Dan Pollitt, a law professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, has died at the age of 88.
Professor Pollitt was my Constitutional Law professor and, as explained in this obituary, he spent "a lifetime of defending civil rights, civil liberties, and fighting injustices in local, state and national arenas." He was an unabashed progressive, a man who believed that the law should be an instrument of social change.
He worked on behalf of the poor and organized labor caused many to dislike him. I recall a job interview I had in the Fall of 1979 with a big firm. I was asked who my Con Law professor was and I replied "Dan Pollit." The interviewer said (and I am not kidding) "You can’t learn constitutional law from that communist." That was an easy job offer to turn down.
Professor Pollitt brought honor to our profession. He will be missed.