Prominent Civil Rights Attorney Found Dead in NJ Hotel

Friends and family are mourning a South Jersey defense and civil rights attorney who was found dead inside a hotel.

Police found the body of William Buckman inside a room at the Residence Inn on Route 38 in Mount Laurel, New Jersey Tuesday. He was 61 years old.

A cause of death has not been determined, but police don’t suspect any foul play.

Buckman, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey was president of the William H. Buckman Law Firm in Moorestown and specialized in civil rights cases.

He is best known for his role in the State vs. Soto case in 1995. Buckman was one of the lead attorneys in the trial against New Jersey State Police troopers who were accused of racially profiling minority drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Buckman served on the board of trustees for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and was also its treasurer. He also served as president of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the ACLU of NJ.

Buckman won several awards during his career, including the Roger N. Baldwin Civil Liberties Award from the ACLU of New Jersey, the Justice Award from the Black Ministers’ Council of New Jersey and the Presidential Award for Furthering the Cause of Civil Rights from the Southern Gloucester County Chapter of the NAACP.