Arthur Kinoy facts for kids

Arthur Kinoy (born September 20, 1920 – died September 19, 2003) was an American lawyer and a strong leader for civil rights. He helped defend people who were accused of crimes, like Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. He also taught law at Rutgers School of Law–Newark from 1964 to 1999. In 1966, he helped start the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City. Kinoy successfully argued many important cases before the highest court in the country, the Supreme Court of the United States. He also started the Public Interest Law Center of New Jersey.

Learning and Early Life

Kinoy was born on September 20, 1920, in New York City. He went to public schools and then to Harvard University, where he graduated with high honors in 1941. While at Harvard, Kinoy was part of a national student group called the American Student Union. He earned his law degree from Columbia University in 1947, where he was a top editor for the law review.

A Career Fighting for Justice

Kinoy worked as a lawyer for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). In the 1950s, he took an active part in trying to help Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. They were accused of sharing atomic secrets. Kinoy made the very last appeal to try and save them.

In the 1950s, Kinoy was a partner in a law firm called Donner, Kinoy & Perlin. They helped groups that supported workers' rights and other causes. Kinoy was also a member of the National Lawyers Guild, a group of lawyers who worked for justice.

Helping the Civil Rights Movement

In 1964, during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, Kinoy helped people in the South. This movement worked to end unfair rules that stopped Black Americans from voting and being treated equally. He attended a meeting that taught lawyers how to help civil rights activists in Mississippi. State and local governments there were trying to stop changes. Kinoy and his partner, William Kunstler, became two of the most well-known lawyers handling civil rights cases in the South during the 1960s.

Teaching Law and Starting New Groups

In 1964, Kinoy became a law professor at Rutgers University. He taught there until 1991. After leaving Rutgers, he taught constitutional law at Temple University Law School. From 1964 to 1967, he was also a partner in the law firm of Kunstler, Kunstler & Kinoy in New York City. He was a lawyer for groups like the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Kinoy was also connected with the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee. In 1966, this group became part of the new Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City. Kinoy was one of its founders. He and William Kunstler realized there was a need for a non-profit legal group. This group would help people understand their civil rights and work to stop unfair practices by the government.

In 1966, Kinoy spoke at a dinner for the National Guardian newspaper. He also did legal work for the American Civil Liberties Union. This group works to set new legal rules that protect people's civil and constitutional rights.

Fighting Unfair Investigations

During the 1950s and 1960s, Kinoy represented people who were called to hearings by the House Un-American Activities Committee. In 1966, he was removed from a hearing and later found guilty of disorderly conduct. However, in 1968, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned this conviction.

The New York Times newspaper said that Kinoy was involved in many important legal decisions. For example, in 1965, he successfully argued the case of Dombrowski v. Pfister before the Supreme Court of the United States. This case allowed federal judges to stop laws that might prevent people from speaking freely. In another case, Dombrowski v. Senator Eastland, he showed that a lawyer for a Senate committee was not safe from lawsuits if they violated people's civil rights. In 1972, the Supreme Court of the United States agreed with Kinoy that a president, like Richard Nixon, could not secretly listen in on domestic political groups without a warrant.

Kinoy was one of the people who started the Women's Rights Law Reporter. This was the first legal magazine to focus only on women's rights.

Personal Life

Arthur Kinoy was married to Barbara S. Webster when he passed away. He had been married before to Susan Knopf, but they divorced.

Arthur Kinoy died at age 82 on September 19, 2003, at his home in New Jersey. He was survived by two children from his first marriage. His younger brother, Ernest Kinoy, was a well-known writer for television and movies.

See also

• Morton Sobell
• Frank Donner
• Marshall Perlin