Leonard Boudin facts for kids

Leonard B. Boudin (July 20, 1912 – November 24, 1989) was an American lawyer and activist. He was known for defending people's civil liberties, which are basic rights and freedoms. He represented many famous clients, including Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame and Dr. Benjamin Spock, who wrote Baby and Child Care. Dr. Spock was involved in protests against the Vietnam War, and Boudin defended him. Other people he represented who opposed the Vietnam War included Julian Bond, William Sloane Coffin, and Philip Berrigan.

A Life Fighting for Rights

Leonard Boudin was born in 1912. His parents, Clara and Joseph Boudin, were immigrants from Russia and Austria. His uncle, Louis B. Boudin, was also a well-known lawyer.

Important Clients and Cases

Boudin represented many different clients, often those involved in important or sometimes controversial cases. These included the Church of Scientology, Judith Coplon, and Jimmy Hoffa. He also worked for the government of Cuba and the famous singer and activist Paul Robeson.

Boudin often defended people who were questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee. This committee investigated people thought to have certain political views, like those related to Marxism or Communism. Boudin was a lawyer for the National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee and a member of the National Lawyers Guild. He worked with his law partner, Victor Rabinowitz, who also helped many individuals and groups working for social change.

Landmark Supreme Court Victories

Boudin won several important cases at the Supreme Court of the United States. These victories helped shape American law and protect people's rights.

• In the case of Lamont v. Postmaster General, he won a unanimous decision. This was the first time the Supreme Court said a federal law went against the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause. This means the government couldn't stop people from receiving certain mail just because of its content.
• He also won the case of Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that people accused of avoiding the military draft could not lose their citizenship without a proper trial. They had to be given the same protections as other criminal defendants.
• Another big win was Kent v. Dulles. This case established that people have a right to travel internationally, even if the government doesn't like their political views.

His law firm, which later became Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky and Lieberman, P.C., worked for many notable people and groups. These included the writer Dashiell Hammett, the union leader Jimmy Hoffa, the artist Rockwell Kent, and the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Education and Family Life

Boudin's uncle, Louis Boudin, was a socialist and a labor lawyer. His brother-in-law was the influential journalist I. F. Stone. Leonard Boudin studied at the City College of New York, earning his degree in 1931. He then went to St. John's University Law School and became a lawyer in 1935.

He married Jean Roisman, who was a poet. They had two children, Michael and Kathy. Both of their children became well-known. Their son, Michael Boudin, became a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He was the chief judge from 2001 to 2008. Their daughter, Kathy Boudin, was an activist. She served time in prison for her role in a 1981 robbery. Leonard Boudin's grandson, Chesa Boudin, who is Kathy's son, served as the district attorney of San Francisco from 2020 to 2022.

Boudin also shared his knowledge by teaching at many universities. He was a visiting professor or lecturer at places like Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, UC Berkeley School of Law, and Stanford Law School. He even taught at Shanghai University in China.

See also

• Louis B. Boudin
• Michael Boudin
• Kathy Boudin
• Chesa Boudin
• Victor Rabinowitz
• I.F. Stone
• National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee
• National Lawyers Guild