Patrick J. Nolan (born 1950) is an American lawyer, politician and conservative activist.
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Nolan began his career as a conservative activist at the age of 14 in the Goldwater for President campaign. Pat was a leader in the Youth for Reagan for Governor in 1966 and in each of Reagan's subsequent campaigns, working as a volunteer for Reagan at the 1968 (vs. Nixon), 1976 (vs. Ford)and 1980 and 1988. He joined Young Americans for Freedom after the Goldwater campaign and was active at the local state and national levels. He founded USC YAF and was elected to the National Board of Directors.
Nolan attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Ca. He went to USC, majoring in Political Science, and received his BA in 1972. He attended USC Law School and received his JD in 1975. He rode as USC's mascot, Tommy Trojan, in the 1974 Rose Parasde. He practiced law at Kinkle, Rodiger and Spriggs in Los Angeles.
In 1978, Nolan was elected to the California State Assembly, serving the 41st district comprising Glendale, Burbank, Toluca Lake and Sunland-Tujunga. He was active in victim rights issues and was given the Victims' Advocate Award by Parents of Murdered Children. He also championed assistance for VietNam vets who had been exposed to Agent Orange. Nolan's legislation established a registry for AO victims and coordinated resources available to them. He was given the Outstanding Legislator Award from AmVets. He also sponsored legislation giving special license plates to Medal of Honor Recipients. At a moving ceremony on the West steps of the Capitol the plates were presented to such heroes as Jimmy Doolittle, Pappy Boyington, and Dick O'Kane. Nolan also sponsored California's very successful Enterprise Zones program that has brought thousands of jobs to inner city areas in the state. In 1984, he was elected Assembly Republican Leader, and began an aggressive campaign to elect a Republican majority in the Assembly. That goal was achieved twelve years later when Curt Pringle was elected Speaker of the Assembly in 1996.
Nolan was prosecuted as part of an FBI sting operation called Shrimpscam to target elected officials who accepted illegal campaign contributions. After entering a guilty plea on one count of racketeering in the mid 1990s, Nolan resigned his seat and spent 25 months in a federal prison and four months in a halfway house. His experiences in prison changed his outlook and the course of his work.[1]
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 Pat'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, National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, a bipartisan panel aimed at curbing prison rape.[1] Nolan also served on the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons, chaired by former Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach.
Prison Fellowship was a major force in another left-right coalition that developed legistlation 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.
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.
Nolan's family includes his wife, Gail, and three children, Courtney, Katie and Jamie. They live in Leesburg, Virginia.[2]
List of California public officials charged with crimes
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bob Naylor |
California State Assembly Republican Leader November 8, 1984–November 10, 1988 |
Succeeded by Ross Johnson |