William Moses Kunstler Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 – September 4, 1995) was an American self-described "radical lawyer" and civil rights activist, known for his politically unpopular clients. Kunstler was a board member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the co-founder of the Law Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the "leading gathering place for radical lawyers in the country".Kunstler's defense of the "Chicago Seven" from 1969–1970 led The New York Times to label him "the country's most controversial and, perhaps, its best-known lawyer ..." Kunstler is also well known for defending members of the Catonsville Nine, Black Panther Party, Weather Underground Organization, the Attica Prison rioters, and the American Indian Movement. He also won a de facto segregation case regarding the District of Columbia's public schools and "disinterred, singlehandedly" the concept of federal removal jurisdiction in the 1960s. Kunstler refused to defend right-wing groups such as the Minutemen, on the grounds that: "I only defend those whose goals I share. I'm not a lawyer for hire. I only defend those I love."He was a polarizing figure; many on the right wished to see him disbarred, while many on the left admired him as a "symbol of a certain kind of radical lawyer." Even some other civil rights lawyers regarded Kunstler as a "publicity hound and a hit-and-run lawyer" who "brings cases on Page 1 and wins them on Page 68." Legal writer Sidney Zion quipped that Kunstler was "one of the few lawyers in town who knows how to talk to the press. His stories always check out and he's not afraid to talk to you, and he's got credibility—although you've got to ask sometimes, 'Bill, is it really true?'"
During the '50s and '60s he assisted the civil rights movement by getting a number of cases out of the courts of the (southern) states and into federal venues.
Was a prominent New York attorney before his death in 1995. Was appointed with attorney Ron Kuby to defend Colin Ferguson, the Long Island Railroad gunman. In December 1993, Ferguson rode an LIRR commuter train packed with passengers at rush hour. When the train stopped at its Merillon Avenue destination in Garden City, New York, Ferguson opened fire in the third car, killing six people and wounding nineteen others. Ferguson refused to be defended by Kunstler and all other attorneys appointed and defended himself in court. Ferguson is currently serving a life sentence in prison without parole.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Malcolm X
1992
The Judge
The Doors
1991
Lawyer (as Bill Kunstler)
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
60 Spins Around the Sun
2003
Documentary
Himself
Mississippi, America
1996
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Law & Order
1994
TV Series
Himself
Brother Minister: The Assassination of Malcolm X
1994
Documentary
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1994
TV Series
Himself
The Paper
1994
Himself
America Undercover
1993
TV Series documentary
Himself
Seven Songs for Malcolm X
1993
Documentary
Incident at Oglala
1992
Documentary
Himself - Wounded Knee Defense Attorney
Growing Up in America
1988
Documentary
Himself
Crow Dog
1979
Documentary
Himself
Firing Line
1971
TV Series
Himself
Breathing Together: Revolution of the Electric Family
1971
Documentary
Himself
The Conspiracy and the Dybbuk
1971
Documentary short
Himself
Street Scenes
1970
Documentary
Himself
The David Frost Show
1969
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Hit & Stay
2013
Documentary
Himself
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
2011
Documentary
Himself, lawyer
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe
2009
Documentary
Himself
Crazy Love
2007/I
Documentary
Himself - Defense Attorney
Chicago 10
2007
Documentary
Himself
National Geographic: Inside 9/11
2005
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself
American Justice
1992
TV Series documentary
Himself
Malcolm X
1972
Documentary
Himself
Known for movies
Incident at Oglala (1992) as Himself - Wounded Knee Defense Attorney
$1.2 Million
