R.I.P. Jack Litman (1943-2010)

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Sat Jan 23, 2010 at 02:30:32 PM EST
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I just received sad news that a friend of mine, Manhattan criminal defense attorney Jack Litman, died this morning following a long battle with cancer. I think the case the public would most recognize him for is the New York Preppie murder case and his defense of Robert Chambers, but he had so many others.

He had a brilliant mind, and was as knowledgeable about art, music, literature and culture as he was about the law. I will miss visiting art museums with him and listening to him read aloud from books. Whether it was the story of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg or the history behind the depression song, "One Meatball", I always learned so much from him.

R.I.P., Jack.

Update: New York Times; Law Prof Ellen Podgor at White Collar Crime Prof Blog.

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R.I.P. Jack Litman (1943-2010) | 4 comments (4 topical)

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Im sorry for your loss, Jeralyn (none / 0) (#1)
by jondee on Sat Jan 23, 2010 at 02:55:57 PM EST

(which also sounds like OUR loss)

I like the guy already, just from the little bit you've shared about him -- and because of my own acquaintance with another seasoned, long-time-in the-trenches criminal defense attorney I knew that Jack somehow puts me in mind of.

Out of curiosity, did he ever expand much on his thoughts to you about the Rosenberg case?

: I remember the portion he read me (none / 0) (#2)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jan 23, 2010 at 03:34:34 PM EST

It was about how uncomfortable Ethel Rosenberg was at being a mother early on because the baby screamed all the time, and how when she used to walk the baby in the baby carriage, she almost fell apart from the stress. You can read about it
here, just scroll up a page to 149.
I wrote about in this comment to a post I had written about "one meatball."

I first learned about "one meatball" about ten years ago during a criminal defense lawyers' dinner when one of the New York lawyers went on and on about it, including the lengths he went to to track down Baby Jane Dexter because he was so blown away by her version. He even sang the song. This lawyer is a great story teller and he packed so much emotion into his story and singing, I felt like I was watching a movie from the depression. I never forgot it. About a month ago, something reminded me of it and I started searching for a version to download to my iPod. Ann Rabson's was the only one available, but I learned a lot from Google about the song and Baby Jane Dexter.
Re: story telling. This lawyer really has the gift. At another meeting, in Lake Tahoe years earlier, he told me a story about Ethel Rosenberg (of Ethel and Julius) walking her child in a baby carriage. She was a very uncomfortable new mother. It was so vivid, it was like I was there and I never can hear her name now without thinking of her pushing the baby carriage as he described. I asked him how he knew all these minute details, and he said he read them in a book. I wish I had those story-telling skills.

Belated condolences on the loss of a friend (none / 0) (#3)
by Ellie on Sun Jan 24, 2010 at 12:16:21 AM EST

If it's any consolation, what he "took" with him from you and left a void will feel more filled in by the influence on you that he left behind.

The next time you're at a gallery and wishing he were there to admire a piece that you like; well ... in many ways he is, in the appreciation.

A profound remembrance (none / 0) (#4)
by Peter G on Sun Jan 24, 2010 at 02:48:09 PM EST

posted by Gerald Lefcourt to the NACDL listserv (excerpts):
"Jack and I met as adversaries in 1974. He was a Manhattan DA and had recently won the conviction of William Phillips, the rogue cop who was the star witness of the Knapp commission. He was the prosecutor who never lost and who could overwhelm any defense lawyer with his brilliance and an indefatigable knowledge of the facts of every case he ever had.

"Our case together was the highest of profile murder cases, the intentional attack and killing of 2 police officers walking a beat on the lower east side, each shot more than 15 times. The Black Liberation Army (an outgrowth of the Black Panthers) was accused by the police commissioner of the attack and a national hunt ensued.

"A special joint unit of FBI and NY's best Detectives was formed and after 19 days they arrested only one person, Henry (Sha Sha) Brown in St. Louis. Brown had in his possession one of the dead officer's revolvers, taken from the officer after he was gunned down. [As evidence,] Jack had the gun, along with an allegedly false exculpatory statement of how Brown got the dead officer's gun and 2 witnesses who claimed Sha Sha came to an apartment in NY to borrow a suitcase, shortly after the killings, saying he had to get out of town because "I just offed 2 pigs". Jack had a case made for the death penalty. Only one problem (unknown to Jack), Sha Sha Brown was innocent and in Cleveland at the time of the officers were gunned down.

"A made for TV movie and numerous articles preceded the trial. Jack was so effective and relentless I thought an innocent man was likely to be put to death. We started as hated adversaries, each convinced of the righteousness of his position. Jack was brilliant at the trial, but thankfully the NY death penalty was declared unconstitutional by the trial judge on the eve of trial. And after a 5 month ordeal, Sha Sha Brown was acquitted after a 10 day jury deliberation.

"Later when Jack became a defense attorney we found ourselves on the same side in countless wars fighting for bedrock justice. ....

"We finally talked about the Sha Sha Brown case about 15 years after it was over, and he agreed we came very close to an innocent man being wrongly convicted. As time passed we got to know each other better and spent time with each other including in France with our families. ... A lot of water under the bridge but we finally were real friends."