Arthur Kinoy
Encyclopedia
Arthur Kinoy was an attorney and progressive civil rights
leader who became a professor of law at the Rutgers School of Law—Newark
. He was one of the founders of the Center for Constitutional Rights
and successfully argued before the Supreme Court of the United States
.
. He is an alumnus of Harvard University
(A.B., 1941), where he graduated magna cum laude, and of Columbia University
(LL.B., 1947). As a student at Harvard, Kinoy was a member of the national executive committee of the American Student Union.
(UE), labeled a Communist-controlled union by the segregationist Mississippi Sen. James O. Eastland's Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (SISS). He took an active part in the defense of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were executed on June 19, 1953, after conviction of atomic espionage. Kinoy made two last-minute efforts to save the Rosenbergs from execution. In the 1950s, he was associated with the law firm of Donner, Kinoy & Perlin, attorneys for such left-wing groups as the Committee for Justice for Morton Sobell and Labor Youth League.
Kinoy was a member of the National Lawyers Guild
, serving as national vice president in 1954. In 1964, Kinoy participated in a conference sponsored by the National Lawyers Guild's Committee for Legal Assistance in the South, to brief attorneys on legal problems confronting civil rights demonstrators in Mississippi
. He and his partner, William Kunstler, were two of the most prominent attorneys to handle civil rights cases in the south in the 1960s.
In 1964, Kinoy became a professor of law at Rutgers University
. From 1964 to 1967 he was a partner in the law firm of Kunstler, Kunstler & Kinoy of New York City. He was counsel for the Students for a Democratic Society
(SDS) and the Southern Conference Educational Fund. He was also affiliated with the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee. In 1966, he was a speaker at the annual dinner of the National Guardian newspaper. He did legal work for the American Civil Liberties Union
.
In 1966, Kinoy was removed from a hearing of the House Committee on Un-American Activities and subsequently convicted of disorderly conduct. In 1968, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the conviction.
As the New York Times stated in its obituary, "Mr. Kinoy was involved in a number of landmark legal verdicts. In 1965, he successfully argued the case of Dombrowski v. Pfister
before the Supreme Court, which empowered federal district court judges to stop enforcement of laws that had ‘a chilling effect’ on free speech. In a subsequent case, Dombrowski v. Senator Eastland, he established that the Counsel of the Senate Internal Security Committee was not immune from suits for violations of citizens’ civil rights. In 1972, the Supreme Court
upheld his contention that President
Richard M. Nixon had no ‘inherent power’ to wiretap domestic political organizations."
Kinoy was one of the founders of the Women's Rights Law Reporter
, the first legal periodical to focus exclusively on women's rights
.
Kinoy was married to Barbara S.Webster at his death. He had previously married and was divorced from Susan Knopf. He died on September 19, 2003 at the age of 82 at his home in New Jersey
. He was survived by two children from his first marriage, as well as by his younger brother Ernest Kinoy
, a prominent television and film screenwriter.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
leader who became a professor of law at the Rutgers School of Law—Newark
Rutgers School of Law—Newark
Rutgers School of Law–Newark is the oldest of three law schools in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located at the S.I. Newhouse Center for Law and Justice, at 123 Washington Street, in downtown Newark...
. He was one of the founders of the Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Constitutional Rights
Al Odah v. United States:Al Odah is the latest in a series of habeas corpus petitions on behalf of people imprisoned at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The case challenges the Military Commissions system’s suitability as a habeas corpus substitute and the legality, in general, of detention at...
and successfully argued before the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
.
Education
Kinoy was born on September 29, 1920 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He is an alumnus of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(A.B., 1941), where he graduated magna cum laude, and of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(LL.B., 1947). As a student at Harvard, Kinoy was a member of the national executive committee of the American Student Union.
Career as attorney
Kinoy was attorney for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of AmericaUnited Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America
The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America , is an independent democratic rank-and-file labor union representing workers in both the private and public sectors across the United States....
(UE), labeled a Communist-controlled union by the segregationist Mississippi Sen. James O. Eastland's Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (SISS). He took an active part in the defense of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were executed on June 19, 1953, after conviction of atomic espionage. Kinoy made two last-minute efforts to save the Rosenbergs from execution. In the 1950s, he was associated with the law firm of Donner, Kinoy & Perlin, attorneys for such left-wing groups as the Committee for Justice for Morton Sobell and Labor Youth League.
Kinoy was a member of the National Lawyers Guild
National Lawyers Guild
The National Lawyers Guild is an advocacy group in the United States "dedicated to the need for basic and progressive change in the structure of our political and economic system . ....
, serving as national vice president in 1954. In 1964, Kinoy participated in a conference sponsored by the National Lawyers Guild's Committee for Legal Assistance in the South, to brief attorneys on legal problems confronting civil rights demonstrators in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He and his partner, William Kunstler, were two of the most prominent attorneys to handle civil rights cases in the south in the 1960s.
In 1964, Kinoy became a professor of law at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
. From 1964 to 1967 he was a partner in the law firm of Kunstler, Kunstler & Kinoy of New York City. He was counsel for the Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
(SDS) and the Southern Conference Educational Fund. He was also affiliated with the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee. In 1966, he was a speaker at the annual dinner of the National Guardian newspaper. He did legal work for the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
.
In 1966, Kinoy was removed from a hearing of the House Committee on Un-American Activities and subsequently convicted of disorderly conduct. In 1968, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the conviction.
As the New York Times stated in its obituary, "Mr. Kinoy was involved in a number of landmark legal verdicts. In 1965, he successfully argued the case of Dombrowski v. Pfister
Dombrowski v. Pfister
Dombrowski v. Pfister was a landmark Supreme Court case brought forth by Dr. James Dombrowski along with William Kunstler, founder of the Center for Constitutional Rights, against the governor of Louisiana, law enforcement officers, and the chairperson of the state's Legislative Joint Committee...
before the Supreme Court, which empowered federal district court judges to stop enforcement of laws that had ‘a chilling effect’ on free speech. In a subsequent case, Dombrowski v. Senator Eastland, he established that the Counsel of the Senate Internal Security Committee was not immune from suits for violations of citizens’ civil rights. In 1972, the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
upheld his contention that President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Richard M. Nixon had no ‘inherent power’ to wiretap domestic political organizations."
Kinoy was one of the founders of the Women's Rights Law Reporter
Women's Rights Law Reporter
The Women's Rights Law Reporter is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Rutgers School of Law—Newark. The journal provides a forum for exploring law and public policy relating to women’s rights and gender. The journal is published quarterly...
, the first legal periodical to focus exclusively on women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
.
Kinoy was married to Barbara S.Webster at his death. He had previously married and was divorced from Susan Knopf. He died on September 19, 2003 at the age of 82 at his home in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He was survived by two children from his first marriage, as well as by his younger brother Ernest Kinoy
Ernest Kinoy
-Early life:Kinoy was born in New York City on April 1, 1925; his father and mother were both high-school teachers. His older brother Arthur Kinoy later became a leading constitutional lawyer. Kinoy attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and later Columbia University, although his studies...
, a prominent television and film screenwriter.