A compelling read — the extraordinary life story of Fay Stender, whom I vividly recall as a brilliant, charismatic woman lawyer at the forefront of radical politics in the Seventies. Once again, Lise Pearlman has done a masterful job capturing this tumultuous and instructive time.
— BARRY SCHECK CO-DIRECTOR OF THE INNOCENCE PROJECT
Diligently researched and carefully written … Pearlman’s biography accords Fay the recognition she deserves as a seminal criminal defense lawyer at a pivotal moment in the history of the California prison system.
— JONAH RASKIN “WARRIORS NOT VICTIMS: GEORGE JACKSON AND FAY STENDER,” COUNTERPUNCH, MAY 16, 2018
Moving, well written, at times almost poetic, Lise Pearlman’s new, often thrilling book tells the story of Fay Stender, a revolutionary pioneering woman lawyer dedicated to fighting to achieve justice for some of America’s most notorious prisoners. Fay was my friend from the time of our college days through the years she rose to international acclaim and notoriety until her untimely death stemming from the gun of a man who had tried to murder her. Lise’s book grippingly sheds light on this remarkable woman’s courageous life and the turbulent time in which she made a significant impact on the arc of justice.
— ROBERT RICHTER AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER
Lise Pearlman’s book generates great emotional traction recounting the heroic, tragic life and death of one of America’s most zealous, brilliant lawyers. It is written with clarity and precision and is a necessary remembrance of an amazing woman.
— PENNY COOPER MEMBER OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE BAR TRIAL LAWYER HALL OF FAME
Call Me Phaedra makes two major contributions to American studies. It documents the life and times of a remarkable activist woman lawyer in the men’s world of the mid-20th century; Stender was a committed lawyer, exhausting and inspiring to work with. It also chronicles the experience of a strong circle of Progressives emerging from the ‘Red Scare’ in that Cold War era who struggled to make society more just at a time when bucking conformity was not the norm.
— PETER FRANCK FORMER PARTNER OF STENDER AND 2017 SAN FRANCISCO LAWYERS GUILD “CHAMPION OF JUSTICE”
LISE PEARLMAN IS ALSO THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF
THE SKY’S THE LIMIT:People v. Newton, the REAL Trial of the 20th Century? (2012)
AMERICAN JUSTICE ON TRIALPeople v. Newton (2016)
WITH JUSTICE FOR SOME:Politically Charged Criminal Trials in the Early 20th Century That Helped Shape Today’s America (2017)
www.lisepearlman.com
Call Me Phaedra
The Life and Times of Movement Lawyer Fay Stender
by Lise Pearlman
REGENT PRESS
Berkeley, California
Copyright © 2018 by Lise Pearlman
PAPERBACK:
ISBN 13: 978-1-58790-435-6
ISBN 10: 1-58790-435-7
E-BOOK
ISBN 13: 978-1-58790-436-3
ISBN 10: 1-58790-436-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018933614
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the Publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Cover photo of Huey Newton at a press conference on August 5, 1970, after his release, with lawyer Fay Stender standing behind him. (© Ilka Hartmann 2018.)
Cover photo of tragic mask of Dionysus, Greek God of the theater: Musée du Louvre, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dionysos_mask_Louvre_Myr347.jpg. The Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, on the south side of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, is known as the birthplace of Greek tragedy.
Every effort has been made to credit sources and obtain permission where appropriate. If we have inadvertently used or credited material or images inaccurately or without applicable consent and they do not qualify as Fair Use under the U.S. Copyright Act, or are not in the public domain, please contact the publisher so appropriate steps can be taken.
Printed in the U.S.A.
REGENT PRESS
Berkeley, California
www.regentpress.net [email protected]
I dedicate this book to all the women workingfor social justice throughout historyabout whom it could be said,“Nevertheless, she persisted.”
Contents
2. Predestination or Free Will