Introduction

“Passionate concern may lead to errors of judgment, but the lack of passion in the face of human wrong leads to spiritual bankruptcy...”

An outspoken activist and a "fighting judge," Justine Wise Polier was the first woman Justice in New York. For 38 years she used her position on the Family Court bench to fight for the rights of the poor and disempowered. She strove to implement juvenile justice law as treatment, not punishment, making her court the center of a community network that encompassed psychiatric services, economic aid, teachers, placement agencies, and families.

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A prolific writer and a passionate speaker, she lent her voice to the struggle against injustice whenever she saw it. Her words went everywhere, from popular articles to endless letters to the editor, to legal journals. No matter what the personal cost, she was brutally honest about her experiences with a system that often failed the very children it was created to protect.

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For Polier, to be a Jew meant an unwavering commitment to uphold the rights of all people. Though she came from a privileged background, she had a deep understanding of how the sufferings of poverty and racism brought most children to her court. Never naive, always with a clear view of the ways in which power worked, she remained firm in her faith that championing the cause of justice could truly change the world.

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Notes

Next—Family Legacy