"I would say he was the best courtroom lawyer I’ve known in my lifetime, and I’ve known a lot of them."Tom Hayden
"He wasn’t drawn to making money. He was drawn to defending justice. He felt in many cases he was representing one person standing against the state. He was on the side of the underdog."Daniel Ellsberg
For half a century, criminal defense lawyer Leonard Weinglass defended a who’s who of the twentieth-century left in some of America’s most spectacular trials. "The typical call I get is one that starts by saying, ’You’re the fifth attorney we’ve called,’" he once said. "Then I get interested." Those calls came from the likes of the SDS, the Chicago 7, Daniel Ellsberg, Abbie Hoffman, and Mumia Abu Jamal, among many others.
In a field dominated by egomaniacs, Weinglass was known for his humility, his common touch, his ability to work collectively, his kindness and attention to detail. Through Buhle’s words and Tobocman’s images, this long overdue biography captures the vibrant life and inspiring legacy of an American iconoclast.
Seth Tobocman is an author/illustrator and one of the founding editors ofWorld War 3 Illustrated.
Paul Buhle, is the editor of a dozen comic art books along with many scholarly works, including the authorized biography of C.L.R. James.
Michael Smith the executors of Leonard Weinglass’ estate and co-editor ofImagine: Living In a Socialist USA.
