Dobby Walker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doris Brin "Dobby" Walker, is an American Labor Lawyer and founding partner with Robert Treuhaft at the firm of Treuhaft, Walker and Burnstein. The only woman in her class, Walker graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Boalt Hall in the 1940's and became a labor organizer. ^[1] In 1956, a case involving Walker's termination for her organizing activities was heard at the Supreme Court. In 1970, Walker was elected the first woman president of the National Lawyers Guild. In her 80's, Walker is currently an active Guild lawyer in the San Francisco Bay chapter; on the Labor & Employment Committee and is an East Bay leader in the Gray Panthers.^[2]

Dobby was recounted in Jessica Mitford's autobiography as the woman who invited her and her husband Bob Truehaft to join the Communist Party USA in A Fine Old Conflict. ^[3] There have been articles speculating that author J.K. Rowling, who considers Mitford her heroine, named her Harry Potter character Dobby the house elf after encountering the name Dobby in Mitford's works. ^[4] ^[5]

Hillary Rodham Clinton was an intern at Truehaft, Walker, and Burnstein during the Summer of 1971 ^[6]^[7], a year in which Walker defended Angela Davis in her historic California murder, kidnapping, & conspiracy trial in which Davis faced the death penalty. The defense pioneered use of the media and jury consultants.^[8] The Davis case is still being analyzed as a blueprint of modern day litigation ^[9]

Walker is also noted for her longtime pro-bono defense of journalist John Powell who was prosecuted for reporting that the US Army used germ warfare in Korea ^[10]

In Spring of 2004, Doris Brin Walker submitted on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild Bay Area Chapter to the Conference of Delegates of California Bar Association asking the California Congressional Delegation to investigate representations by the Bush Administration used to justify the war in Iraq for possible impeachment.^[11] ^[12] The resolution follows:

Resolved, that the Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations urges California Congressional Delegation to commence a Congressional investigation of representations by George Bush, Dick Cheney, and the Bush Administration, used to justify war on Iraq and Afghanistan to Congress, the United Nations and to the people of the U.S. and the world, without a formal request for Congress to declare war.

A biography of Walker is maintained at the National Lawyer's Guild including a 1956 case before the U.S. Supreme Court: "1956 -- Lost the decision (6:3) in Black v. Cutter Labs, 351 U.S. 292, but won a great dissent by Justice Douglas. The Supreme Court had denied cert. on the narrow holding that the case did not present a federal question. Cutter Labs fired Walker upon finding out about her law degree and previous labor organizing activities (information she withheld on her employment application and admitted during litigation), and alleged Communist Party membership. The California supreme court held that a firing for CP membership could be called "just cause" if the corporation's contract with the union allowed it. In denying cert., the Court held that the controversy was within California contracts law, without a federal issue. Justice Douglas (joined in dissent by Chief Justice Warren and Justice Black) wrote, "The blunt truth is that Doris Walker is discharged not for misconduct but either because of her legitimate labor union activities or because of her political ideology or belief," making this a First Amendment case that should have been heard." ^[13]^[14]