Students interested in the law, courts, and the scandalous stories that litter the history of both will be interested in meeting the Fall 2015 Glidden Visiting Professor R. Marc Kantrowitz.
Kantrowitz graduated from Ohio University in 1972 with a B.A. in history and earned his master’s degree in political science from Ohio University in 1974. In 1978, he earned a J.D. from University of Toledo College of Law.
After earning his J.D., Kantrowitz worked as an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, prosecuting cases in the District and Superior Courts in the state of New York. In 1985 he moved to Boston, where he managed his own practice for 10 years, concentrating in civil and criminal litigation. He handled more than two dozen first-degree murder cases, which Kantrowitz says was the most interesting part of his long career. Although he is native to New York, Kantrowitz has published more about the law in Massachusetts than any other legal professionals in the state.
From 1995 to 2001, Kantrowitz was an associate justice of the Juvenile Court of Massachusetts, and in 2001 he was named to the Appeals Court. Kantrowitz teaches some courses at Northeastern School of Law and writes a column titled “Law n’ History,” which is published by various newspapers.
After four decades of achievements in the legal field, Kantrowitz was honored by Ohio University as a Distinguished Alumnus. When he was in Athens to receive that award he met Dean Robert Frank of the College of Arts & Sciences. Always eager to give back to his alma mater, Kantrowitz offered to teach some classes while he was in town.
That led to correspondence with Frank, who facilitated Kantrowitz’ return as a Glidden Visiting Professor. Kantrowitz is teaching HIST 3070: Famous Trials in American History, based on his book Old Whiskey and Young Women: American True Crime Tales of Murder, Sex and Scandal.
“Hopefully my students will learn from me,” Kantrowitz said. “But I’m also looking forward to learning from them.”
As part of his contributions to the Center for Law Justice & Culture and the Making and Breaking the Law theme, Kantrowitz gave a Constitution Day Lecture on Final But Not Infallible: Supreme Court Cases That Have Not Withstood the Test of Time.
The talk includes cases concerning slavery, interracial marriage, segregation, labor conditions, sex and sexuality that have caused some people to question the court’s judgement. In many of those cases, it seems that the court itself has questioned their own earlier precedent.
Kantrowitz’ Constitution Day lecture is Sept., 17 at 5 p.m. in Baker University Center Theatre.
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