David Israel Shapiro (June 17, 1928 – October 1, 2009) was an American

1st Amendment The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents Congress from making laws respecting an establishment of religion; prohibiting the free exercise of religion; or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of t ...

attorney and

civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...

activist, known best in the United States for his key roles defending people against accusations by the

House Committee on Un-American Activities The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty an ...

, his representation of the

American Nazi Party The American Nazi Party (ANP) is an American neo-Nazi Political parties in the United States, political party founded by George Lincoln Rockwell in 1959. In Rockwell's time, it was headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It was renamed the Natio ...

in a

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...

case, and his pioneering of

class action lawsuits A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio *Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage Robot''), a 2002 epi ...

Early life and education

Born in 1928 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, Shapiro studied at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

and

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

. He served from 1944 to 1946 in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Accepted to the New York Bar in 1949, he distinguished himself after becoming one of the youngest attorneys to join the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Bar in 1955.The Times Obituary
/ref>

Legal career

In 1956, Shapiro represented Kendrick Cole in front of the Supreme Court, leading to a decision undermining the Loyalty-Security program. In the 1960s, Shapiro led opposition to several Hollywood companies that refused to employ people who had refused to cooperate with the

, aiming to show that they were in

restraint of trade Restraints of trade is a common law doctrine relating to the enforceability of contractual restrictions on freedom to conduct business. It is a precursor of modern competition law. In an old leading case of '' Mitchel v Reynolds'' (1711) Lord S ...

. In February 1960, Shapiro was asked to represent

leader

George Lincoln Rockwell George Lincoln Rockwell (March 9, 1918 – August 25, 1967) was an American neo-Nazi activist who founded the American Nazi Party (ANP) and became one of the most notorious white supremacists in the United States until his murder in 1967. His b ...

by the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

, to which he reportedly replied "My middle name’s Israel. I’m not going to represent this sonofabitch." Regardless of his initial reaction, Shapiro took the case, getting Rockwell's case dismissed in roughly twenty minutes. After the hearing, Rockwell reportedly told Shapiro: "Listen up, Jewboy, just because you got me off, that doesn’t do anything for you. Make sure you understand that I’ll watch as you and all the other Jews go to the gas chamber." Shapiro's family would endure harassment from Jewish protesters for months afterward. Shapiro argued the case of ''

Silver v. New York Stock Exchange ''Silver v. New York Stock Exchange'', 373 U.S. 341 (1963), was a case of the United States Supreme Court which was decided May 20, 1963.. It held that the duty of self-regulation imposed upon the New York Stock Exchange by the Securities Exchange ...

'' in 1963 before the Supreme Court, representing a securities dealer who had been excluded from wire connections because of grounds that he was disloyal. The Court upheld the right of the dealer to challenge his exclusion.Legal Times Blog Obituary
/ref> In 1973, Shapiro led the defense of former

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

White House Counsel The White House Counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Off ...

Charles Colson Charles Wendell Colson (October 16, 1931 – April 21, 2012), generally referred to as Chuck Colson, was an American attorney and political advisor who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. Once known as ...

, a friend and law partner. Regardless, Colson was convicted, and sentenced to 1–3 years in prison. Throughout the 1980s, Shapiro took a leading role in developing techniques for multi-client class action lawsuits. He was one of a group of attorneys who filed a class action lawsuit representing

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

veterans against the makers of

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the tactical uses of Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. T ...

, a herbicide later shown to cause

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

and

birth defects A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe. Birth de ...

. At the time, the case was the largest class-action suit ever filed. Affected veterans and families settled for $180 million in the form of a trust fund.

Later life and death

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Shapiro began to focus more on mediation. In 1989, he was appointed by courts overseeing the bankruptcy of

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...

to mediate negotiations between the airline and its unions.Washington Post Article on Highbeam Research
/ref> In 1996, Shapiro emigrated to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He is credited in England as a leading mediator, and was said to have encouraged young lawyers to "press the Outrage Button." When asked why he continued to practice law into his 80s, he would reportedly say: "Because I give a damn." On October 1, 2009, Shapiro died of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

in London. He had been making plans to return to his law firm in the US,

Dickstein Shapiro Dickstein Shapiro LLP (formerly Dickstein, Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky) was a large U.S. law firm and lobbying group based in Washington, D.C., with five offices across the United States. According to the National Law Journal's 2012 rankings, it wa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, David 1928 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American lawyers American civil rights activists Brooklyn College alumni Lawyers from Brooklyn Activists from Brooklyn United States Navy personnel of World War II University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Activists from New York (state)