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Fleishman (Stanley) Collection
SC.SFC
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Stanley Fleishman Collection
Creator:
Fleishman, Stanley
Identifier/Call Number: SC.SFC
Extent:
8.89 linear feet
Extent:
36.3 Gigabytes
Date (inclusive): 1943-1999
Date (bulk): 1982-1999
Abstract: Stanley Fleishman (1920-1999) is a
lawyer known primarily for trying First Amendment obscenity cases. He was also very active
advocating on behalf of the legal rights of the disabled community. Prior to his work, the
wheelchair-bound were not permitted to serve on juries in California. The
Stanley Fleishman Collection documents a small segment of
Fleishman's personal and professional life as a trial lawyer in Southern
California.
Language of Material:
English
Stanley Fleishman (1920-1999), of the Los Angeles area law firm Fleishman & Fisher, was
noted for trying First Amendment cases and advocating for the legal rights of the disabled
community.
Born in New York, Fleishman grew up in Queens. Stricken with polio at the age of 1, he
lost significant use of one arm and both legs. He attended the University of Georgia,
Brooklyn College, and the Columbia School of Law, graduating in 1944. He moved to Los
Angeles in 1946.
Known for his advocacy of the First Amendment, Fleishman's high-profile cases included the
adult film
Deep Throat, Henry Miller's once-banned book
Tropic of Cancer, and the chain of Pussycat Theaters. He also
defended the owner of an adult video store accused of trafficking in child pornography when
he sold tapes in which Traci Lords was featured.
Fleishman was also a fierce advocate for those with physical disabilities. Through the
judicial process, he was able to have wheelchair-bound, blind, and deaf citizens admitted to
juries. Fleishman advocated on their behalf for job opportunities, access to public transit,
and against other class-based discriminatory practices. He was active with the Western Law
Center for the Handicapped and the Institute for the Disabled and the Elderly at
Southwestern Law School.
The
Stanley Fleishman Collection documents a small segment of
Fleishman's personal and professional life as a trial lawyer in Southern California. He is
known primarily for arguing First Amendment cases and for his work advocating for the legal
rights of the disabled community. Several of his later cases are represented, most notable
that of Rubin Gottesman in
United States v. X-Citement Video.
The collection is arranged in two series:
Professional Files
(1943-1999) and
Personal Files (1961-1995).
Series I,
Professional Files, makes up the bulk of the
collection and has been further divided into three subseries.
General
Professional Files
(1960-1999), consists primarily of newspaper and magazine
clippings and interview transcripts that discuss Fleishman's life and/or work. Also included
is his work on the Disabled Californians for Tom Bradley Committee and several articles
authored by Fleishman. The subseries also includes awards and video recordings and is
arranged alphabetically.
Court Documents (1971-1999), consist of
motions, transcripts, and other legal case materials regarding several of Fleishman's cases
including the Rubin Gottsman X-Citement Video case. Materials are arranged alphabetically by
applicant.
Research and Exhibits (1943-1998), consists of court
decisions, articles, and audio and video recordings related to his case work, and is
arranged alphabetically.
Series II,
Personal Files, is a small series consisting of
Fleishman's home movies. These are arranged alphabetically by the title supplied on the
original video cassette.
Series I. Professional Files, 1943-1999
Subseries A: General Professional Files, 1960-1999
Subseries B: Court Documents, 1971-1999
Subseries C: Research and Exhibits, 1943-1998
Series II. Personal Files, 1961-1995
Related Material
Stanley Fleishman Collection of Material About Obscenity and its Legal Aspects,
1960-1982
at the University of California, Los Angeles.
This collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright
status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the
written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Susan Fleishman. 06/15/2001.
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
April Feldman, 2014
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ephemera
Documents
Photographs
Audiovisual materials