Prominent Brooklyn Judge, Known As 'Legal Lion,' Dies At 99

BROOKLYN, NY — A prominent federal Brooklyn judge, who became a well known "liberal hero" in his five decades on the bench, died Tuesday at 99 years old, the court announced.

Judge Jack B. Weinstein, who had retired last year, spent 53 years on the bench and spent nearly a decade as the chief judge for the Eastern District of New York, the federal courthouse headquartered in Brooklyn.

"As the New York Times reported when he retired last year, Judge Weinstein was a “legal lion” who championed causes like gun control and school desegregation while on the bench and carved out a niche as a liberal hero during his career — one of the longest in American legal history," EDNY Chief Judge Margo K. Brodi wrote in a statement Wednesday. "...The Judiciary has lost a national treasure."

Weinstein, first appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967, is perhaps most known for "leading the legal system into an era" of what is known as mass tort litigation through his work on groundbreaking cases involving the use of asbestos and the chemical known as Agent Orange, Brodi said.

Within the Eastern District, Weinstein created a Criminal Justice Act Committee to help guarantee the right of representation for defendants and a Pro Bono Panel and Civil Litigation Fund, both of which were used as models at other state and federal courts.

He also transformed the role of magistrate judges in a way that "has become a model for the rest of the country and, indeed, the world," Brodi wrote.

Weinstein, born in Kansas, moved to Brooklyn at age 5 and later attended Brooklyn College at night while helping to provide for his family during the Depression.

He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, retiring as a lieutenant in 1946. Two years later, he enrolled in law school at Columbia University, where he would become a law clerk, lecturer and eventually a tenured professor, according to the court.

Weinstein also served as County Attorney for Nassau County, where he assisted his mentor Thurgood Marshall with briefing as a member of the NAACP litigation team that argued Brown v. Board of Education.

"Beyond his monumental contributions to the law, Judge Weinstein will be remembered for his dedication to family, including his family of law clerks and his EDNY family; for his infectious love and embrace of life, culture, and friendship; and for his relentless pursuit of knowledge and enrichment," Brodi wrote.

"...We all mourn his loss but will celebrate and always treasure his many contributions to the law, the administration of justice, and to the EDNY bench."