Joseph J. Levin
 Joseph J. Levin     (lawyer) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1943 Montgomery, USA |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Founder of | Southern Poverty Law Center |
US lawyer who founded the Southern Poverty Law Center | |
Joseph J. Levin Jr. is a US lawyer who founded the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Background
Levin revived a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Alabama in 1966.
Career
He founded the Southern Poverty Law Center with Morris Dees in 1971 and was SPLC's legal director from 1971 until 1976.
Levin worked on more than 50 major civil rights cases. He argued the landmark sex discrimination case, Frontiero vs. Richardson, in which the U.S. Supreme court struck down a federal law giving preferences to men in the military.[1][2]
In 1976, Levin left the SPLC to work for President-elect Carter's Justice Department transition team. He was Special Assistant to the Attorney General and Chief Counsel to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under President Carter. After Ronald Reagan was elected, Levin began a private practice which he ran until 1996 when he resumed his work with the SPLC as its CEO for a time.
Beginning in November 2003, Levin became president emeritus.
