Samuel Rosenwein; Lawyer Was Expert on 1st Amendment Issues

Samuel Rosenwein, 83, constitutional lawyer and educator regarded as an expert on 1st Amendment issues. Rosenwein for many years based his career in New York. In 1967, he argued before an International War Crimes Tribunal in Stockholm that the U.S. military buildup in Vietnam was in violation of the 1954 Geneva accords. Rosenwein aroused greater controversy by refusing to sign a State Bar of California oath stating that he was not a member of the Communist Party when he moved his law practice to Los Angeles during the McCarthy era in the 1950s. Although Rosenwein was unable to practice in state courts, he continued to work in federal courts and taught constitutional law at several Southern California universities. He also served as a consultant to leading 1st Amendment lawyers. On Wednesday in Van Nuys.