Christopher Edley Jr., a law professor and former dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law who held leadership positions in five presidential campaigns, including those of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, has died. He was 71 years old.
His death was announced Friday morning by current Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky in a written message to staff.
“Chris and I were law school classmates,” Chemerinsky wrote. “He has been a dear friend and has given me invaluable wisdom and support during my years as dean. I know I speak for all of us when I say how terribly we will miss him.
Many of those who admired Edley’s work or had worked alongside him took to social media to express their reaction to his death.
“Chris was a man of extraordinary gifts” wrote Gary Orfield, co-founder of the Harvard Civil Rights Project with Edley. “We tended to approach problems from different angles while working toward the same destination and I learned a lot and greatly enjoyed the seven years we worked continuously to launch a major research center (and) of politics. He is gone far too soon and will be missed on many fronts. »
“The passing of Christopher Edley is a great loss to social justice communities. So many giants are leaving us,” wrote Stephen G. HallA historian.
The UC system’s more hands-off response to the pro-Palestinian protests that have recently spread across its campuses was shaped by the report “Response to UC Campus Protests” authored by Edley with Charles Robinson, UC general counsel.
The 2012 report was written in response to protests on the Davis and Berkeley campuses, where students protesting economic and social inequality during the Occupy movement were beaten and pepper-sprayed by police officers. The report calls for the need to balance 1st Amendment rights with campus safety and security.
It placed communication and dialogue as the “cornerstone” of the unified communications system response, with police force used as a last resort. In a key underlying principle, the report calls for “a substantial shift from a mindset primarily focused on maintaining order and respecting rules and regulations towards one that is more open and communicative.”
“What’s so bad about students pitching tents on a green?” It does not threaten the core mission of teaching and research,” Edley told The Times last month. “It’s complicated and it seems to create trouble, but… you’re dealing with a large community of 20-year-olds who we expect to be passionate about and who we know are collecting experiences as well than knowledge. It is our responsibility to be as tolerant as possible without compromising the fundamentals.
Edley was born on January 13, 1953, in Boston and had a long and successful career in academia and public service. He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1973 with a degree in mathematics. He received his juris doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1978 and his master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, according to his profile. He was also a professor at Harvard Law School for 23 years, where in 1996 he co-founded the Harvard Civil Rights Project, a think tank aimed at promoting racial and ethnic justice.
He was responsible for economic policy and the budget for President Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton. Edley also helped lead the Clinton administration’s review of affirmative action programs.
In a written statement, Clinton described Edley as “a brilliant mind and good heart that he used to build a better, fairer and more just America.”
“From his groundbreaking academic career to his multiple key roles in my administration, he always believed that law and politics are ultimately about people,” Clinton wrote. “He mastered the smallest details but never lost sight of the big picture: giving more people the chance to live their best lives. He is gone far too soon, but his legacy will live on. »
Edley has held leadership positions in five presidential campaigns, including those of Michael Dukkakis in 1988, Al Gore in 2000, Howard Dean in 2004, Obama in 2008 and Hilary Clinton in 2016.
In 2004, Edley became dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, serving until 2013.
“As dean, he made an enormous positive difference in every aspect of the law school, from hiring many wonderful professors…,” Chemerinsky wrote, “to dramatically increasing grant support of public interest for students, until the creation of numerous centers. »
Edley also co-chaired the congressionally established National Commission on Educational Equity and Excellence from 2011 to 2013. The commission advises the Secretary of Education on ways to address educational equity issues. ‘education.
After leaving his position as dean, Edley continued to teach at UC Berkeley as the Honorable William H. Orrick Jr. Professor Emeritus. He served as president of the Opportunity Institute, an organization he founded. co-founded in 2015 with Ann O’Leary, former advisor to Hillary Clinton. The institute’s mission is to increase social and economic mobility and advance racial equity.
Edley is survived by his wife, Maria Echaveste, who is also a former advisor and deputy chief of staff to President Clinton.
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