Robert Gensburg Explained
Robert Gensburg (3 September 1939 - 9 November 2017)[1] was an American lawyer working in the state of Vermont.[2] Gensburg was notable for advancing education-funding reform in Vermont; and for volunteering to assist a captive held in extrajudicial detention in the USA's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.
On January 6, 2000, the House and Senate of the Vermont legislature honored Gensburg with a joint resolution, sending him their best wishes upon his having been diagnosed with leukemia.[3]
State education funding reform
In 1997, as pro bono counsel for the ACLU of Vermont, Gensburg successfully led a lawsuit arguing that the state's school funding formula was unconstitutionally inequitable for children in property-poor towns. This case, Brigham vs. State,[4] resulted in Act 60 (Vermont law), which established Vermont's equalized statewide property tax,[5] intending to achieve a fair balance of educational spending across school districts, independent of the degree of prosperity within each district.[6]
Guantanamo clients
The Montpelier Times Argus reported that Gensburg had great difficulty getting to meet his Guantanamo clients.[7]
Gensburg represented Abdul Zahir, several other captives in Guantanamo, and a captive in American custody in Afghanistan.[8] [9] Abdul Zahir was one of the ten captives who faced charges before a version of the Guantanamo military commission that was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Wire tapped
Gensburg reported on October 2, 2007, that working for a Guantanamo client has led to his firm's phone, mail and email being intercepted.[2] [10] [11] A letter sent to their clients warned them of their belief the firm's communication was being intercepted, and stated:
Vermont Congressman Peter Welch spoke about the wiretapping of Gensburg's phones, and computers when he was interviewed on Vermont Public Radio's Vermont Edition on Friday November 30, 2007.[12]
External links
Notes and References
- https://www.caledonianrecord.com/community/deaths/robert-gensburg---obituary/article_50693cce-c957-5a02-89cd-b3a9727594af.html Robert A. Gensburg - Obituary
- News: Vt. Law Firm Claims Feds Bugging Phone . https://web.archive.org/web/20071013031230/http://www.reformer.com/. October 13, 2007. Brattleboro Reformer. Wilson Ring. Wilson Ring. October 14, 2007. 2020-01-08. Alt URL
- News: NO. R-183. JOINT RESOLUTION EXTENDING BEST WISHES FOR A SPEEDY RECOVERY TO ROBERT GENSBURG OF ST. JOHNSBURY.. Vermont legislature. January 6, 2000. 2008-01-05.
- Web site: 1997-02-05. Brigham v. State (96-502); 166 Vt. 246; 692 A.2d 384. Justia. 2020-01-08 .
- News: April. McCullum. 2017-11-14. Lawyer Who Led Landmark VT School Funding Case Dies. Burlington Free Press. 2020-01-08 .
- Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20130510194000/http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/laws/act60.html. 2013-05-10. 2008-01-16. Laws & Regulations: Act 60 - The Equal Educational Opportunity Act. Vermont Agency of Education. 2020-01-08 .
- News: https://web.archive.org/web/20070529023201/http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20070514%2FOPINION01%2F705140303%2F1021%2FOPINION01. 2007-05-29. 2020-01-08. Open the Dungeons. Montpelier Times Argus. 2007-05-12. live. Alt URL
- [Carol Rosenberg]
- News: Vt. Law Firm Accuses Government Of Wiretapping . . October 11, 2007 . 2007-10-11 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110718122011/http://www.wptz.com/news/14318208/detail.html . July 18, 2011 .
- News: Lawyers Accuse Feds of Tapping Phone, Hacking . . Allan Holmes . October 12, 2007 . 2008-01-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071218143740/http://blogs.govexec.com/techinsider/archives/2007/10/more_accusations_of_federal_ph.php . 2007-12-18 . dead .
- News: Law Firm to Clients: Feds Tapped Our Phones. ABA Journal. Martha Neil. Martha Neil. October 11, 2007. 2008-01-05.
- News: Vermont Edition: interview with Congressman Peter Welch. Vermont Public Radio. Bob Kinzel. Bob Kinzel. November 30, 2007. 2008-01-05.
