Burrell Ives Humphreys
Burrell Ives Humphreys (born 1927 in Camden, New Jersey) is a former New Jersey Superior Court judge and county prosecutor. He was in charge of the second murder trial of Rubin Carter, which resulted in Carter's conviction in December 1976.
Early career
He attended Dickinson College graduating in 1950, Temple Law School, graduating in 1953, and was admitted to the bar in 1954. He clerked for Richard Hartshorne of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. In private practice he was an associate at a firm in Newark and then a partner at Hoffman & Humphreys in Wayne. In the 1960s he worked as hearing examiner for civil rights in the state Attorney General's office. He was opposed the Vietnam War and became a member of the NAACP.[1]
Prosecutor
A Democrat, he became the Passaic County Prosecutor in June 1975, appointed by New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne.[2] In March 1976 the New Jersey Supreme Court overturned the 1967 murder conviction of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, and Humphreys announced immediately that he would retry the case.[3] Alfred Bello and Arthur Bradley had recanted their testimony, so Humphreys focused on Eddie Rawls, saying he was "all over this case."[4]Humphreys had offered to dismiss the charge against Carter if he took a second polygraph test conducted by an independent administrator, but Carter declined.[5] Carter was convicted again in December 1976.[6]The verdict was upheld by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1982 but was set aside by a judge of United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in 1985.
As a prosecutor Humphreys was philosophically opposed to the death penalty, although he said he could be in favor if it was proved to have a significant reduction in the crime rate.[1]
Superior Court judge
In 1980 Humphreys became an Appellate Court judge and he later served as Assignment Judge of the Essex and Hudson vicinages. In 1986 he dismissed a suit brought by New Jersey residents challenging New York State's jurisdiction over Liberty Island.[7][8] In 1982 he ruled that the Hoboken Homeless Shelter could continue to operate as Hoboken's housing laws violated the principle of churches being able to offer shelter. He served as the Presiding Judge of the Chancery Division in Passaic County. After his retirement as a judge in 2007 he became counsel at Williams, Caliri, Miller & Otley, P.C.
Personal life
Humphreys married Joy Strong in 1950, having met her at Dickinson College.[9] They lived in Wayne and had three children.[1] Following her death in 2012 he moved to a retirement community in Pompton Plains.
References
- ^ a b c "An Out‐Front Prosecutor". New York Times. July 8, 1979. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Passaic Prosecutor Plans a Shake‐up". New York Times. June 13, 1975. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Rubin Carter and Artis Get New Trial in Murder Case". New York Times. March 18, 1976. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Archive: Doubts, errors, unknowns still haunt the case of 'Hurricane' Carter, John Artis". northjersey.com. June 17, 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Newsmaker / Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter: Film of his life a contender". Pittsburg Post-Gazette. March 27, 2000. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Rubin Carter Is Convicted With Artis in 3 Murders". New York Times. Dec 22, 1976. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Bridge: Decisions by a Jersey Judge Get Some Second-Guessing". New York Times. June 30, 1986. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Statue of Liberty a Legal New Yorker, Supreme Court Says". LA Times. October 5, 1987. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Obituaries: Joy Humphries". The Record. August 15, 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2022.