
Leonard Irving Weinglass (27 August 1933-23 March 2011) was an American criminal defense lawyer and constitutional law advocate who was best known for his defense of the "Chicago Seven", alongside William Kunstler.
Biography[]
Leonard Irving Weinglass was born in Belleville, New Jersey in 1933, and he served as a captain judge advocate in the US Air Force from 1959 to 1961. He championed liberal and radical causes during the counterculture era, co-chairing the National Lawyers Guild's international committee and, along with William Kunstler, representing the "Chicago Seven" during their 1969-1970 trial. Weinglass also defended Daniel Ellsberg after he leaked the Pentagon Papers, resulting in a dismissal of all charges. He also defended Kathy Boudin of Weather Underground, Emily Harris of the Symbionese Liberation Army, wrongfully convicted Korean-American Chol Soo Lee, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and George Jackson's lawyer Stephen Bingham. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2011 at the age of 77.