Mr. Michael E. Robinson

Michael E. Robinson 04/07/52 – 07/10/23 Michael E. Robinson, attorney, professor and docent, died July 10, 2023, in Washington, DC. Michael Eugene Robinson was born April 7, 1952 to Eugene and Rita Robinson in New York City, where he grew up and was educated. Michael attended and was the first young African American man to graduate from the prestigious Dalton School in 1969. He went on to attend and graduate with honors from Yale College and received his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1976, where he was an editor of the Law Journal. After graduation, Michael served as law clerk to the Hon. Judge Robert L. Carter in federal court for the Southern District of New York. Michael moved to Washington, DC in the fall of 1977 and joined the law firm of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan. After four years of corporate law practice, Michael transitioned to his life-long passion of public service, joining the U.S. Department of Justice in the Office of Legal Policy, where Michael co-authored the Department of Justice guide for government attorneys on the use of grand jury materials. In 1987, he joined the Civil Division as Senior Appellate Counsel, arguing cases on behalf of the government in federal circuit courts around the country. He was a frequent instructor at the Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute and a frequent lecturer on the Equal Access to Justice Act. Michael also served for a time as Chair of the Department of Justice Association of Black Attorneys. When Michael retired from the Department of Justice in 2014, this did not end his commitment to public service. It simply found new outlets. Michael was selected for one of the highly coveted positions as a volunteer docent for the U.S. National Gallery. Michael also became an adjunct professor at Georgetown University School of Law, teaching a course in Supreme Court Practice. Michael spoke four languages and traveled extensively to Europe, Asia, South America, the Caribbean, and throughout the U.S., but his favorite destination of all was Italy, and for a time he hoped to settle there. From as early as Michael’s days in college, he was an active and sophisticated collector of fine art, and his home was adorned with exquisite paintings, lithographs and photographs. In fact, in recent years, Michael’s own photography became a major outlet for his boundless creativity. Michael won and was featured in numerous photography competitions, while family and friends cherished his annual photography calendars. Michael’s greatest love, however, were his two nieces, Jennifer and Lily, and his nephew, Sean. Michael never married, but he considered Jennifer, Lily and Sean to be his own children, and they brought him immeasurable joy. Our beloved Michael touched so many lives and will be greatly missed by a galaxy of people. Although he will be mourned by many, he will live on in the memory of his devoted family in New York, Connecticut, Washington and across the country. Michael is survived by his mother, Rita Robinson; by his two brothers, David, and Mark (and sister-in-law, Laura); nieces, Jennifer McEachern, Lily Smith; nephew Sean Robinson; aunts, cousins and a host of other relatives and friends. Funeral services for Michael Robinson will be held Monday evening, July 17, at J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home in Jamaica, NY, followed by interment at Maple Grove Cemetery. A memorial service for Michael Robinson will be held at his church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, at 2430 K Street, NW in Washington, DC at a later date to be determined.

Tributes

Mr. Michael E. Robinson

April 7, 1952 - July 10, 2023