Irving Kanarek: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American lawyer (1920–2020)}} |
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'''Irving Kanarek''' is best known for being [[Charles Manson]]'s lawyer in the Tate-LaBianca Murder Trial. |
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{{Infobox person |
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| name = Irving Kanarek |
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| image = Irvina Kanarek.jpg |
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| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> |
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| caption = Irving Kanarek |
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| birth_name = Irving Allan Kanarek |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1920|05|12}} |
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| birth_place = [[Seattle, Washington]], U.S. |
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| death_date = {{dda|2020|09|02|1920|05|12}} |
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| death_place = [[Garden Grove, California]], U.S. |
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| other_names = |
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| occupation = Criminal lawyer & aerospace engineer |
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| years_active = |
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| known_for = Representing defendants such as cult leader [[Charles Manson]] and kidnapper [[Jimmy Lee Smith]] |
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| notable_works = Invented a [[corrosion inhibitor]] for [[Red fuming nitric acid|Inhibited Red Fuming Nitric Acid]] for the Army's [[Project Nike]] |
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}} |
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'''Irving Allan Kanarek''' (May 12, 1920<ref name="parsons">{{cite news|last=Parsons|first=Dana|title=Barred From World He Loved, Just Getting By Is a Trial|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|location=Los Angeles, CA|date=October 25, 1998|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-25-me-36102-story.html|access-date=September 28, 2009}}</ref> – September 2, 2020) was an [[aerospace engineer]] and a [[criminal defense attorney]], best known for representing defendants such as [[Charles Manson]] and [[Jimmy Lee Smith]]. |
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==Background== |
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Kanarek was known for trying to confuse juries and the prosecuting lawyers with his obstructionist ways. He objected 9 times in the opening statements, despite continuous censure by Judge Charles Older, including calling [[Linda Kasabian]] insane. By the third day of the trial, he had objected more than 200 times. He was sent to jail twice for being in contempt of court by Judge Older. |
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Kanarek was born in [[Seattle]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=McFadden|first=Robert D.|author-link=Robert D. McFadden|date=2020-09-03|title=Irving Kanarek, Lawyer Who Defended Charles Manson, Dies at 100|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/us/irving-kanarek-dead.html|access-date=2020-09-03|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> His first career was as an [[aerospace engineer]] working for [[North American Aviation]] (NAA), where he invented a [[corrosion inhibitor]] for [[Red fuming nitric acid|Inhibited Red Fuming Nitric Acid]] for the Army's [[Project Nike]].<ref>{{cite book|title=History of liquid propellant rocket engines|first=George Paul|last=Sutton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s1C9Oo2I4VYC&q=Irving+A.+Kanarek+nitric&pg=PA40|publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics|location=Reston, Virginia|year=2006|page=40|isbn=978-1-56347-649-5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite patent|country=US|number=2760845|invent1=Irving A. Kanarek|invent2=Paul E. Friebertshauser|pubdate=1956-08-28|title=Stabilized Fuming Nitric Acid}}</ref> |
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In 1954, while employed as a chemical engineer for North American Aviation, Kanarek had his security clearance revoked by the [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] on [[McCarthyism|suspicion of communist associations]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/us/irving-kanarek-dead.html|title = Irving Kanarek, Lawyer Who Defended Charles Manson, Dies at 100|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 3 September 2020|last1 = McFadden|first1 = Robert D.}}</ref> He successfully sued for reinstatement of the clearance and back pay.<ref>{{cite web|title=Irving A. Kanarek v. The United States|year=1963|volume=F2d|issue=314|page=802|url=http://openjurist.org/314/f2d/802/kanarek-v-united-states|access-date=October 29, 2011}}</ref> He attended the [[University of Washington]] as an undergraduate and later [[Loyola Law School]]. He was admitted to the [[California Bar]] in 1957.<ref name=calbar>{{cite web|title=Attorney Search|publisher=State Bar of California|url=http://members.calbar.ca.gov/search/member_detail.aspx?x=28122|access-date=September 28, 2009}}</ref> He married, fathered two daughters, and later divorced. |
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Prosecutor [[Vincent Bugliosi]] wrote in [[Helter Skelter (book)]] that Kanarek was something of a legend in Los Angeles courts because of his dilatory, obstructionist tactics. There was a story that he once objected to a witness saying his own name claiming it was hearsay because he heard it first from his mother. |
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A mental breakdown in 1989 led the Bar to suspend his law license.<ref name="parsons"/> |
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Kanarek had also represented Jimmy Smith, the "Onion Field" killer, in an earlier trial. He spent twelve and a half months trying to pick a jury and an additonal several on pre-trial motions. Smith finally fired his attorney in disgust. A year and a half after Kanarek had taken the case the trial hadn't even started or a single witness called. In his summation, Bugliosi called Kanarek "the Toscanini of Tedium." |
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==Legal tactics== |
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Kanarek was admitted to the California Bar in 1957. He resigned from the bar in 1990 with disciplinary charges pending. He attended the University of Washington as an undergraduate and Loyola University, Los Angeles, School of Law. |
