Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- David Bernstein papers
- Dates:
- 1964-1997
- Creators:
- Bernstein, David L. and Bernstein, David L.
- Abstract:
- From 1979 to 1997, David Bernstein served as investigator and legal researcher for the Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt defense team. The collection consists of research, numerous court documents, transcripts, and Freedom of Information materials that were accrued during the various court hearings. The bulk of the materials are facsimiles of original documents.
- Extent:
- 10.4 linear feet (24 boxes and 1 carton)
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], David Bernstein Papers (Collection 2126). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of files amassed by lawyer David L. Bernstein documenting his involvement pertaining to the court case of People v. Pratt (former Black Panther Leader Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt) and proceedings seeking to overturn Pratt's murder conviction, as well as litigation to ascertain if the FBI's Counter Intelligence Program had any role in the conviction. Includes research, numerous court documents, transcripts, and Freedom of Information materials that were accrued during the various court hearings. The bulk of the materials are facsimiles of original documents.
- Biographical / historical:
-
David L. Bernstein was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 26, 1948; he moved to Los Angeles at a young age. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1971 and earned a JD from the University of La Verne College of Law in 1995. After working for several years with environmental cleanup in Northern California, he returned to Los Angeles in the late 1970's and took a job as law clerk/investigator in the Law Offices of Goldin and Gordon. One of the partners, Martha Goldin, had served as appellate counsel for former Black Panther Elmer Geronimo Pratt. In 1979 Bernstein was assigned to review and index criminal appellate briefs and learned that there were ongoing habeas corpus proceedings seeking to overturn Pratt's murder conviction, as well as litigation under the Freedom of Information Act to ascertain if the FBI's Counter Intelligence Program had any role in the conviction. With the approval from Goldin and Gordon, Bernstein contacted Pratt's main counsel, Stuart Hanlon and offered to join the efforts being made on Pratt's behalf.
From 1979 to 1997, Bernstein served as investigator and legal researcher for the Pratt defense team. In May of 1997, Pratt's conviction was overturned and he was released after serving nearly 27 years in prison.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of David Bernstein, 2012.
- Processing information:
-
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating existing description of our materials that contains language that may be offensive or cause harm. We invite you to submit feedback about how our collections are described, and how they could be described more accurately, by filling out the form located on our website: Report Problematic Content and Description in UCLA's library collections and archives.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is arranged in a loose chronological order.
- Physical location:
- Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-09-28 11:39:42 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], David Bernstein Papers (Collection 2126). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
- Location of this collection:
-
A1713 Charles E. Young Research LibraryBox 951575Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
- Contact:
- (310) 825-4988