Chuck Ravitz, 67 - Marxist judge died Dec 2007, obit & memorial info
Kathi
Paid Notices
March 02, 2008
http://www.detroitnewspapers.com/deathnotices/print.cfm?id=176128
w/photo
The attorney and former Detroit Recorder's Court judge, known for his
commitment to social justice, will be remembered in a public memorial
service on Saturday, March 8, from 2-4 p.m. in the Community Arts
Auditorium at Wayne State University. He died suddenly of natural
causes on December 26, at age 67, while vacationing in Mexico. A small
graveside service was held on Dec. 31 in Birmingham, Alabama, where
his parents, Harry and Dora Ravitz, are buried. Born in Omaha,
Nebraska, he earned a bachelors degree from Babson College, a masters
in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania and a
law degree from the University of Michigan. As a young radical lawyer,
Ravitz and his then-partner, Ken Cockrel Sr., railed against the
Detroit establishment to shut down a lethal decoy police squad, revamp
the jury selection process and improve Wayne County Jail conditions.
Dubbed America's first elected Marxist judge, he refused to stand for
the Pledge of Allegiance at his 1972 swearing-in ceremony, in part to
protest the Vietnam War. While a judge, he was lauded, even by
would-be enemies, for his legal reasoning and fairness. Ravitz joined
the Southfield law firm of what's now known as Sommers Schwartz P.C.
in 1986. While there, he continued to "do the right thing" battling
for handicap accessibility on city buses, representing wrongly
convicted clients and seeking justice for sex abuse victims. He left
the firm in early 2007 to start Ravitz Mediation Services, LLC and
serve of counsel at Hertz Schram P.C. in Bloomfield Hills. He is
survived by his wife, Berna Ravitz, and their son, Anthony Ravitz;
Jason Ravitz and Jessica Ravitz, the children from his first marriage
to Allyn Ravitz; two granddaughters, Amelia and Zoe Ravitz-Dworkin,
and their mother, Melissa Dworkin; his sister, Bunny (Joel)
Rotenstreich of Birmingham, Ala.; and countless admirers. For a map to
his memorial service and information about the scholarship established
in his name, visit www.ravitzmediation.com
.
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