Professor Emeritus Robert J. Levy passed away on August 16, 2024, at the age of 93, in Aventura, Florida. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, the Honorable Roberta (Bobbie) Levy ’64, former Minnesota Law professor (1975-77), and his partner for more than 63 years.
Levy joined the Minnesota Law faculty in 1959, serving for more than 40 years until he retired in 2001. As emeritus, he continued his work and scholarship at the Law School until 2010.
“When I first arrived at the law school my office was a few doors from Bob’s,” says William McGeveran, dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law. “He was extremely welcoming, gave good advice, and was hilarious. He will be remembered as a pathbreaking scholar in family law and criminal law, but here at the Law School we will remember his friendship and wicked sense of humor the most.”
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Oren Gross, Irving Younger Professor of Law, remembers both Robert and Bobbie for their friendship and kindness. “Bob was among the very first who welcomed me when I arrived at the Law School 22 years ago and I still remember spending my first Jewish High Holidays in the Twin Cities with him and his family. He and Bobbie were unfailingly kind.”
Levy was a beloved teacher and a nationally and internationally prominent scholar in family law, criminal law, and children and the law. He taught family law, divorce negotiation, criminal law, and a criminal law sentencing workshop for visiting judges and students funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. In 1989, he became the first Dorsey & Whitney Professor of Law at the Law School. He was also the Julius E. Davis Professor of Law from 1984-85. In 1996, he was named the William L. Prosser Professor of Law.
Professor Susanna Blumenthal, William L. Prosser Professor of Law and Professor of History, remembers Levy’s warmth and generous scholarly feedback. “Bob took a particular interest in the Program in Law & History, though his emeritus status meant his thoughts were often conveyed from the Florida beachfront,” she says. “It is a source of great pride to hold the chair that once was his. He was a gem of a colleague and human being.”
Levy actively shared his knowledge and scholarship with the legal community across the country and around the world, serving as a visiting scholar at places ranging from Brooklyn Law School to University of Texas School to Fudan University Law School, People’s Republic of China.
He was an elected member of the American Law Institute, an advisor to the Institute’s Project on Domestic Relations, a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, an advisor to the committee revising the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act, and a member of the Council of the American Bar Association's Family Law Section. Levy also served as president of the Minneapolis Jewish Family and Children’s Service.
He received a B.A. from Kenyon College. He graduated, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was a senior editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif.
He is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as many nephews, nieces, and friends.
Visit the memorial board in honor of Professor Emeritus Robert Levy