Steve Charnovitz, an associate professor of law and former parliamentarian of the Faculty Senate and GW Law, died on March 23. He was 71.
Charnovitz, who was on sabbatical this semester, joined GW in 2004 and conducted research on international trade and law, U.S. foreign relations law and environmental sustainability. His colleagues remember him as a thoughtful, kind and intellectual soul whose devotion to the University was reflected in his conscientious teaching style and commitment to the Faculty Senate.
“The legacy he leaves in my mind is that he went beyond that, to impact society, to impact the way our students led their professional lives or will lead their professionals lives forever because he was the model of integrity and the use of law to do justice in the world,” Dayna Bowen Matthew, dean of the law school, said.
Charnovitz served as parliamentarian of the Faculty Senate from 2008 to 2021, the longest anyone held the position in the senate’s history.
During his time as parliamentarian, Charnovitz improved the senate’s transparency by providing regular updates on its website. He also worked with former Faculty Senate Executive Committee Chair Sylvia Marotta-Walters to develop a resolution permitting the senate to hold virtual meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Charnovitz also served as the parliamentarian for the law school, where he assisted Matthew on procedural matters during faculty meetings and ensured meetings followed established rules and protocols.
Matthew said Charnovitz was passionate about providing a “transformative” educational experience by conveying the “nobility” and “ethos” that comes with being a lawyer. She said he was an “excellent” teacher, but his talents went beyond teaching technical knowledge to include acting as a positive role model for students by showing them how to use law to make the world more just.
Matthew said Charnovitz utilized parliamentary procedures to make GW a more equitable institution by using his position as parliamentarian of the law school to enforce “rule of law,” ensuring all parties followed the rules of when to speak during meetings. She said he also made the University more democratic by using parliamentary procedure to encourage debate and ensure everyone’s voices were heard during faculty meetings.
“He was precise,” Matthew said. “He was on call. I remember where he used to sit in my faculty meetings, even if the room was empty, and there was almost nobody else there, he was there.”
Matthew said Charnovitz worked as the law school’s parliamentarian up until the week before his death, and that it would be hard for a memorial to measure how much he cared about the University.
“I wish there was a way to honor how much he cared about building the institution, both the law school and the University,” Matthew said.
The law school will plan a memorial for Charnovitz before the end of the academic year, according to an April statement from Matthew.
Charnovitz received his bachelor’s degree in 1975 from Yale College and juris doctor in 1998 at Yale Law School, as well as a master’s in public policy from Harvard University. Before joining GW in 2004, he practiced law at WilmerHale and was the director of the Global Environment & Trade Study at Yale, according to his obituary.
He was also the policy director at the Competitiveness Policy Council, an independent federal advisory committee designed to promote the U.S. economy, from 1991 to 1995. In this role, he issued reports to Congress and the president on policy stances that would increase the American economic productivity.
Charnovitz worked as a legislative assistant to the Speakers of the House Jim Wright and Tom Foley from 1987 to 1991 and was an analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor, according to his obituary.
Charnovitz was the author, co-author or editor of four books and over 274 articles, essays and book reviews. He served on the editorial boards of six different journals and was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute, according to his obituary.
Karen Brown, the Theodore Rinehart professor of business law, who chaired the appointments committee that hired Charnovitz in 2004, said he stuck out during the hiring process because he was already regarded as one of the “leading thinkers” in the field of international trade law due to his role in several organizations, like the Competitiveness Policy Council and the GETS at Yale, and prolific work as a writer and speaker.
Brown said Charnovitz was a “peaceful” person who would do the best he could to help those around him.
“He’s the kind of person who would go out of his way if he thought somebody needed something to help them,” Brown said. “No matter what he was doing, he would put that aside.”
Brown said when a member of the law school faculty fell seriously ill around 10 years ago, Charnovitz went beyond the call of duty to support her and get her the medical help she needed.
“He’s somebody who could never be replaced,” Brown said. “He’s definitely a one of a kind person.”
Michael Abramowicz, the associate dean for strategy and innovation at the law school and Oppenheim professor of law, said he and Charnovitz met during their first year of law school, when they were assigned to the same “small group,” which is a cohort of 10 to 20 first year law students who take classes together. He said Charnovitz was a thoughtful and generous spirit.
“I was fortunate when Steve later joined the GW Law faculty, where he exhibited the same manner and endeared himself to all of our colleagues,” Abramowicz said in an email.
Robert Cottrol, the Harold Paul Green Research professor of law and a faculty senator who served with Charnovitz during his tenure as parliamentarian, said Charnovitz was a “dedicated” and “caring” member of the GW community, citing his work in the law school and the Faculty Senate.
“A well respected member of the faculty, he lent his skills as a parliamentarian to both law school faculty meetings and to the University Senate,” Cottrol said in an email.
The Faculty Senate held a moment of silence for Charnovitz during their May meeting. Faculty Senate Executive Committee Chair Katrin Schultheiss said during the meeting that Charnovitz was a highly respected scholar with a “sharp intellect” whose presence will be missed at the University.
“Steve served as a senate parliamentarian for 13 years, providing careful, read, reasoned advice to the senate, including his repeated reminders that there’s no such thing as a friendly amendment,” Schultheiss said.
Charnovitz was born on September 15, 1953 in Savannah, Georgia. Outside of work, Charnovitz enjoyed playing tennis, running, travelling, ballroom and tango dancing and yoga with his wife, Sally Charnovitz, according to his obituary.
Charnovitz is survived by his wife and her son Joseph, his sister Diane Cummings, two aunts and several nieces, nephews and cousins. He will be buried with his parents at King David Memorial Gardens in Fairfax, Virginia, and a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date, according to his obituary.
