Laurence James Rittenband (December 5, 1905 – December 30, 1993) was an

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judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

. He was a judge on the

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Background

The son of a

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clothing manufacturer, he graduated at the age of 19 from the

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

, after having entered directly from

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. After graduating with his

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from

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, he found he was too young to take the

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. While waiting, he earned a degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, graduating

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. After passing the bar, he worked in the

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's office in New York and taught law at

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

. He also had a private law practice. He was wounded in

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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 opposin ...

while serving with

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intelligence. He was appointed to the

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in 1961 by then-

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Edmund G. (Pat) Brown, Sr. He was appointed to the

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

the following year. Brown and Rittenband had different politics; Brown was a Democrat, and Rittenband was a Republican.

Notable cases

His legal career spanned 60 years, during which he presided over several much publicized cases, including

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's divorce,

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's child-custody battle, a paternity suit against

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

, the

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murder trial of Joe Hunt, and the

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against

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...

. A Los Angeles Times story about Rittenband entitled "Laurence J. Rittenband, 81, Shows an Unorthodox Style: Crusty Judge Rules His Court With Iron Hand" described controversy around the judge's conduct during the Hunt case. The story said Hunt's defense team had a host of complaints against Rittenband, who put a gag order on one of Hunt's defense attorneys after they publicly criticized his actions. In response, lawyers Arthur Barens and Richard Chier moved for mistrial on the basis of judicial misconduct. Rittenband once vowed to remain on the bench until Polanski was behind bars, but retired in 1989, when he was 83 years old. Rittenband issued an

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual, or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a j ...

for Polanski when he fled in 1978; Polanski was arrested in September 2009 in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, while traveling to a film festival there, but was later released and allowed to return to France. The 2008 documentary '' Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired'' attacks Judge Rittenband for both his private life and his handling of the Polanski case. He was removed from the case in February 1978 after a complaint filed by Polanski's attorney and supported by the prosecutor in the case, as attested by both in individual interviews in the documentary. Shortly after Polanski fled, Rittenband denied he ever did anything that the 2008 documentary would go on to allege, by issuing the following statement:

I then stated that an appropriate sentence would be for Mr. Polanski to serve out the remainder of the 90-day period for which he had been sent to Chino, provided Mr. Polanski were to be deported by the Immigration and Naturalization Bureau, by stipulation or otherwise, at the end of the 90 days. I expressly stated that I was aware that the court lacked authority to order Mr. Polanski deported directly or as a condition of probation. However, based on the facts before me, I believed that the safety and welfare of the citizens of California required that Mr. Polanski be kept out of circulation for more than 90 days. However, since Mr. Polanski is an alien who had pleaded guilty to an act of moral turpitude, I believe that the interests of the citizens of California could be adequately safeguarded by a shorter jail term if Mr. Polanski would thereafter absent himself from the country.

Death

Rittenband died aged 88 of

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rittenband, Laurence 1905 births 1993 deaths California state court judges Deaths from cancer in California Place of birth missing Harvard University alumni 20th-century American lawyers Jewish American military personnel United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II City College of New York faculty New York University School of Law alumni 20th-century American judges United States Army Air Forces officers 20th-century American Jews