ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An Essex County lawyer who oversaw several landmark civil rights cases in New Jersey is being mourned by colleagues after passing away last week.
Ed Barocas of Fairfield died on Sept. 11 at the age of 59. According to his obituary, funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at Bernheim Apter Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel in Livingston. The family will be receiving guests from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.
The ACLU of New Jersey – where Barocas served as legal director for nearly two decades – was among those mourning his passing.
According to the ACLU-NJ, Barocas oversaw landmark cases involving free speech, same-sex marriage, religious freedom, government secrecy, due process and more. Following his retirement, he served as a member of the nonprofit's board of trustees for six years.
In 2019, Barocas received the ACLU-NJ's highest honor – the Roger N. Baldwin Award – which is given for lifetime or exceptional contributions to civil liberties in the United States, and was named the New Jersey Law Journal's Attorney of the Year.
Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey, said Barocas was a "dear friend, incredible colleague and mentor" – as well as a champion for justice.
"He dedicated his life and profession to protecting civil liberties, and his passion had a profound impact that resonated beyond New Jersey," Sinha said. "From challenging secret detention and surveillance practices post-9/11, to petitioning the DOJ to investigate the Newark Police Department which led to a transformative consent decree, Ed played a leading role in some of the most monumental civil rights victories of our time."
"As the legal director of the ACLU-NJ, Ed helped build one of the most formidable litigation departments in the state," Sinha said. "His legacy will endure through the scores of lawyers he has mentored and inspired, and the countless lives he has touched."
Barocas recently published a memoir, "Chasing Justice and Butterflies: A Memoir of Overcoming and Becoming," which chronicles his legal career and personal life.
"My work allowed me to feel like my childhood heroes: like Curious George, I always had a sense of awe and excitement because the cases were never dull, and I was able to help ensure that others could live to their true nature or outside the box," Barocas recalled in an interview with the ACLU-NJ. "And like Horton the Elephant, I got to be the voice of those who needed one."
"I look back now with both the child and adult in me quite fulfilled," he said.
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