Pat Nolan

{{Short description|American lawyer, politician and activist (b. 1950)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|image = Pat Nolan by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg

|caption = Nolan in 2018

| office = Minority Leader of the California Assembly

| term = November 8, 1984 – November 10, 1988

| predecessor = Robert W. Naylor

| successor = Ross Johnson

|state_assembly1 = California

|district1 = 43rd

|term1 = December 7, 1992 – November 30, 1994

|preceded1 = Terry B. Friedman

|succeeded1 = James E. Rogan

|state_assembly2 = California

|district2 = 41st

|term2 = December 4, 1978 – November 30, 1992

|preceded2 = Michael D. Antonovich

|succeeded2 = Terry B. Friedman

|birth_name = Patrick James Nolan

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|6|16}}

|birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Republican

|spouse = Gail

|children = 3

|education = University of Southern California

}}

Patrick James Nolan (born June 16, 1950) is an American lawyer, politician and conservative activist.

Political career

File:Pat Nolan & Sheriff John Rovick.jpg

In 1978, Nolan was elected to the California State Assembly, serving the 41st district comprising Glendale, Burbank, Toluca Lake and Sunland-Tujunga. He also served the 43rd district. from 1992 to 1994.{{cite web|title=Join California - Pat Nolan|url=http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/5846|website=joincalifornia.com}}

In 1984, he was elected Assembly Republican Leader, and began an aggressive campaign to elect a Republican majority in the Assembly.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

Conviction

Nolan was part of an FBI sting operation called Shrimpscam which targeted officials who accepted illegal campaign contributions.{{cite news | work = Los Angeles Times | date = February 19, 1994 | title = A 'Worn Out' Nolan Resigns, Gets 33 Months | author = Paul Jacobs and Mark Gladstone | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-19-mn-24614-story.html}} He was charged with seven counts of corruption. He entered into a plea deal and admitted to one count of racketeering in 1993. As a now convicted felon, Nolan resigned his seat and was sentenced to thirty three months in prison. He served 25 months in a federal prison and four months in a halfway house.{{cite news | publisher = capitolweekly.net | date = November 30, 2017 | title = Where are they Now? Pat Nolan | author = ALEX VASSAR | url = https://capitolweekly.net/where-are-they-now-pat-nolan/}}{{cite news | publisher = businessinsider.com | date = June 23, 2015 | title = Prison-time turned a staunch conservative into one of criminal justice's biggest reformers | author = Barbara Tasch | url = https://www.businessinsider.com/how-prison-time-turned-a-staunch-conservative-into-one-of-the-biggest-criminal-justice-reformers-2015-6}}

His experiences in prison changed his outlook and the course of his life.August 27, 1996, Ex-Assemblyman, Jailed in Federal Probe, to Run Prison Reform Group by MARK GLADSTONE, TIMES STAFF WRITER,[https://web.archive.org/web/20090907021408/http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/pat-nolan]{{cite news | publisher = newyorker.com | date = June 22, 2015 | title = Prison Revolt | author = Bill Keller | url = https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/29/prison-revolt}}

Corrections work

After his release, he was recruited by Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries to be President of Justice Fellowship, the Prison Fellowship affiliate that works to reform the criminal justice system. During Nolan's time at Prison Fellowship, they have formed broad bi-partisan coalitions with civil rights and religious organizations to support important issues in Congress. They successfully protected religious freedom for prisoners in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. A similar coalition successfully pressed for the passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Nolan was later appointed to serve on the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, a bipartisan panel aimed at curbing prison rape.{{cite web|url=http://www.nprec.us/commissioners.htm|title=The Commissioners|publisher=National Prison Rape Elimination Commission|accessdate=2008-06-08 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080508041331/http://www.nprec.us/commissioners.htm |archivedate = 2008-05-08}} Nolan also served on the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

Prison Fellowship was a major force in another left-right coalition that developed legislation to focus prisons on preparing inmates to successfully return to their communities. Called the Second Chance Act, the bill had strong bi-partisan support and passed both houses overwhelmingly.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

Nolan authored "When Prisoners Return" a guide for churches and community groups on ways they can help prisoners as they make the difficult transition from prison to their home community.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

His racketeering conviction was pardoned by Donald Trump on May 15, 2019.{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-trump-pardons-pat-nolan-20190515-story.html |title=Trump pardons Pat Nolan, former GOP lawmaker taken down in FBI's 'Shrimpscam' probe |last=Mai-Duc |first=Christine |date=2019-05-15 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=2019-05-16}}

File:Pardon of Patrick Nolan by President Donald Trump.pdf

Personal life

Nolan's family includes his wife, Gail, and three children, Courtney, Katie and Jamie. They live in Leesburg, Virginia.{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jul-05-me-nolan5-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | title=He found a calling in prison | first=Jenifer | last=Warren | date=July 5, 2007}}