Jay Rabinowitz
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Jay Andrew Rabinowitz[1] (February 25, 1927–June 16, 2001[2]) 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, and attended Syracuse University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2]
He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1952 and moved to Fairbanks, Alaska five years later, accepting a position as law clerk to U.S. Territorial Court Judge Vernon Forbes in 1957[3]. 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 and on March 4, 1965, was sworn in as an Alaska Supreme Court justice. He served 32 years in that role, and served as Chief Justice for four terms.
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[4]. By then, he had written more than 1,200 court opinions. 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:[5]
...[W]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. He and his wife, Ann, 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 of cancer[6] Saturday June 16, 2001 in a Seattle hospital[1]. 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.[2]
The Rabinowitz Courthouse in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska is named after him.[6][7]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b http://www.politicalgraveyard.com/bio/raab-radway.html#0JW0XZ2GG
- ^ a b c http://www.alaskapacific.edu/pr/archives_body.php?id=74
- ^ http://www.alaskabar.org/INDEX.CFM?ID=5575&makeback=true
- ^ http://www.law.duke.edu/shell/cite.pl?15+Alaska+L.+Rev.+201
- ^ http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/ravin.html
- ^ a b http://esterrepublic.com/Archives/chelfferich10.html
- ^ http://www.jewishgen.org/cemetery/northamerica/alaska.html
