff was familiar and understandable to me as someone who does this kind of thing for a living, but if that's not you, Grumet lays it out in a way that's logical and easy to follow. I think a lot of people don't quite understand how the sausage is made (I know I didn't before I started doing what I do), and the way Grumet tells the story helps shed light on the process. He also helps illuminate what it actually means to take a case to the Supreme Court: it starts small, with a lawsuit in district court, and goes up from there. The court portion of the book is actually the weakest part...it mostly copies and pastes sections of transcripts to show the arguments made and the decisions reached.
At the end of the day, this book is almost certain to only be interesting to those already inclined to enjoy the subject matter. Some broader context is provided, but the story is almost entirely about this situation and case and doesn't go out of its way to make it easy to understand the legal issues if you're a layperson. It's not especially well-written, and suffers for Grumet's insistence on telling his own story as much as the case's story. It's not a bad book per se, but it isn't one I'd recommend to anyone but people with some already existing background and interest in the subject matter.
June 14, 2016
This is a great 1st person account by one of the litigants. This is really the untold story behind the case. It is well written and provides excellent details that make the story MUCH more colorful.
As this was written by a named litigant, I NEVER expected this to be a balanced account. Grumet should have left it at that. Grumet's frequent attempts to empathize with the disabled students in Kiryas Joel ring hollow.
Grumet ALSO allows his biases about particular SCOTUS Justices to color his interpretation and detract from the power of his case and mission.
I am SHOCKED at the carelessness of including is the oft-repeated, incorrect assertion that Satmar refers to St. Mary. Is it possible Grumet didn't know this simple fact after decades of litigation?
I'd like to see this exact story recreated and retold by someone who does NOT have a personal stake in the outcome.
As this was written by a named litigant, I NEVER expected this to be a balanced account. Grumet should have left it at that. Grumet's frequent attempts to empathize with the disabled students in Kiryas Joel ring hollow.
Grumet ALSO allows his biases about particular SCOTUS Justices to color his interpretation and detract from the power of his case and mission.
I am SHOCKED at the carelessness of including is the oft-repeated, incorrect assertion that Satmar refers to St. Mary. Is it possible Grumet didn't know this simple fact after decades of litigation?
I'd like to see this exact story recreated and retold by someone who does NOT have a personal stake in the outcome.
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May 15, 2016I received this book from Good Reads.
Well written, well researched. A must for legal scholars interested in the interpretation of separation of Church and State. For us simple votes and those interested in politics, an affirmation of why separation is important. All of us must pay attention and keep it that way, especially in our era of school vouchers, religious symbols on tax payer property (court houses, etc.) and a woman's RIGHT to choose!
Well written, well researched. A must for legal scholars interested in the interpretation of separation of Church and State. For us simple votes and those interested in politics, an affirmation of why separation is important. All of us must pay attention and keep it that way, especially in our era of school vouchers, religious symbols on tax payer property (court houses, etc.) and a woman's RIGHT to choose!
July 31, 2016
If you are at all interested in the Constitution, freedom of religion, or politics in New York State (and the corruption thereof, which has been well documented as of late) this is a great book. It is very readable and understandable. If you teach any kind of law class in high school, this is a good read and ends with a summary by years of educational court cases.
April 7, 2016
I think the story of Satmar Hasidic community trying to form their own laws and community is fascinating. The fact that one of the writers was a plaintiff in the case that test the separation of church and state makes the book even more interesting.
May 7, 2016
4.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews