Lawrence Herman

Lawrence (Larry) Herman, Professor Emeritus of Criminal Law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, passed away in Columbus, Ohio on June 26, 2022 at the age of 93. He is survived by Ann Brace, his wife of 19 years; sons David Herman (Sabah Siddiqui Herman), George Zonders (Colleen Dalton-Zonders), Christopher Brace, Matthew Brace, and daughter Courtney Satterwhite (Tim); grandchildren Ayub Herman, Sarah Zonders, Morgan Satterwhite, and Taylor Satterwhite; and sister-in-law Marilyn Herman. Preceded in death by his wives Lucy Rabe Herman and Karen N. Zonders, brother Allen Herman, and son Matthew Herman.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1929, Larry received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Cincinnati. Following graduation, he became a teaching fellow at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago. He served during the Korean War in the Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps in Stuttgart, Germany and returned to Chicago to clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Julius J. Hoffman. He taught at Western Reserve University Law School in Cleveland before coming to Ohio State.

An expert in constitutional and criminal law, Larry joined the faculty of The Ohio State University College of Law in 1961. During his 53-year career at Ohio State, he taught Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Domestic Relations, and Trial & Appellate Practice. Prior to assuming Emeritus status, he was the Presidents Club Professor of Law. His passion was teaching, especially through the Moot Court program which he directed for thirty-one years. Several teams and individuals were national champions or participated in the National Championship, and the College of Law’s intramural competition now carries his name. He retired in December 2014.

Larry was a founding director and lecturer at the Ohio State Summer Law Program at St. Anne’s College, Oxford University in England. He also was a visiting scholar in an international conference on constitutional rights at the University of Genoa Law School in Italy.

From 1967 to 1987, Larry served on the national board of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and was one of three national general counsel from 1980 to 1986. He also served on the board of directors and executive committee of the ACLU of Ohio.

Larry spent some twenty winters on the Big Island in Hawaii, loved sushi, and was regularly sighted in law school halls wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt. A world traveler, he loved opera, classical music, and jazz. He had a lifelong fondness for the mysteries of British authors Colin Dexter and John Mortimer. He was also an ardent Cincinnati Reds fan.

Private arrangements are being made by the family. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Larry’s memory to the Lawrence Herman Fund for Excellence, https://go.osu.edu/larry_herman; The Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, foundation.uc.edu; ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, promusicacolumbus.org/give/, or the ACLU Foundation, https://action.aclu.org/give/now.