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Audio clip from interview with Justice Michael Cherry, September 19, 2014

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Download jhp000081.mp3 (audio/mpeg; 2.28 MB)

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Date

2014-09-19

Description

Part of an interview with Justice Michael Cherry on September 19, 2014. In this interview, Justice Cherry discusses connections with Jewish casino operators. He also talks about losing to, then representing, unions in court proceedings. He was later endorsed by the unions when he ran for office.

Digital ID

jhp000081
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    Citation

    Michael Cherry oral history interview, 2014 September 19. OH-02160. [Audio recording]. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/d13f4p73n

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    This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. It may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproduction and use (https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/research_and_services/reproductions) or contact us at special.collections@unlv.edu

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    Digital Provenance

    Original archival records created digitally

    Extent

    01:13:23
    776,861,942 bytes

    Language

    English

    Publisher

    University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Libraries

    Format

    audio/wav

    When you look at it from a legal point of view and when people talk about the mob of that era, the thirties through the sixties and all of that, the Jewish mob, the syndicate, whatever, what do you say to that? How do you say no to Moe Dalitz who gave us my temple? Herb Tobman, who owned the Stardust and got fined two million dollars, he and Al Sachs. Allen Glick, who helped me make a career. Billy Weinberger at Caesars and Allen Glick at the Stardust. I mean, okay; it's just the way it was. Dealing with the Jews that ran MGM when I was a special master. The Jews that ran - it wasn't Hilton, but it was a Jewish guy from California, Henry Lewin ran the Hilton when everything was going on there, and his son later ran the Riviera. Jeff Silver, who is a good friend of mine, was the president of the Landmark. One of the breaks I got...I was in justice court one day and the fire alarm went off and I was walking down the street. I had dealt with a banker named Gary Baldwin. I was walking down the street and Gary says, "Mike, what are you doing?" I said, "Well, I'm just doing a criminal case." He said, "Do you know anything about labor law?" I said, "Yeah, sure." He was the president of the Landmark Hotel, may it rest in peace of blessed memory, as they say. He asked me to do labor relations. So I did some labor law on the management side for the Landmark and learned a lot. I lost tremendously at first to Culinary and Operating Engineers and the Teamsters, but I learned how to do it and I became pretty good at it. I did that for a number of years. I was always close with the union. So when I ran for office, I was interviewed by the AFL CIO and I told them my mother had worked for the Teamsters. I had worked for the Teamsters. When she was putting the stores together, it was Teamsters' money that put those stores together throughout the country. She got me a job one summer as a Teamster digging ditches. My aunt who passed away was very active with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. I said, "If you're not going to endorse me, a Jewish, liberal from St. Louis whose mother did this and whose aunt did...who are you going to endorse?" Sure enough, I got the letter, "You're endorsed." Ever since that time I've always had union support and I always really believe in unions. We're where we are today in this country because of unions. Unfortunately, with the conservative movements, they're not very well accepted anymore. It's really a shame.