At 98, Great Neck Federal Judge Jack Weinstein Retires

GREAT NECK, NY — Jack Weinstein, a Great Neck resident, is laying down his gavel at 98 years old after serving 53 years as a federal judge.

Nominated by President Lyndon Johnson, Weinstein notably contributed to the landmark case that struck down racial segregation in public schools. He announced last week he was retiring, saying he no longer had the stamina to be a judge.

"I’ve decided I’ve exhausted my extra store of energy, and I really can’t undertake any cases with the promise that I’ll have enough energy, physical energy, to hear them appropriately," he told The New York Times. "The last thing I would want to do was take new cases and not be able to give them adequate attention."

Weinstein favored lenient sentences and rehabilitation, often pushing for the shortest prison sentences possible so people could try to build a better life, according to The Associated Press. He was the longest-serving incumbent federal judge.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Weinstein moved to Brooklyn when he was 5 and enlisted in the Navy following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He served on a submarine that helped sink a Japanese cruiser.

Weinstein graduated from Brooklyn College with a bachelor's degree in 1943 and then from Columbia Law School five years later. In his career, Weinstein has been a lecturer and faculty member at Columbia, a Nassau County attorney and adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School. He is also an honorary trustee of the Temple Emanuel of Great Neck.

Weinstein said he plans to spend more time with his wife following retirement and work with one of his three sons on a book about Jim Crow laws.