'Old Whiskey and Young Women: Tales of Once Famous Cases' topic of March 20 lecture at College of Law

March 11, 2014

Marc Kantrowitz , associate justice on the Massachusetts Appeals Court, author, and 1978 alumnus of The University of Toledo College of Law, will explore some of the most notorious criminal cases in American history on Thursday, March 20, at noon, in the McQuade Law Auditorium at the College of Law.

The free, public lecture, titled “Old Whiskey and Young Women: Tales of Once Famous Cases Now Nearly Forgotten,” is a talk in the College’s Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series.

In the lecture, Justice Kantrowitz, who handled two dozen first-degree murder cases before joining the bench, brings to life infamous cases from the past. What these cases have in common is that they fascinated, if not repulsed, the entire nation when they occurred. And today, all are nearly totally forgotten.

“Many of the cases Justice Kantrowitz will discuss, such as the Sam Shepard murder trial, were once part of popular culture,” said Daniel J. Steinbock, dean of the College of Law. “Hearing about them should be of interest both to those who remember them and those looking to enter the legal profession today.”

Justice Kantrowitz is one of the most highly published judges in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, having written books on Massachusetts criminal law, motor vehicle tort law, juvenile law, evidence, and mental health, as well as numerous law-related articles. He currently teaches criminal trial advocacy at Northeastern University School of Law. He also writes a monthly newspaper column titled "Law 'n History."

From 1972 to 1985, Justice Kantrowitz served in the United States Army Reserves, leaving as a captain in the Quartermaster Corps. From 1979 to 1985, he prosecuted cases as an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. From 1985 to 1995, he maintained his own practice in Boston, concentrating in civil and criminal litigation. In 1995 he was appointed as an associate justice of the Juvenile Court, where he sat for six years. Governor Paul Cellucci named Justice Kantrowitz to the Appeals Court in 2001.

Justice Kantrowitz is a graduate of Ohio University and The University of Toledo College of Law.