Norman Redlich (November 12, 1925 – June 10, 2011) was an American lawyer and academic. As a lawyer he is best remembered for his pioneering work in establishing a system of pro bono defense for inmates in New York State who did not have the finances for a lawyer. He was also a staff member of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission. He played an instrumental role in developing the single bullet theory.[1][2]
Background
Norman Redlich was born on November 12, 1925, in the Bronx, the second and youngest child of Pauline and Milton Redlich. His parents were Jewish, and they owned a small company which manufactured gardening and plumbing equipment. He served in the United States Army during World War II; after which he earned his B.A. degree from Williams College in 1947, and his L.L.B. degree from Yale Law School in 1950.
Career
Redlich wrote for The Nation magazine in the late 1940s and into the 1950s. Early coverage included people like Elizabeth Bentley.[3][4]
He then worked for his parents' company for most of the 1950s while simultaneously pursuing further graduate work at New York University. He received his LLM from the NYU law school in 1955. He joined the faculty at NYU in 1960.[1]
Following a leak to right-wing politicians, on May 5, 1964, Ralph F. Beermann accused Redlich of defending Cuba on various issues. This incident and the ECLC ties led many to consider Redlich a communist sympathizer.[citation needed]
Redlich was chairman of the American Jewish Congress national governing council.[2] He was also a member of the executive committee of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and a member of the board of directors of The New Press.[7]
Personal life
Redlich was married to Evelyn Grobow, a pediatrician; they had three children, Carrie Redlich, Bonny Redlich, and Ed Redlich.[8] Ed Redlich became a TV producer/writer, and Carrie A. Redlich became a professor of medicine at Yale University's School of Medicine and acting director of the Yale Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program.[9]
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Redlich, Norman (30 January 1954). "Spies in Government: The Bentley Story". The Nation: 85–88.
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Wilson, Veronica A. (Summer 1999). "Elizabeth Bentley and Cold War Representation: Some Masks Not Dropped". Intelligence and National Security. 14 (2): 49–69. doi:10.1080/02684529908432539.