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| '''Jay Rabinowitz''' (]-]) served on the ] for more than 32 years and served four terms as Chief Justice. | |||
| '''Jay Andrew Rabinowitz'''<ref name="graveyard">http://www.politicalgraveyard.com/bio/raab-radway.html#0JW0XZ2GG</ref> (], ]–], ]<ref name="ap74">http://www.alaskapacific.edu/pr/archives_body.php?id=74</ref>) was an ] ], best known for serving as an ] justice from ] to ]. | |||
| Rabinowitz was born in ], ] to a ]ish-American family. His paternal grandfather had emigrated from ], ] to ] at age fourteen, leaving his own family behind. Jay Rabinowitz grew up in ], ] where his father, Milton, worked as a bookkeeper for a wholesale ] distributor during the ]. Jay served in the ] near the end of ]. During his service overseas Rabinowitz happened to meet his great-uncle Chaim, whom he'd never before met, in a displaced persons camp in Germany. Chaim was the family's only relative in Europe who had survived the ]. Following some careful forgery of paperwork, Chaim was able to join his relatives in Brooklyn after the war ended. | |||
| He graduated from ] in 1952 and moved to Alaska five years later. In 1958, Rabinowitz was admitted to the ] and clerked for the ] in ]. He was appointed Superior Court Judge in Fairbanks in 1960 and on ] ], was sworn in as an ] justice. He served 32 years in that role, and served as ] for four terms. | |||
| After returning home, Jay Rabinowitz attended ], where he earned a ] degree in 1949.<ref name="ap74"/> | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| He graduated from ] in 1952 and was admitted to the ] the same year. After practicing law in ] for five years, Rabinowitz moved to ], accepting a position as law clerk to ] Judge ] in 1957<ref name="akbar"> http://www.alaskabar.org/INDEX.CFM?ID=5575&makeback=true </ref>. Later that year, he met and married Anne Nesbit. The couple remained together until Rabinowitz' death in 2001. | |||
| In Ravin v. Alaska, Rabinowitz wrote: | |||
| ⚫ | <blockquote |
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| In 1958, Rabinowitz was admitted to the ] and clerked for the ] in ]. He was appointed Superior Court Judge in Fairbanks in 1960. Following his appointment by ] ], Rabinowitz was sworn in as an ] justice on ], ]. Rabinowitz would remain on the state Supreme Court for 32 years in that role, including four non-consecutive three-year terms as ].<ref name="terms"> The ] specifically prohibits consecutive terms as Chief Supreme Court Justice</ref> Egan appointed Rabinowitz to the ] in 1971, where he headed three drafting committees and served on numerous others. | |||
| During his time on the bench, he was a strong and articulate voice for safeguarding the civil liberties of Alaskans. He wrote landmark opinions in cases involving privacy, ], search and seizure, self-incrimination, and ]. | |||
| ⚫ | Rabinowitz retired ], ] at age 70<ref name="matthews">http://www.law.duke.edu/shell/cite.pl?15+Alaska+L.+Rev.+201</ref>. By then, he had written more than 1,200 court opinions, 200 of them dissenting. Rabinowitz was particularly sensitive to the ways in which the law affected the legal rights of Alaska Natives and authored several noteworthy judicial opinions that respected Native traditions in areas of family rights and adoption, education, and law enforcement. | ||
| ⚫ | In '']'', Rabinowitz wrote:<ref name="ravin">http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/ravin.html</ref> | ||
| <blockquote style="font-style:italic;"> | |||
| ...e conclude that citizens of the State of Alaska have a basic right to privacy in their homes under Alaska's constitution. This right to privacy would encompass the possession and ingestion of substances such as marijuana in a purely personal, non-commercial context in the home unless the state can meet its substantial burden and show that proscription of possession of marijuana in the home is supportable by achievement of a legitimate state interest. | ...e conclude that citizens of the State of Alaska have a basic right to privacy in their homes under Alaska's constitution. This right to privacy would encompass the possession and ingestion of substances such as marijuana in a purely personal, non-commercial context in the home unless the state can meet its substantial burden and show that proscription of possession of marijuana in the home is supportable by achievement of a legitimate state interest. | ||
| </blockquote |
</blockquote> | ||
| His opinion effectively legalized the possession of ] in ]. | |||
| ⚫ | Rabinowitz was a competitive athlete, and pursued both ] and ] throughout his life, taking up ] in middle age. He and his wife, Anne, had four children: Judy, a lawyer practicing in California; Mara, currently completing law school at the ]; Max, an ] practicing in Alaska; and Sarah, a ] residing in Alaska. | ||
| Rabinowitz died Saturday ], ] from complications of ]<ref name="ester_rep">http://esterrepublic.com/Archives/chelfferich10.html</ref> in a ] hospital<ref name="graveyard"/>. In remembrance of him, ] ] ordered ] to be lowered to ] for five days. Said Knowles, | |||
| <blockquote style="font-style:italic;"> | |||
| "Jay Rabinowitz devoted his life to the law.... He began his career when Alaska was a young state. His steady, thoughtful manner resulted in a body of law that will have a lasting impact on Alaska as we know it. I personally sought his guidance and input on a number of critical issues facing our state. I will miss his sense of humor and his integrity. Jay's legacy will not be forgotten." | |||
| ⚫ | </blockquote> | ||
| Rabinowitz was 74 years old.<ref name="ap74"/> | |||
| The ] in downtown ] is named after him.<ref name="ester_rep"/><ref name="ijcp">http://www.jewishgen.org/cemetery/northamerica/alaska.html</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | Rabinowitz was a competitive athlete, and pursued both tennis and skiing throughout his life. He and his wife, |
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| ==Notes== | |||
| ==External references== | |||
| <div class="references-small"><references/></div> | |||
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| ==References== | |||
| {{Law-bio-stub}} | |||
| *'''' | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Rabinowitz, Jay}} | |||
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Revision as of 03:08, 13 February 2007
Jay Andrew Rabinowitz (February 25, 1927–June 16, 2001) was an American lawyer, best known for serving as an Alaska Supreme Court justice from February 1965 to February 1997.
