[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING JONATHAN CUNEO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 2023

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise to 
recognize the passing of Jonathan Cuneo, a champion of consumer rights 
and a longtime friend of the House Committee on the Judiciary.
  After earning his BA at Columbia University and his law degree at 
Cornell, Jon clerked for Judge Edward Tamm of the U.S. District Court 
of Appeals for the District of Columbia. In 1981, after a stint working 
for the Federal Trade Commission, Jon joined the Judiciary Committee as 
counsel to the Subcommittee on Monopolies and Commercial Law.
  Under Chairman Peter Rodino of New Jersey, Jon proved himself a 
trusted advisor on questions of antitrust law and consumer safety. He 
helped to guide the Committee through its consideration of a balanced 
budget amendment to the Constitution, and he conducted a wide-ranging 
investigation of the insurance industry. He was still a young man when 
he served here, but already Jon was making valuable contributions to 
the important work of protecting American consumers and small business 
from large corporate interests.
  Jon founded his private practice in 1988, and from there he led 
several ground-breaking civil actions in service of that mission. In 
the ``Joe Camel'' case, argued in California state courts and 
successfully settled in 1997, Jon and his team revealed that the R.J. 
Reynolds Tobacco Company's advertising campaign was specifically 
targeting underage children with its promotional cartoon character. For 
his role in the case, Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) called Jon a 
``real American hero.''
  On behalf of thousands of defrauded investors in Enron Corp., Jon 
recovered more than $7 billion in federal court in 2009. It remains the 
largest settlement of its kind. Apart from his successful private 
practice, Jon co-founded the Committee to Support Antitrust Laws, the 
American Antitrust Institute, and the National Association of 
Shareholder and Consumer Attorneys. His commitment to justice and 
safety for all Americans was equal to none.
  And as I recall Jon's wide-ranging and successful legal career, Mr. 
Speaker, I am particularly struck by the lifelong friendship he forged 
with my predecessor, the late Chairman John Conyers, Jr. of Michigan. 
Chairman Conyers trusted Jon like few others. On issues like consumer 
safety, corporate accountability, and access to the courts, the 2 were 
partners, both dedicated to helping the most vulnerable Americans find 
justice wherever it could be found.
  We on the Judiciary Committee will remember Jon fondly. May his 
memory be a blessing to the friends and loved ones he leaves behind.

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