44 | JUNE 20 • 2024

federal judges, two from
the U.S. Court of Appeals,
unanimously ruled in
Arrowsmith v. Voorheis that
the law “is unconstitutional
and invalid.”
There was some talk
of an appeal, but nothing
ever came of it, and the
next year, another panel of
federal judges reaffirmed
its unconstitutionality and
forbid its enforcement
forever.
Theodore Levin’s
reputation had been made.
He went on to become a
major leader in the Detroit
Jewish community, serving
on and usually chairing
virtually every major
institution from the Jewish
Welfare Foundation to the
Sinai Hospital Board. He was
a close friend of founding
JN editor/publisher Philip
Slomovitz and, in 1942, was
a founding member of the
board of directors of the new
Detroit Jewish News.
He also took an active
interest in the new refugees
created by World War II, and
served on many boards and
committees, including as vice
president of the Michigan
Commission on Displaced
Persons.

A LASTING LEGACY
Then, one day in July 1946,
a young lawyer named Ira
Kaufman stopped by Levin,
Levin, Garvett and Dill to
find a “tremendous hubbub.”
Kaufman, later a probate
judge, soon found out why:
“Washington, D.C., was on
the phone.”
President Harry Truman
was nominating Theodore
Levin to be a federal judge
on the U.S. District Court
for the Eastern District of

Michigan. Levin went on to
be one of the most notable
district judges in the nation,
courageously standing up
against a “red scare” bill that
threatened civil liberties, and
pioneering a system of long-
overdue sentencing reform
that was adopted nationally.
But one of the things he
most liked to do throughout
his career was preside
over ceremonies where
immigrants became new
citizens.
Tragically, Theodore Levin
died after a brief illness on
Dec. 31. 1970. Years later,
U.S. Rep. John Dingell Jr.
introduced and fought for a
bill to rename the building
where federal cases are
heard the Theodore Levin
United States Courthouse.
In November 1994, it finally
passed both houses of
Congress unanimously.
President Bill Clinton
signed it into law, and the
courthouse was officially
dedicated May 1, 1995, with
ceremonies and remarks by
family members, colleagues
and dignitaries, including
Theodore Levin’s nephews,
U.S. Rep. Sander and U.S.
Sen. Carl Levin.
His former law clerks
all donated to pay for the
official sign that designated
the building’s new name.
One of them, the late
Irwin Alterman, wrote that
“placing his name on the
courthouse adds luster to
the building itself and to
the principles that guide the
judicial business conducted
inside.”
Those new arrivals and
others who Theodore Levin
fought for as a lawyer and
protected as a judge would
almost certainly agree.

continued from page 42

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