Alan Dershowitz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Dershowitz
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Dershowitz in 2009
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Alan Morton Dershowitz
September 1, 1938 New York City, U.S.
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| Political party | Democratic (before 2024) Independent (2024–present) |
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Alan Morton Dershowitz (born September 1, 1938) is a famous American lawyer and law professor. He is known for his work on the U.S. Constitution and criminal law. For almost 50 years, from 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law School. At Harvard, he was named the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law in 1993. Dershowitz is often seen on TV and in the news as a political commentator and legal expert.
Throughout his career, Dershowitz has taken on very difficult and famous cases. He has represented many well-known people, including Mike Tyson, Patty Hearst, and Julian Assange. Some of his biggest wins in court included helping to overturn the convictions of Harry Reems in 1976 and Claus von Bülow in 1984.
In 1995, Dershowitz was an advisor for the legal "Dream Team" that defended O. J. Simpson. He also was part of President Donald Trump's defense team during his first impeachment trial in 2020.
Dershowitz has written many books about law and politics. Some of his books include Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case (1985), which was made into a movie, and The Case for Israel (2003).
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Alan Dershowitz was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 1, 1938. He grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family. His father, Harry, was one of the founders of a local synagogue.
Dershowitz went to Yeshiva University High School in Manhattan. He has said that he was a rebellious student and that his teachers often criticized him. He joked that his teachers told him to find a job that "requires a big mouth and no brain ... so I became a lawyer."
After high school, he went to Brooklyn College and graduated in 1959. He then went to Yale Law School, where he was the editor-in-chief of the The Yale Law Journal. He graduated in 1962 at the top of his class.
A Career in Law and Teaching
After graduating from law school, Dershowitz worked as a law clerk for two important judges. First, he worked for Chief Judge David L. Bazelon from 1962 to 1963. Dershowitz said Bazelon was a great mentor who "taught me everything." From 1963 to 1964, he clerked for Justice Arthur Goldberg of the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1964, Dershowitz began teaching at Harvard Law School. In 1967, at age 28, he became the youngest full professor of law in the school's history. He taught at Harvard until he retired in 2013.
While teaching, Dershowitz also worked as a lawyer. He took on many cases and represented famous clients like Patty Hearst, Leona Helmsley, Jim Bakker, Mike Tyson, and O. J. Simpson.
Famous Clients
- Harry Reems
- O. J. Simpson
- Julian Assange
- Donald Trump
Personal Life
Dershowitz's first wife was Sue Barlach. They married in 1959 and had two sons, Elon and Jamin. The couple divorced in 1976. Dershowitz was later awarded full custody of their children.
In 1986, Dershowitz married Carolyn Cohen, a retired neuropsychologist. They have one daughter. The family splits their time between homes in Martha's Vineyard, Miami Beach, and Manhattan.
Awards and Honors
Throughout his career, Dershowitz has received many awards.
- In 1979, he was named a Guggenheim Fellow.
- In 1983, he received the William O. Douglas First Amendment Award from the Anti-Defamation League.
- He has been given honorary doctorate degrees from many universities, including Yeshiva University, Syracuse University, and the University of Haifa.
- A stone with his name was placed in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Celebrity Path.
Works
Dershowitz has written over 50 books on law, politics, and justice. Some of his most well-known books include:
- 1982: The Best Defense
- 1985: Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case
- 1991: Chutzpah
- 1996: Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O. J. Simpson Case
- 1997: The Vanishing American Jew: In Search of Jewish Identity for the Next Century
- 2001: Letters to a Young Lawyer
- 2002: Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge
- 2003: The Case for Israel
- 2013: Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law
- 2018: The Case Against Impeaching Trump
- 2020: Cancel Culture: The Latest Attack on Free Speech and Due Process
- 2023: Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law
See also
In Spanish: Alan Dershowitz para niños
- List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 2)
