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Leonard B. Sand, Segregation Case Judge, Lived In Pound Ridge, 88

YONKERS, N.Y. -- Leonard B. Sand, 88, of Sleepy Hollow, best known as the federal judge who presided over the landmark case in which he found Yonkers officials had intentionally segregated public housing and schools, died on Saturday, Dec. 3, according to the New York Times.

Leonard B. Sand, 88, of Sleepy Hollow, died Saturday, Dec. 3.

Leonard B. Sand, 88, of Sleepy Hollow, died Saturday, Dec. 3.

Photo Credit: Flickr User Shawn Carpenter

Sand, who also lived in Pound Ridge for many years, was best known for his work on the Yonkers case in which he ordered the city to come up with a plan that would offer low and moderate-income housing in mostly white neighborhoods. In addition, he ordered a school desegregation that included providing magnet schools and busing, reported the Times.

The story behind the ruling, and the drama surrounding it, was made into an HBO mini-series “Show Me a Hero,” last year. Actor Bob Balaban played Sand in the series, said the New York Times.

His most important criminal trial was the 2001 trial of the four terrorists who bombed two American embassies in East Africa in 1998, killing 224 people, added the times.

Sand was in private practice in New York for more than 20 years when he was selected for the federal judgeship by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, said the New York Times.

Other noteworthy rulings by Sand included a 1990 decision that found that panhandling was a First Amendment right, in addition to his contribution as one of the authors of the "Modern Jury Instruction," which has become the leading tool for jury instruction, reported the Times

Born Leonard Burke Solomon in the Bronx on May 24, 1928, he changed his name when he was a young man. He graduated from New York University and Harvard Law School, said the Times.

He was married to Ann Sulzberger, a first cousin of Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, a former publisher of the New York Times, added the Times.

He is survived by his wife Ann; two sons, Robert Sand and David Sand; a daughter, Peggy Sand; and six grandchildren, said the Times.

Click here to read The New York Times story.

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