20 May 9 • 2019 jn DAVID SACHS CONTRIBUTING WRITER A fter teaching constitutional law for more than a half-cen- tury, Wayne State University’ s nationally renowned law professor Robert Sedler has had a giant impact not only in the classroom but also on society. A veteran of integration struggles in the South, Sedler, 83, has champi- oned civil rights and civil liberties in Michigan and across America. On Saturday, May 11, he will be honored with the “Champion of Justice” award at the annual dinner of the Michigan Association for Justice, a statewide organization of trial attor- neys. Before coming to Detroit in 1977, Sedler taught law at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where he used his knowledge and wits to fight anti- black segregation in the city. Lexington, at the time, had a small, longstanding Jewish community whose members were prosperous but who “knew their place” in the midst of the prevailing white gentile establishment, Sedler said. But in the 1960s, out- spoken “Jews from the East” (Sedler is a Pittsburgh native) came to town and boldly sought to remedy racial discrimination. In 1966, he served as a volunteer lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “The local Jews were very upset about the visibility of people like me,” Sedler said. “They feared this would bring down the wrath of the so-called ‘ goyim.’ But if you look at the history of the Civil Rights Movement, you will see that Jews have played a very prom- inent role.” FAIR HOUSING LAWS Lexington, like most American cities, had rampant housing discrimination. There was, however, a local civil rights commission, and a Jewish dentist on it asked Sedler to help bring about a fair housing law. At the time, discriminatory real estate agents professed the view that home- owners could sell or not sell their houses to whomever they wanted — and the government couldn’ t compel otherwise. Sedler realized that to achieve a fair housing law, he had to provide politi- cal cover to those local politicians who wanted to enact it. Sedler’ s strategy was to have the pol- iticians not contest that homeowners were free to choose who would buy their houses. The only exception would be if a real estate agent were involved in the sale, then no discrimination would be permitted. Under this theory, about 99 percent of all sales would be covered by the fair housing law. Thus, instead of labeling it a “Fair Housing Act, ” Sedler called it “ A Bill to Regulate Commercial Real Estate Transactions. ” It was enacted — making the Lexington area the first locale in the South to pass fair housing legislation. A year later, the Kentucky legislature adopted the law statewide. “I’ m very proud of that, ” Sedler said. “That was my brainchild. ” Sedler also helped successfully desegregate the merged Louisville and Jefferson County, Ky., public schools with suburban-city busing. (In contrast, at about the same time, cross-district busing was rejected for Metro Detroit.) “Today, the most integrated state in the country is Kentucky, ” Sedler said. During his time in Kentucky, Sedler said he became “notorious” for defend- ing draft resisters and anti-war protes- tors. He even argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. When he came to the Wayne State Law School in 1977, his social activism didn’ t cease. He said he felt right at home in Detroit — this area being similar to his rustbelt origins in Pittsburgh. LIFELONG ADVOCACY Sedler has been married to Rozanne Sedler, a social worker, for 59 years, and they have two grown children and four grandchildren. The couple live in Southfield and belong to Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park, a Reform con- gregation. “Social action is a very important part of my Jewish identity, ” Sedler said. In turn, he served as an at-large member of Reform Judaism’ s Joint Commission on Social Action from 2003-2009. He’ s still on its Amicus Brief Committee, provid- ing supportive legal briefs in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In the early 1980s, Sedler began jews d in the Champion of Justice Fighting for the underdog defi nes Professor Robert Sedler’ s career. continued on page 22 Distinguished Professor Robert A. Sedler and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Wayne Law class of 1994, at the Law School’ s 2017 Treasure of Detroit Gala COURTESY OF WAYNE STATE LAW SCHOOL