Karen Burstein

Early life and education

Burstein was born on July 20, 1942 in Nassau County, New York, the daughter of international lawyer Herbert Burstein and New York State Supreme Court Justice Beatrice S. Burstein (1915–2001).{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/09/nyregion/state-justice-beatrice-s-burstein-is-dead-at-85.html |title=State Justice Beatrice S. Burstein Is Dead at 85 |website= The New York Times|last=Wong|first=Edward|date=January 9, 2001}} Burstein's mother was the first woman State Supreme Court Justice on Long Island. Burstein grew up in Baldwin, New York and Lawrence, New York. She was the first female student body president at the Woodmere Academy. A 1964 graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Burstein also was the first white full-time student at Fisk University. She graduated from Fordham Law School in 1971.

Career

Burstein taught in newly integrated Tennessee high schools and protested the Vietnam War. She has also worked as a legal services attorney.

A Democrat, Burstein unsuccessfully ran for Congress on Long Island in 1970 on an antiwar platform.

Burstein was elected to the New York State Senate in 1972. She represented a low-income section of southeast Queens as well as the wealthy Five Towns region of Long Island. As a senator, Burstein "helped negotiate major legislation on domestic violence, which has been a continuing concern of hers". She is considered to be a progressive.

Burstein was named chairwoman of the New York State Consumer Protection Board in 1980. In 1983, she was appointed president of the New York State Civil Service Commission. In 1987, Burstein was appointed Auditor General of New York City by New York City Mayor Ed Koch. New York City Mayor David Dinkins appointed Burstein to a judgeship on the New York City Family Court in 1990.

Burstein resigned her Family Court judgeship in 1994 to seek the Democratic nomination for New York Attorney General. In the primary, she faced Attorney General G. Oliver Koppell, Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes, and former prosecutor Eliot Spitzer. She won the primary and faced former U.S. Attorney Dennis Vacco of Buffalo in the general election. A week before the election, Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari opined that Burstein would not be qualified to serve as Attorney General because she is a lesbian. Vacco narrowly defeated Burstein. The New York Times called Molinari's remarks "gutter politics."

Burstein unsuccessfully sought a New York County Surrogate's Court judgeship in 1996.

Personal life

Burstein married Eric Lane in 1972. The couple later divorced. In 1990, during a judicial swearing-in ceremony, Burstein publicly acknowledged her female romantic partner. As of 1994, Burstein publicly identified as a lesbian.

Burstein is Jewish.

Burstein is the sister of John Burstein, who portrays the fictional character Slim Goodbody.

Burstein's sister, Ellen, was a television news reporter who died at the age of 59 after suffering from multiple sclerosis.

References

Attorney General of New York

References

1. Fisher, Ian. (August 7, 1994). "Burstein Brings an Edge to Attorney General's Race". The New York Times.
2. (November 20, 1972). "Eric Lane Weds Karen Burstein". The New York Times.
3. Silver, Roy R.. (October 24, 1970). "Woman, 28, Is Fighting for Wydler's L.I. House Seat". The New York Times.
4. Goldman, Ari. (June 27, 1983). "Woman in the News; New Civil Service Chief". The New York Times.
5. Fisher, Ian. (May 23, 1994). "Liberal Party Backs Bid for Attorney General". The New York Times.
6. Newman, Maria. (November 9, 1994). "THE 1994 ELECTIONS: NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL; Vacco Comes From Behind To Win Against Burstein". The New York Times.
7. (October 12, 1994). "Guy Molinari, From the Gutter". The New York Times.
8. Gelder, Lawrence Van. (September 12, 1996). "Burstein Says Primary Defeat Could Be Her Last Campaign". The New York Times.
9. Dullea, Georgia. (September 28, 1981). "Getting to Be Good Friends, After Divorce". The New York Times.
10. (October 17, 1994). "One Candidate's Lifestyle Becomes Other's Ax to Grind".
11. Klemesrud, Judy. (April 16, 1975). "This Song and Dance Routine Is Really a Class in Anatomy". [[The New York Times]].
12. Jankowski, Lisa. (December 30, 2004). "IN WORK AND LIFE, ELLEN MACFARLANE WAS EPITOME OF 'GRACE UNDER PRESSURE'".