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According to [[Sharon Tate|Tate]]-[[Leno and Rosemary LaBianca|LaBianca]] [[prosecutor]] [[Vincent Bugliosi]], Kanarek was legendary in [[Los Angeles]] courts for his dilatory, obstructionist tactics. In his book, ''[[Helter Skelter (book)|Helter Skelter]]'', Bugliosi claimed Kanarek, in a different case, had once objected to a witness identifying himself: Kanarek claimed that the witness's name was hearsay because the witness had first heard it from his mother.<ref name=helter>Bugliosi page 549</ref>{{failed verification|date=June 2024}} |
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In the Tate-LaBianca trial, Kanarek objected nine times during [[opening statements]], despite continuous censure by Judge [[Charles Older]]. During a later objection, he called witness [[Linda Kasabian]] insane, and by the third day of the trial, he had objected more than 200 times. Bugliosi, also wrote of Kanarek as opposing counsel during the Manson case saying: "The press focused on his bombast and missed his effectiveness. He fought as if he were personally on trial."{{sfn|Bugliosi|Gentry|1974|p=340}} During the course of the trial he was jailed twice by Judge Older for [[contempt of court]]. In his summation, Bugliosi dubbed Kanarek "the [[Arturo Toscanini|Toscanini]] of Tedium".<ref name="helter" />{{failed verification|date=June 2024}} |
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Little known outside of the aerospace business, Irving Kanarek's first career was as an aerospace engineer working for North American Aviation, where he invented Red Fuming Nitric Acid for the Army's Nike rocket program. He was eventually fired from North American after inadvertently leaving a briefcase full of secret documents at a bar in Los Angeles. It was this firing that prompted him to study law and become an attorney. This step, designed to regain his job in aerospace, was ultimately unsuccessful. |
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Kanarek believed fiercely in the constitutional [[right to counsel]], and that everyone was entitled to their day in court. He said: "I would defend a client who I knew was guilty of horrific crimes. They have to be proved guilty. I've had cases where people were guilty as hell but they couldn't prove it. And if they can't prove it, he's not guilty. In that case, the person walks free. That's American justice."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/jun/27/lawyers-defended-toughest-cases-charles-manson-jon-venables-ted-bundy-charles-ng|title = Defending the indefensible? Lawyers on representing clients accused of nightmarish crimes| website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date = 27 June 2014}}</ref> |
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==Later life and death== |
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Throughout his later life, Kanarek lived in [[Orange County, California]]. He spent his last years at a care facility in [[Garden Grove, California]], and died there on September 2, 2020, at the age of 100.<ref name=":0" /> |
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===Legacy=== |
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In November 2008, a stage play premiered at [[Caltech]] in [[Pasadena, California]], entitled ''Rocket Girl'', about the life of [[Mary Sherman Morgan]], a former co-worker of Kanarek at [[North American Aviation]]. The play was written by her son, George D. Morgan. The character of Kanarek appears throughout most of the play. The play was later turned into a book of the same name.<ref>[http://www.georgedmorgan.com ''Rocket Girl''], georgedmorgan.com; accessed March 18, 2017.</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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=== Notes === |
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*{{cite book|last1=Bugliosi|first1=Vincent|last2=Gentry|first2=Curt|title=Helter Skelter|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1974|location=USA|isbn=0553022229}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/manson/mansonothers.html#Irving The Charles Manson Trial: Other Key Figures] |
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020804022431/http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/manson/mansonothers.html#Irving The Charles Manson Trial: Other Key Figures] |
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*[https://www.abanet.org/genpractice/lawyer/complete/w98paskind.html American Bar Association ''The Compleat Lawyer'' article on Kanarek] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060219035505/https://www.abanet.org/genpractice/lawyer/complete/w98paskind.html |date=2006-02-19 }} |
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*[https://caselaw.findlaw.com/data2/californiastatecases/g020180.doc ''Kaufman v. The Superior Court of Orange County'', No. G020180 on the docket of the Fourth Appellate District, Division Three (Word DOC)] |
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{{Manson Family}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanarek, Irving}} |
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[[Category:1920 births]] |
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[[Category:2020 deaths]] |
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[[Category:American criminal defense lawyers]] |
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[[Category:American men centenarians]] |
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[[Category:University of Washington alumni]] |
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[[Category:Loyola Law School alumni]] |
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[[Category:Lawyers from Seattle]] |
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[[Category:California lawyers]] |
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[[Category:American chemical engineers]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]] |
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Latest revision as of 00:26, 14 December 2024
Irving Kanarek | |
|---|---|
 Irving Kanarek | |
| Born | Irving Allan Kanarek May 12, 1920 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | September 2, 2020 (aged 100) Garden Grove, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Criminal lawyer & aerospace engineer |
| Known for | Representing defendants such as cult leader Charles Manson and kidnapper Jimmy Lee Smith |
| Notable work | Invented a corrosion inhibitor for Inhibited Red Fuming Nitric Acid for the Army's Project Nike |
Irving Allan Kanarek (May 12, 1920[1] – September 2, 2020) was an aerospace engineer and a criminal defense attorney, best known for representing defendants such as Charles Manson and Jimmy Lee Smith.
