Sidney M. Schreiber (1915–2009) was an associate justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

from 1975 to 1984. His notable opinions on the court include expanding citizen access to public beaches and increasing consumer protection from drug companies. He also serves in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

from 1943 to 1946.

Early life and military service

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, Schreiber grew up in

Elizabeth, NJ Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

. He graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1936. He earned his law degree at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

Legal career and military service

Schreiber began his legal career working as a staff attorney for the United States Railroad Retirement Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission. He put his personal career on hold in 1943, when he joined the United States Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He served until 1946 and reached the position of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. Perhaps the highlight of his service was heading the War Crimes Review Section of the Judge Advocate's Office for the Third Army. In that position, he drafted documents for war crime trials involving German concentration camp. After the war, Schreiber entered private practice. He also had the privilege of serving as a delegate to the 1966 New Jersey Constitutional Convention, which rewrote many of New Jersey's legislative articles. He also served as a Commissioner for the Union County Parks Commission. In recognition of his service to New Jersey and the country, Governor William T. Cahill nominated Schreiber to the Superior Court in Hudson County in October 1972. Schreiber was later promoted to the New Jersey Supreme Court by former Governor

Brendan Byrne Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American politician, statesman, and prosecutor, serving as the 47th governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrne started his career as a priva ...

in 1975. He served on the court for nine years. When he retired from the bench in 1984, Schreiber joined the law firm Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti, in Morristown, New Jersey. While at the firm, Schreiber was an esteemed member of the firm's government affairs department, leading the department to be recognized among of the state's most influential practices.https://burypensions.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/njlaw.pdf In 1997 he was awarded with the

William J. Brennan Award William J. Brennan, Jr., who authored the opinion in '' New York Times Co. v. Sullivan'', has several awards named in his honor, which are presented to individuals for dedication to public interest and free expression. Awards named after William J ...

from the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey for his lifetime commitment to the New Jersey legal profession.

Notable decisions

Schreiber was involved in many of the New Jersey Supreme Court's public-focused opinions of the late 1970s. During his tenure, he wrote the majority decisions that expanded the power of living wills, extended citizen access to public beaches, and clarified the responsibilities of drug companies to guard against suspected harmful side effects. While on the bench, he also served as Chairman of the Supreme Court Committee on Civil Case Management and Procedures and as Chairman of the Committee on Budget and Procedure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schreiber, Sidney M. 1915 births 2009 deaths Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey New Jersey lawyers Yale Law School alumni Yale University alumni People from Elizabeth, New Jersey 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers United States Army personnel of World War II

Early life and military service

Legal career and military service

Notable decisions

See also

References