Kunstler, William Moses

Kunstler, William Moses
▪ 1996

      U.S. lawyer (b. July 7, 1919, New York, N.Y.—d. Sept. 4, 1995, New York), was a flamboyant radical who defended a number of controversial clients in high-profile cases. He gained national renown during the trial of the "Chicago Seven" on charges of having conspired to incite riots in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic national convention. The disruptive antics of the defendants and Kunstler's spirited battles with the judge led to hundreds of contempt citations. Kunstler himself was sentenced to 4 years and 13 days, but most of the counts were dismissed on appeal, and he was not imprisoned. After graduating (1941) from Yale University, Kunstler saw World War II army service in the Pacific and was awarded a Bronze Star. He then attended Columbia University School of Law, New York City, graduating in 1948. His law practice was unremarkable until, in the mid-1950s, he represented a State Department employee whose travel to China as a freelance writer had resulted in the confiscation of his passport. Kunstler became involved with the American Civil Liberties Union and with such clients as the antisegregationist Freedom Riders in the South and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., not only defending them in court but becoming active in their respective causes. Later cases that reflected his political leanings were those in which he represented black power activists Stokely Carmichael and Bobby Seale, antiwar activist Daniel Berrigan, and prisoners accused in the aftermath of the deadly 1971 riot at the Attica (N.Y.) state prison. Most controversial was his defense of such clients as alleged Mafia boss John Gotti and, in his most recent case, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and other suspected terrorists linked to the bombing of New York City's World Trade Center in 1993. Kunstler's books include Beyond a Reasonable Doubt? (1961; editor) and The Case for Courage (1962).

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  • Kunstler, William (Moses) — born July 7, 1919, New York, N.Y., U.S. died Sept. 4, 1995, New York City U.S. lawyer who defended a number of controversial clients in high profile cases. After graduating from Yale University (1941) he served in the army in the Pacific during… …   Universalium

  • Kunstler, William (Moses) — (7 jul. 1919, Nueva York, N.Y., EE.UU.–4 sep. 1995, Nueva York). Abogado estadounidense que defendió a una serie de clientes controversiales en casos prominentes. Luego de graduarse en la Universidad de Yale (1941) sirvió en el ejército en el… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Moses — Moses, Grandma * * * (as used in expressions) Abba Mari ben Moses ben Joseph Kunstler, William (Moses) Moses ben Maimon Mendelssohn, Moses Moses ben Menachem Moses ben Shem Tov Moses, Edwin Moses, Grandma Moses, Robert Phoebe Anne Moses …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Moses — /moh ziz, zis/, n. 1. the Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt and delivered the Law during their years of wandering in the wilderness. 2. a male given name. /moh ziz, zis/, n. 1. Anna Mary Robertson ( Grandma Moses ), 1860 1961,… …   Universalium

  • William — /wil yeuhm/, n. 1. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter W. 2. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning will and helmet. * * * (as used in expressions) Huddie William Ledbetter Aberhart William George William… …   Universalium

  • William Kunstler — William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 September 4, 1995) was an American self described radical lawyer and civil rights activist. Early lifeThe son of a physician, Kunstler was born in New York City and educated at Yale College and Columbia… …   Wikipedia

  • William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe — Directed by Emily Kunstler Sarah Kunstler Produced by Emily Kunstler Sarah Kunstler Jesse Moss Susi Korda Vanessa Hope Written by Sarah Kunstler …   Wikipedia

  • William Kunstler — William Kunstler, um 1989 William Moses Kunstler (* 7. Juli 1919 in New York; † 4. September 1995 in Manhattan, New York) war in den 1960er und 1970er Jahren der bekannteste Bürgerrechtsanwalt in den USA. Er war Vorstandsmitglied der American …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Faulkner — (1954) Foto: Carl van Vechten William Cuthbert Faulkner [ˈfɔ̯ːknɛə] (* 25. September 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi, USA; † 6. Juli 1962 in …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Hogarth — Der Maler und sein Mops, Selbstporträt, 1745 William Hogarth (* 10. November 1697 in London; † 26. Oktober 1764 ebenda) war ein sozialkritischer englischer Maler und Grafiker. Als Vorläufer der modernen Karikaturisten prangerte er in Gemälden und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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