James Douglas Crawford

June 10, 2022

James Douglas Crawford, lifelong resident of Philadelphia, PA, died peacefully at home on June 10, 2022 at age 90. A brilliant lawyer and advocate, a loving husband, parent and grandparent, a voracious reader of histories, an energetic and locally focused art collector, an aficionado of classical music, a passionate home cook, a daring diner at the spiciest restaurants, Jim was fearless in all things. Along with his wife, Judith Dean, Jim was an avid supporter of the arts in Philadelphia. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and was a member of the museum's Prints, Drawings and Photographs Committee and its photography group Focus. In 1983, Jim and Judith were entered into PMA's Anne d'Harnoncourt Society, which celebrates donors of works of art. In 1999, they established the museum's James Crawford and Judith Dean Fund for Acquisitions. Jim also served as a board member and president of the Samuel A. Fleisher Art Memorial. Jim is survived by his wife, to whom he was unfailingly devoted, and by his daughter (with his first wife, Doris Kaiser Crawford) Christopher Ann Samson (Richard), granddaughter Kate Samson, stepchildren Benjamin Dean (Ann Shipley), Gillian Dean (Mark Hurwitz) and Jessica Russo (John), and grandchildren Cyrus and Sonja Ekland and Owen and Henry Shipley-Dean. Jim decided to give his body to medical research and education. There will therefore be no funeral, but a memorial will be planned. Donations in Jim’s memory may be made to the Pennsylvania ACLU or to the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Department of Prints, Drawings and Photographs. A summary of Jim’s career follows. James D. Crawford was a leading figure in the ACLU who guided the Greater Philadelphia affiliate and Pennsylvania affiliate for many years, during which time he also served on the ACLU’s National Board. After graduating Haverford College in 1954, he attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School. It was during this time that he first joined the ACLU as a member, a fact that he would often proudly recount in later years. His service as Editor in Chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, while also becoming active in the ACLU, would presage his distinguished dedication to both law and public service in later years. Following his graduation in 1962, Jim was promptly admitted to the Pennsylvania bar and soon after to the bar of the United States Supreme Court, where he would later make multiple appearances. In his early years, Jim eschewed more lucrative opportunities in private practice and instead worked as a prosecutor until 1972 for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Given his obvious talents, he quickly rose to a leadership position in the Appeals Division of that office. He obtained the title of Deputy District Attorney for Law under then District Attorney Arlen Specter. In recent years, the Pennsylvania ACLU has emphasized its focus on the important role that a progressive district attorney may play in pursuing justice and reducing mass incarceration, as opposed to merely obtaining convictions. Jim was a forerunner. Oftentimes, Jim’s counterpart at the Appeals Division of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, John Packel, would remark that, under Jim’s leadership, reasonable discussion and compromise could be pursued in the interest of justice at the appellate court level between the defense and the prosecution. This concern for justice is reflected in a law review article Jim published in 1971 titled “Prisoner’s Rights - A Prosecutor’s View.” In that article, he wrote that there was a growing interest in pursuing positive programs “for rehabilitation and retraining, for psychological counseling, for education, for medical treatment of drug addiction, alcoholism and chronic debilitating diseases, for programs which will even look beyond the prison walls to the support of the families of prisoners and the creation of a place in the community to which a prisoner can return with some likelihood of remaining there successfully.” 16 Vill. L. Rev. 1028, 1056-57 (1971). It was natural for Jim to join the board of the Pennsylvania ACLU in 1969 and the Greater Philadelphia ACLU board in 1972. He would remain a valued leader throughout the ensuing half century, continuing to attend meetings and participate actively well into his 80s. In 1972, Jim left his job with the District Attorney’s Office to pursue a civil public interest career as General Counsel of the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia from 1972 to 1974. Then, in 1974, he joined the law firm Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, LLP, where he served as a litigation partner and as head of the firm’s pioneering and nationally renowned appellate practice until 1997. During this time, he shared many honors as a fellow or appointed member of the American Law Institute, the Defender Association of Philadelphia, the American Bar Foundation, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. In 1997, the Schnader firm selected him as their first recipient of “The Earl G. Harrison Pro Bono Award and Community Service Award.” Having joined both the board of the Greater Philadelphia ACLU affiliate, and the more recently established board of the statewide Pennsylvania ACLU affiliate, which overlapped the Philadelphia board’s jurisdiction, Jim set about to rationalize their conflicting relationships as well as to resolve a related conflict with a separate ACLU fundraising entity; i.e. the Pennsylvania Civil Liberties Foundation. In 1982, he drafted a "Plan of Reorganization" (better known as the "Tripartite Plan"), and managed to have it adopted at a famously testy meeting of the ACLU of Pennsylvania Board of Directors, on June 9, 1984. Two entities survived, with the proud Greater Philadelphia affiliate agreeing to function (but only in practice) as a chapter of the Pennsylvania ACLU affiliate. Jim continued to serve on and provide leadership to both entities. Between 1978 and 2002, he also served on the board of the National ACLU as the representative of the Greater Philadelphia affiliate. During this time, he was elected and served as Vice President of the National Board. Meanwhile, from 1985 to 2003, he also served as President of the Pennsylvania ACLU Board. Following his service on both boards, he was elected to the position of Director Emeritus, possibly the only person to serve in that capacity on two affiliate boards. Jim continued to chair the ACLU of PA Foundation for another five years, before becoming that entity’s only Trustee Emeritus. Jim was a leader and a mentor for two generations of new ACLU board members, activists and staff. In an early short bio prepared for the Philadelphia Board, Jim listed his special civil liberties interests as the First Amendment, the death penalty, prisoners’ rights, equal protection and criminal procedure. He also listed his special areas of expertise as appellate litigation and negotiation. During his long career, he engaged in litigation before the United States Supreme Court on at least fourteen occasions. Four times his name appeared on amicus curiae briefs filed on behalf of the National ACLU, the Teamsters Health and Welfare Fund of Philadelphia, the National Association for Retarded Citizens, United Cerebral Palsy, et al., and The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Jim argued before the U.S. Supreme Court three times and helped prepare the lead briefs for parties on two other occasions. His participation was central to the success of the ACLU of PA in having the Communications Decency Act declared unconstitutional, a victory that was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1997, establishing for the first time the critical principle that the First Amendment applies to government efforts to regulate the Internet. During his time with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Jim’s name appeared on well over a thousand reported appellate cases in Pennsylvania. He is often mentioned in the literature on appellate court practice, both as a result of his own publications and the reputation for excellence that he held in the local and national appellate bars.