Robert Lester Weinberg

Robert L. Weinberg, a longtime Washington area lawyer and civic activist, died peacefully of natural causes on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at his home in Arlington, Virginia. He is survived by Patricia Wendy Weinberg, his wife of 70 years, by his children Susan, David, and Jeremy Weinberg, and by their children Alexi, Elena, Anna, and Jacob. Bob Weinberg was born May 23, 1931, in New York City, to Abraham and Beatrice Weinberg. He grew up in Greenwich Village, and he attended The Little Red School House, Stuyvesant High School, Yale College, the London School of Economics, and Yale Law School. Each institution had a profound impact on him and brought him lifelong friends. As an undergraduate at Yale and as a Fulbright Scholar at LSE he headed the political union and student union respectively, known at each for his debating skill and quick sense of humor. Most notable and enduring from Bob’s time in London was meeting Wendy, then an undergraduate in economics at LSE. The two were married in 1956, and their daughter Susan was born in 1959. In between Bob was drafted and served two years in the U.S. Army and finished his LSE Ph.D. thesis on the theme of industrial democracy. After Bob and Wendy had each completed Yale Law School in 1960, the family moved to Arlington, Virginia, where David was born in 1963 and Jeremy in 1970. In Washington, D.C., Bob worked alongside Edward Bennett Williams and was a founding partner of the law firm that became Williams & Connolly. For the next 35 years, he practiced civil and criminal litigation, with particular focus on constitutional protections for civil rights and pro bono representation, including in capital cases. Long active in the American Bar Association House of Delegates, he also served as President of the DC Bar (1977-1978) and President of the DC Bar Association (1994-1995). Recognition of his contributions to law and the legal profession included the 1995 Servant of Justice Award from the District of Columbia Legal Aid Society, Washington Lawyer of the Year from the D.C. Bar Association in 2000, and the 2009 Pursuit of Justice Award from the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (AAJLJ). He taught a bi-weekly seminar on criminal procedure at the University of Virginia School of Law for 50 years(!), and after retirement also a course on grand jury procedure at George Washington University Law School. Bob was dedicated to his family, both immediate and extended. He took immense pride in Weinberg children, grandchildren, cousins, distant relatives, possible relatives, in any location or endeavor. He remained close to his New York relatives throughout their lives, notably his dear brother Charlie. In 1987, he and the family traveled to Eastern Europe visiting the cities and towns of his ancestors. Judaism was central to Bob's identity: he was a loyal member of the Agudas Achim and Rodef Shalom congregations in Northern Virginia, a traveler to Israel many times, and a devoted supporter of Jewish legal organizations in the U.S., including serving as president of the AAJLJ. Bob was active in local and national politics through most of his life. The British-style socialism of his student days gave way to liberal Democratic views more conventional in American politics, but his political leanings always reflected his commitment to justice and a more equitable society. He ran twice for the House of Representatives, albeit with positions too liberal to win in the Northern Virginia of the time, and was a Virginia delegate to the national Democratic convention multiple times. In his later years he was not infrequently mistaken for Senator Bernie Sanders, whom he resembled in both appearance and political leanings. After Bob retired from Williams & Connolly in 1996, he and Wendy divided their time between Arlington and Rappahannock County, about 80 miles west of D.C. They converted the weekend home they had built in 1969 into a permanent residence, and children and grandchildren came to gather during holidays and summers. They embedded themselves in the local community, with Bob serving on zoning commissions and political boards and joining a weekly “Gents Lunch,” while Wendy operated The Theatre at Washington, Virginia. Bob coached the Rappahannock high school team in chess, which he had played avidly since his Stuyvesant days, and continued enthusiastically to play tennis with a style that used remarkable economy of movement to produce surprisingly resilient defense. Throughout his life Bob was an inveterate traveler, from the cycling hostel trips of his youth to professional and family trips all over the world. Despite his lifelong aversion to cold, Bob took a cruise to Antarctica after retirement, crossing the seventh continent off his bucket list. Closer to home, he hiked Shenandoah's Old Rag Mountain at his slow and steady pace dozens of times over the decades. In his final years Bob and his family were grateful for the superb care of Sadiatu Kabia along with Jeneba Jabbie and others, and from Virginia Hospital Center and Goodwin Hospice of Northern Virginia. From his family to politics to law to community, Bob brought a spirit of brilliance, kindness and generosity to all that he did and to all who knew him. A funeral service will be held 10:30 AM, Friday, February 27, 2026 at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia, all are welcome to attend. Burial at King David Memorial Gardens will be private.

Robert Lester Weinberg

May 23, 1931 - February 19, 2026