Burstein, Beatrice Sobel, 1915-1991

Judge and advocate for the rights of children and prisoners, Beatrice (Sobel) Burstein was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 18, 1915, the daughter of Joseph and Tillie (Star) Sobel, immigrants from what is now Poland. After attending New York University, she graduated from the School of Law at St. John’s University in 1937, passing the bar exam in 1940. In 1937, she married lawyer Herbert Burstein. They had six children: Karen (a lawyer and judge on New York City's Family Court), Ellen (a television news anchor), Patricia (an author), Jessica (a photographer), John (a children's health activist known as Slim Goodbody), and Judd (a lawyer). She practiced in her husband's law firm before founding Burstein & Agata, a firm specializing in family law, in 1958. Burstein was the first woman appointed to the New York State Commission of Correction; appointed in 1955, she served until 1961. In 1955 and 1958, she ran on the Democratic ticket for a seat on the Children's Court in Nassau County, New York, on both occasions facing criticism from the opposition for not remaining home with her children.

In 1961, recognizing a lack of services for parolees from county jails and detention centers, Burstein founded SPAN (Services for Prisoners' Aid in Nassau); the organization eventually also included Suffolk County. She also helped establish the first school in the Nassau County jail. She was elected to the District Court in Nassau County in 1962, and after an unsuccessful run in 1963, to the Family Court in 1968. In 1972, she was elected to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, 10th Judicial District, where she served until her retirement in 1991. The recipient of numerous awards, Burstein lectured and wrote widely on youth and family problems, and was active in many organizations, including the International Federation of Women Lawyers and the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children. Beatrice Burstein died in her Long Island, New York, home on January 6, 1991.

From the guide to the Papers of Beatrice Sobel Burstein, (inclusive), (bulk), 1928-2001, 1954-1991, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)