Constitutional law

Avern L. Cohn Papers

aergas — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 11:21:05 -0400

The materials in this collection represent the scope of Judge Avern Cohn's professional life and his wide-ranging interests and activities, from family matters to philanthropy to leisure travel. The collection includes correspondence, opinions and orders, speeches and writings, scrapbooks, files on a large array of subjects and some audio-visual materials. In his several decades on the federal bench, Cohn was involved in cases involving a variety of issues including tax law, civil rights, school desegregation, and patents and trademarks. Among his most notable decisions are John Doe v. University of Michigan, which held unconstitutional the university's speech code; the Kearns patent infringement suit against Ford Motor Company regarding intermittent windshield wipers; the "Jake Baker case," which involved a student dismissed from the University of Michigan for allegedly putting a pornographic story on the internet; and Bradley v. Milliken, regarding school desegregation. Cohn was a prolific writer of professional articles, as well as of opinion pieces and letters to the editor; his research materials and writings are included here. He was a frequent participant in and speaker at meetings for the legal profession and many other professional groups. His interest in legal education is evidenced from materials reflecting his participation in moot courts, new lawyer seminars and student forums at various law schools including the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Detroit College of Law. The collection includes Cohn's wide-ranging correspondence on the local, national and international level with lawyers and judges; politicians and government officials; journalists and publishers; business leaders; religious leaders; and academics. Active participation and leadership in the Jewish community is reflected in the papers. He served in numerous organizations, notably as president of the Jewish Welfare Federation, wrote extensively on Jewish historical subjects and was awarded some of the highest honors for service to the community. Materials relevant to Cohn's research into family history and genealogy, including correspondence with relatives in France and Israel are included here. Scrapbooks included in this collection were collected and arranged by Judge Cohn and
his staff. They provide an overview of his public life from the 1960s through approximately 2014.

Ernest Goodman Papers

drice — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:49:05 -0400

A founding member of the Detroit Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, Ernest Goodman served as NLG President, and formed the nation’s first (known) interracial law firm: Goodman, Crockett, Eden and Robb. He was deeply involved with the labor movement and some of its most bitter union organizing struggles and remained committed throughout his career to serving the common man, with clients ranging from Communists, Black Panthers, prison inmates, and African-Americans during the civil rights movement.

Part I of Mr. Goodman’s papers reflect his involvement in civil rights, constitutional law and labor issues, focusing on the Michigan Smith Act trial, the Sherrill School desegregation case, and the Black Panther trial for the murder of a Detroit Police officer.

Part II reflects his activities as counsel in controversial cases, particularly first amendment and civil rights cases, courts martial, deportation and denaturalization, and the 1971 Attica prison uprising. These papers further focus on the events, places, and people who influenced both his personal life and a career spent in service to social justice for the common man.

Part III (Two storage boxes) focuses on various cases, mainly from the 1980s-1990s, Goodman's writings, his work with Wayne State University Law School, and Estonian family correspondence.

Judge Avern L. Cohn Papers open for research

aergas — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 10:23:20 -0400

The Reuther Library is pleased to announce the opening of the Avern L. Cohn Papers, now accessible to researchers and the public. The materials in this collection represent the scope of Judge Avern Cohn’s professional life and his wide-ranging interests and activities, from history to family matters and philanthropy to leisure travel. The papers include correspondence, opinions and orders, speeches and writings, scrapbooks, files on a large array of topics and some audio-visual materials. read more »