1-9-26: Passing of Professor William (Bill) Heffernan

TO: John Jay Community
FROM: Keisha Pottinger-Moore, Director of Human Resources Operations
DATE: January 9, 2026
RE:  Passing of Professor William (Bill) Heffernan

It is with sadness that I share the news that William (Bill) Heffernan, Professor in the Criminal Justice Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the City University of New York passed away peacefully on December 31.

Bill was born in 1946 to Joseph Heffernan and Marion Cahill Heffernan. After studying political science at Columbia, he received his PhD in history from Harvard and his JD from the University of Chicago. In 1979, he joined the faculty of John Jay, serving as a legendary teacher for 46 years. A scholar of constitutional law, Bill was known for his work on the Fourth Amendment and for his book Privacy and the American Constitution. Bill also co- founded the journal Criminal Justice Ethics and co-edited it for many years. Bill is survived by his wife Denise, his children Sarah, David, and Michael, and his granddaughter Elizabeth.

The funeral service is on Saturday January 10, 2026 from 2-4pm at Ballard-Durand Funeral Home in White Plains. 

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