Background
Levin, Theodore was born on February 18, 1897 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Son of Joseph and Ida (Rosin) Levin.
Levin, Theodore was born on February 18, 1897 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Son of Joseph and Ida (Rosin) Levin.
Bachelor of Laws, University of Detroit, 1920, Master of Laws, 1924. Doctor of Laws (honorary), Wayne State University, 1961. Doctor of Hebrew Literature, Hebrew Union College, 1970.
Levin received a Bachelor of Laws from University of Detroit School of Law in 1920, and an Master of Laws from the same institution in 1924. In the 1930s, Levin was part of a group of immigration lawyers who opposed the Michigan Alien Registration and Fingerprinting Acting. On July 3, 1946, Levin was nominated by President Harry South. Truman to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by Edward Julien Moinet.
Levin was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 25, 1946, and received his commission on July 27, 1946.
He served as chief judge of the court from 1959 to 1967, and thereafter served until his death. During his tenure as a federal judge, Levin advocated the creation of the Sentencing Council, which proposed reforms and standards for criminal sentences imposed in federal courts.
This sentencing council was widely copied in other United States District Courts. In 1995, the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse in Detroit was named in his memory.
He was a member of the executive board of the National Refugees Service Administration and an officer of the Michigan Commission on Displaced Persons. In 1933, Levin was appointed special assistant attorney general in an investigation into the Michigan Bank Holiday and from 1944 to 1946, he served as a member of the Selective Service Appeal Board.
Married Rhoda Katzin, May 31, 1925. Children: Charles L., Miriam L., Daniel East., Joseph.