Philip Hirschkop facts for kids
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Philip Jay Hirschkop (born May 14, 1936) is an American civil rights lawyer. He is known for fighting for fairness and equal rights for many people. With another lawyer, Bernard S. Cohen, he helped Mildred and Richard Loving in a very important court case. This case changed laws about marriage in the United States.
Hirschkop has worked on many other big cases. His clients included famous people like Martin Luther King Jr. and groups like PETA. He also helped start the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia. He has always worked to make sure everyone has fair treatment under the law.
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Early Life and His Fight for Justice
Philip Hirschkop was born on May 14, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the youngest of three boys. When he was young, his family moved to Hightstown, New Jersey. There, he met African American farm workers. They often worked in very tough conditions. He saw them in his father's clothing shop. Meeting these workers made him want to fight for social justice.
After high school, at age 18, Hirschkop joined the Army. He became a Green Beret paratrooper. After the army, he went to Columbia University. He later studied law at Georgetown University. While in law school, he met many civil rights lawyers. He was greatly inspired by them. He also met William Kunstler, a well-known civil rights attorney, who became his mentor.
A trip to Danville, Virginia, changed his life. He saw a terrible beating of Black people there. This experience made him decide to become a civil rights lawyer. Later, he went to Mississippi to help people get the right to vote. He also helped investigate the "Mississippi Burning" murders in 1964.
Loving v. Virginia: Changing Marriage Laws (1967)
On April 10, 1967, Philip Hirschkop argued a very important case. He worked for the ACLU. The case was called Loving v. Virginia. It was heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. His co-counsel was Bernard S. Cohen.
The case was about Richard and Mildred Loving. Richard was white, and Mildred had Black and Native American heritage. They got married in Washington, D.C., in 1958. When they returned home to Virginia, they were arrested. They were charged with breaking laws against interracial marriage. These laws were called anti-miscegenation laws. At that time, 24 states had such laws.
The Lovings were sentenced to one year in prison. But the sentence was stopped if they left Virginia for 25 years. Mildred, who was pregnant, was even held in a small, dirty jail cell. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Mildred wrote to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. She asked if the new law could help her and Richard live in Virginia. Kennedy sent her letter to the ACLU.
On June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court made its decision. All nine judges agreed with the Lovings. The Court said that laws banning interracial marriage were unconstitutional. They violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This meant states could no longer stop people from marrying someone of a different race. This was a huge victory for civil rights.
What Happened After the Loving Ruling?
The Supreme Court's decision immediately ended interracial marriage bans in 15 states. Most of these states were in the South. Some states, like Alabama, kept the old laws on their books. But they could no longer enforce them. Alabama finally removed its ban from its state constitution in 2000.
In 2017, the Virginia General Assembly honored Philip Hirschkop and Bernard S. Cohen. They praised their important work on the Loving case.
Other Important Legal Cases
Philip Hirschkop took on many other challenging cases. He often defended people's rights, even if their views were unpopular.
In 1967, he defended George Lincoln Rockwell. Rockwell was an American Nazi Party activist. Hirschkop defended Rockwell's right, as a veteran, to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Hirschkop won the case. He took the case to defend free speech for everyone, even if he disagreed with their ideas. This decision was very difficult for his family and the Jewish community.
In 1971, he defended Leslie Bacon. She was a young woman suspected in a bombing at the U.S. Capitol.
Defending Vietnam War Protesters
Hirschkop also defended many people who protested the Vietnam War. In 1968, he defended the famous author Norman Mailer. Mailer was charged with disorderly conduct during a protest at the Pentagon. Hirschkop worked to overturn Mailer's prison sentence and fine. He also defended other well-known people who were arrested during these protests.
In 1971, he was a main legal advisor for over 10,000 Vietnam War protesters. Many of them were arrested in Washington, D.C. He believed many arrests were unfair. He worked to get them released quickly.
Working for Prison Reform
In 1971, Hirschkop helped bring big changes to prisons in Virginia. A federal judge ruled that the state's prisons were using "cruel and unusual punishment." This included physical punishment and unfair rules. Hirschkop's efforts led to major improvements in how prisoners were treated. One reporter said he helped create "the most sweeping court order ever issued for prison reform."
Fighting for Women's Rights and Education
Hirschkop also fought for women's rights and education. In 1968, he helped in a Supreme Court case. This case said that an Arkansas law was unconstitutional. The law stopped teachers in state schools from teaching about evolution.
In 1970, he won a case called Kirstein v. University of Virginia. At that time, the University of Virginia did not allow women to attend. Women had to go to other colleges that were not as good. By winning this case, Hirschkop helped women in Virginia get a better education.
In 1973, he defended Susan Cohen, a teacher. Her case questioned laws that forced pregnant women to quit their jobs. Hirschkop believed that most pregnant women could still teach well. He argued the case using the "equal protection clause" of the Fourteenth Amendment. In 1974, he won the case, Cohen v. Chesterfield County, at the Supreme Court. This ruling ended laws that made pregnant teachers take unpaid leave months before their baby was due. He also helped protect teachers' rights to join peaceful protests.
Later Work with Animal Rights
In 1990, Hirschkop was involved in a case with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). PETA and other animal rights groups were sued for a lot of money. This was because tapes of a showman hitting his orangutans were leaked to the press. Hirschkop argued that the showman and hotel should not get money for defamation. He said the showman had been secretly filmed hitting the animals.
Education
- Columbia College, A.B., 1960
- Columbia University, B.S.M.E., 1961
- Georgetown University, J.D., 1964
Personal Life
Philip Hirschkop married Phyllis in 1959. They had two children. Their marriage ended after 21 years. He also has another son from a later relationship.
