We mourn the recent passing of Justice Alan B. Handler, who served on the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1977 to 1999 and whose impact as a scholar and author was monumental. He was a member of the Wilentz court when it rendered significant decisions developing the rights of plaintiffs in civil litigation and expanded the rights of defendants in criminal proceedings. The court had a reputation for excellence.

A native of Newark, born on July 20, 1931, Handler graduated from Princeton University with an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and, in 1956, from Harvard Law School. He practiced law in Newark before becoming a deputy attorney general in 1961 and was subsequently appointed first assistant attorney general by Attorney General Arthur J. Sills. Handler was appointed to the Superior Court by Gov. Richard J. Hughes in 1968, and after distinguishing himself as one of the first judges authorized to issue wiretap orders, and writing opinions interpreting the Wiretap Act in light of constitutional requirements, Handler was assigned to the Appellate Division in 1973. Three years later he left the bench to become counsel to Gov. Brendan T. Byrne, where he was initially involved in the arguments about school funding and legislation creating the income tax to help fund our public schools and avoid the threatened closing of them.