Background
[edit]Kanarek was born in Seattle.[2] His first career was as an aerospace engineer working for North American Aviation (NAA), where he invented a corrosion inhibitor for Inhibited Red Fuming Nitric Acid for the Army's Project Nike.[3][4]
In 1954, while employed as a chemical engineer for North American Aviation, Kanarek had his security clearance revoked by the Air Force on suspicion of communist associations.[5] He successfully sued for reinstatement of the clearance and back pay.[6] He attended the University of Washington as an undergraduate and later Loyola Law School. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1957.[7] He married, fathered two daughters, and later divorced.
A mental breakdown in 1989 led the Bar to suspend his law license.[1]
Legal tactics
[edit]According to Tate-LaBianca prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, Kanarek was legendary in Los Angeles courts for his dilatory, obstructionist tactics. In his book, Helter Skelter, Bugliosi claimed Kanarek, in a different case, had once objected to a witness identifying himself: Kanarek claimed that the witness's name was hearsay because the witness had first heard it from his mother.[8][failed verification]
In the Tate-LaBianca trial, Kanarek objected nine times during opening statements, despite continuous censure by Judge Charles Older. During a later objection, he called witness Linda Kasabian insane, and by the third day of the trial, he had objected more than 200 times. Bugliosi, also wrote of Kanarek as opposing counsel during the Manson case saying: "The press focused on his bombast and missed his effectiveness. He fought as if he were personally on trial."[9] During the course of the trial he was jailed twice by Judge Older for contempt of court. In his summation, Bugliosi dubbed Kanarek "the Toscanini of Tedium".[8][failed verification]
Kanarek believed fiercely in the constitutional right to counsel, and that everyone was entitled to their day in court. He said: "I would defend a client who I knew was guilty of horrific crimes. They have to be proved guilty. I've had cases where people were guilty as hell but they couldn't prove it. And if they can't prove it, he's not guilty. In that case, the person walks free. That's American justice."[10]
Later life and death
[edit]Throughout his later life, Kanarek lived in Orange County, California. He spent his last years at a care facility in Garden Grove, California, and died there on September 2, 2020, at the age of 100.[2]
Legacy
[edit]In November 2008, a stage play premiered at Caltech in Pasadena, California, entitled Rocket Girl, about the life of Mary Sherman Morgan, a former co-worker of Kanarek at North American Aviation. The play was written by her son, George D. Morgan. The character of Kanarek appears throughout most of the play. The play was later turned into a book of the same name.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Parsons, Dana (October 25, 1998). "Barred From World He Loved, Just Getting By Is a Trial". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
- ^ a b McFadden, Robert D. (2020-09-03). "Irving Kanarek, Lawyer Who Defended Charles Manson, Dies at 100". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
- ^ Sutton, George Paul (2006). History of liquid propellant rocket engines. Reston, Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-56347-649-5.
- ^ US 2760845, Irving A. Kanarek & Paul E. Friebertshauser, "Stabilized Fuming Nitric Acid", published 1956-08-28
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (3 September 2020). "Irving Kanarek, Lawyer Who Defended Charles Manson, Dies at 100". The New York Times.
- ^ "Irving A. Kanarek v. The United States". 1963. p. 802. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
- ^ "Attorney Search". State Bar of California. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
- ^ a b Bugliosi page 549
- ^ Bugliosi & Gentry 1974, p. 340.
- ^ "Defending the indefensible? Lawyers on representing clients accused of nightmarish crimes". TheGuardian.com. 27 June 2014.
- ^ Rocket Girl, georgedmorgan.com; accessed March 18, 2017.
Notes
[edit]- Bugliosi, Vincent; Gentry, Curt (1974). Helter Skelter. USA: Bantam Books. ISBN 0553022229.