Fw: [leadership] Judge Richard Teitelman Passes

[james kracht]

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Christopher Gray via leadership <leade...@acblists.org>
To: ACB Leadership List <leade...@acblists.org>
Date: Tuesday, November 29, 2016 3:58 pm
Subject: [leadership] Judge Richard Teitelman Passes

>
>
> Hi to All:
>
> Below is an article about Missouri Supreme Court justice Richard Teitelman.
> Teitel received ACB's Durward K. McDaniel award in 1986. He was to achieve far
> more than he had in 1986 before his death. We were fortunate to have Justice
> Teitelman as our keynote speaker last month at MCB's 60th annual convention.. He
> was in a wheelchair and gave quite a brief presentation to the membership. But,
> what an honor it was to have him there.
>
> Here is an article from the St. Louis Post Dispatch about him from today. It
> begins with some picture captions which you may find interesting.
>
> Chris
>
> Civil rights attorney Frankie Muse Freeman (second from right) greets Missouri
> Supreme Court judge Richard B. Teitelman (left) and 22nd Circuit Court judge
> Jimmie Edwards as her daughter Shelbe Freeman Bullock watches during a reception
> preceding a dinner honoring Freeman's 100th birthday hosted by the St. Louis
> City NAACP at the St. Louis Marriott Grand Hotel in downtown St. Louis Saturday,
> Oct. 22, 2016. Freeman, the first woman appointed to the US Commission on Civil
> Rights, was the lead attorney for the landmark case "Davis et al. v. the St..
> Louis Housing Authority," which resulted in the end of legal racial
> discrimination in the city's public housing. Freeman's birthday is Nov. 24.
> Photo by Sid Hastings
>
> Richard Teitelman ** ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS Oct. 17-19 **Judge Richard B.
> Teitelman, left, asks a question of attorneys as they present their case in the
> Missouri Supreme Court in Jefferson City, Feb. 27, 2008. Seated at right is
> fellow justice, Mary Rhodes Russell. (AP Photo/The News-Tribune, Julie Smith)
>
> JEFFERSON CITY • Richard B. Teitelman, Missouri ’ s first legally blind Supreme
> Court judge, has died.
>
> Judge Teitelman, known as “ Rick, ” began his service on the state ’ s high
> court in March 2002 and served as its chief justice from July 2011 through June
> 2013. He was 69. Details of his death were not immediately available, but his
> longtime colleague and friend, former Supreme Court Justice Michael Wolff, said
> Teitelman had been ailing for several years. "He ’ s had some serious health problems," said Wolff, who is dean of the St.
> Louis University Law School.
>
> In honor of Teitelman, the court cancelled oral arguments scheduled for Tuesday.
> “ It is with great sadness that the Supreme Court of Missouri acknowledges the
> passing of its beloved colleague, ” the court said in a statement issued Tuesday
> morning.
>
> Teitelman – the first Jewish judge to serve on the state ’ s high court -- was
> born in Philadelphia. At a Missouri Bar Association event earlier this year,
> Teitelman said his mother had wanted him to become a doctor.
>
> At age 13, however, he was declared legally blind. He graduated from University
> of Pennsylvania in 1969 with a degree in math and moved to Missouri where he
> attended law school at Washington University. He worked at Legal Services of
> Eastern Missouri in St. Louis for nearly a quarter century before being
> appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals in 1998. He was elevated to the state
> Supreme Court by former Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat, in 2002.
>
> On Tuesday, Dana Tippin Cutler, president of the Missouri Bar, offered
> condolences to Teitelman ’ s family and friends. “ We join with the Court in
> recognizing his 18 years of service to the people of Missouri as an appellate
> judge and his career - long dedication to making sure all Missourians,
> regardless of their income, have equal access to justice in Missouri, ” Tippin
> Cutler noted in a statement.
>
> House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty said the court benefited from Teitelman
> ’ s dedication to equal justice for all. “ During his decades representing poor
> clients as a legal aid attorney and later as a jurist, Judge Richard Teitelman ’
> s commitment to protecting the less fortunate from injustice was unwavering, ”
> McCann Beatty said.
>
> Thomas G. Glick, president of the board of directors of Legal Services of
> Eastern Missouri offered praise for Teitelman. “ He gave voice to those without
> representation and was tireless in his work to protect the vulnerable," Glick
> said.
>
> Teitelman ’ s death sets up a process that likely will give Gov. - elect Eric
> Greitens, a Republican, the opportunity to select a replacement for the seven -
> member high court. The selection of Supreme Court judges is governed by Missouri
> ’ s nonpartisan court plan. Under that process, a committee headed by Supreme
> Court Chief Justice Patricia Breckenridge will set out a schedule for attorneys
> to apply for the position. That panel interviews the applicants and submits
> three names to the governor, who has 60 days to choose a finalist. Typically,
> the application, interview and selection process takes longer than the 41 days
> left in Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon ’ s term.
>
> In a statement, Nixon said, “ Judge Teitelman will be remembered not only for
> his breaking new ground as the first legally blind judge to sit on Missouri ’
> highest court, but also for his legal skills and his passion for justice. He
> truly listened to, and never forgot, those who needed justice the most. ”
>
> During the recent election, Greitens signaled that he wants to alter the state's
> court plan, which is viewed as a national model for removing partisanship from
> the judiciary. “ Eric is opposed to our current system of judicial selection
> that gives trial lawyers too much control over the appointment of the very
> judges they argue their cases in front of, ” Greitens policy director Will
> Scharf said in October.
>
> In a statement issued Tuesday, Greitens said, Teitelman's "life serves as a
> reminder to every Missourian that nothing should stand in the way of passionate
> public service."
>
> Teitelman was known for his humor and kindness. After a speech to the
> Legislature in 2012, the Missouri Bar served members of the House and Senate a
> lunch featuring knishes - a meat or potato - filled dumpling that is a staple of
> Jewish cooking.
>
> Teitelman said his vision problem stemmed from a congenital anomaly of the optic
> nerve. He could read large type, but he did not drive. He never described
> himself as handicapped or disabled. Rather, he said in 2007, “ It ’ s a
> challenge. These challenges are things that are character building. ” He used a
> magnifying glass to read and relied on his law clerks for other reading duties.
>
> Long-time friend Stuart Berkowitz, the former regional advisory board chairman
> for the Missouri/Southern Illinois office of the Anti-Defamation League called
> Teitelman "one-of-a-kind." "His uniqueness as an individual, an attorney, an
> advocate and as a judge was unmatched," Berkowitz said.
>
> On days when the court was hearing arguments, Teitelman would often walk through
> the courtroom before proceedings began to shake hands and chat with people in
> the audience. "It was just so disarming. In part, he really made human
> connections extraordinarily well," Wolff said. "He was one of the most
> extraordinary people I ’ ve ever known."
>
>
> ----------------------------------------
> Christopher Gray, Executive Director
> Missouri Council of the Blind
>
> 5453 Chippewa
> St. Louis, MO 63109
> Phone: (314) 832-7172
> Toll-free: (800) 342-5632
> Fax: (314) 832-7796
>
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