Rabinowitz was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a Jewish-American family. His paternal grandfather had emigrated from Riga, Latvia to Woodbine, New Jersey at age fourteen, leaving his own family behind. Jay Rabinowitz grew up in Brooklyn, New York where his father, Milton, worked as a bookkeeper for a wholesale fish distributor during the Great Depression. Jay served in the U.S. Army Air Forces near the end of World War II. During his service overseas Rabinowitz happened to meet his great-uncle Chaim, whom he'd never before met, in a displaced persons camp in Germany. Chaim was the family's only relative in Europe who had survived the Holocaust. Following some careful forgery of paperwork, Chaim was able to join his relatives in Brooklyn after the war ended.
After returning home, Jay Rabinowitz attended Syracuse University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949.
He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1952 and was admitted to the New York State Bar Association the same year. After practicing law in New York City for five years, Rabinowitz moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, accepting a position as law clerk to U.S. Territorial Court Judge Vernon Forbes in 1957. Later that year, he met and married Anne Nesbit. The couple remained together until Rabinowitz' death in 2001.
In 1958, Rabinowitz was admitted to the Alaska Bar Association and clerked for the United States District Court in Fairbanks. He was appointed Superior Court Judge in Fairbanks in 1960. Following his appointment by Governor Bill Egan, Rabinowitz was sworn in as an Alaska Supreme Court justice on March 4, 1965. Rabinowitz would remain on the state Supreme Court for 32 years in that role, including four non-consecutive three-year terms as Chief Justice. Egan appointed Rabinowitz to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in 1971, where he headed three drafting committees and served on numerous others.
During his time on the bench, he was a strong and articulate voice for safeguarding the civil liberties of Alaskans. He wrote landmark opinions in cases involving privacy, reproductive freedom, search and seizure, self-incrimination, and free speech.
Rabinowitz retired February 28, 1997 at age 70. By then, he had written more than 1,200 court opinions, 200 of them dissenting. Rabinowitz was particularly sensitive to the ways in which the law affected the legal rights of Alaska Natives and authored several noteworthy judicial opinions that respected Native traditions in areas of family rights and adoption, education, and law enforcement.
In Ravin v. Alaska, Rabinowitz wrote:
...e conclude that citizens of the State of Alaska have a basic right to privacy in their homes under Alaska's constitution. This right to privacy would encompass the possession and ingestion of substances such as marijuana in a purely personal, non-commercial context in the home unless the state can meet its substantial burden and show that proscription of possession of marijuana in the home is supportable by achievement of a legitimate state interest.
His opinion effectively legalized the possession of marijuana in Alaska.
Rabinowitz was a competitive athlete, and pursued both tennis and skiing throughout his life, taking up long-distance running in middle age. He and his wife, Anne, had four children: Judy, a lawyer practicing in California; Mara, currently completing law school at the University of Washington; Max, an oncologist practicing in Alaska; and Sarah, a social worker residing in Alaska.
Rabinowitz died Saturday June 16, 2001 from complications of leukemia in a Seattle hospital. In remembrance of him, Governor Tony Knowles ordered Alaska state flags to be lowered to half-staff for five days. Said Knowles,
"Jay Rabinowitz devoted his life to the law.... He began his career when Alaska was a young state. His steady, thoughtful manner resulted in a body of law that will have a lasting impact on Alaska as we know it. I personally sought his guidance and input on a number of critical issues facing our state. I will miss his sense of humor and his integrity. Jay's legacy will not be forgotten."
Rabinowitz was 74 years old.
The Rabinowitz Courthouse in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska is named after him.
Notes
- ^ http://www.politicalgraveyard.com/bio/raab-radway.html#0JW0XZ2GG
- ^ http://www.alaskapacific.edu/pr/archives_body.php?id=74
- http://www.alaskabar.org/INDEX.CFM?ID=5575&makeback=true
- The Alaska Constitution specifically prohibits consecutive terms as Chief Supreme Court Justice
- http://www.law.duke.edu/shell/cite.pl?15+Alaska+L.+Rev.+201
- http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/ravin.html
- ^ http://esterrepublic.com/Archives/chelfferich10.html
- http://www.jewishgen.org/cemetery/northamerica/alaska.html