Second Year Harvard Law Student, Described as ‘Pure Magic,’ Dies at 25

Second year Harvard Law School student Thomas B. “Tommy” Raskin has died, his father, Rep. Jamin Ben “Jamie” Raskin ’83 (D-Md.), announced in a statement Thursday.

“Tommy was pure magic. His brilliance and compassion knew no bounds. He passionately loved his family, friends, and animals, and was devoted to the cause of the global poor,” the statement reads. “We are devastated and demolished to be without him.”

The family did not announce a cause of death.

Thomas Raskin, 25, graduated from Amherst College in 2017. He had been a teaching fellow in the undergraduate course General Education 1171: “Justice: Ethics in an Age of Pandemic and Racial Reckoning,” according to his LinkedIn profile.

“Tommy is survived by his beloved sisters Hannah and Tabitha, dozens of loving aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and grandparents Arlene Bloom and Lynn Raskin,” the official statement added. “The family is grateful for the outpouring of support and love from neighbors, constituents, and friends but asks everyone to observe strict COVID-19 protocols during this time of grief.”

Raskin’s father is serving his second term representing Maryland’s 8th congressional district and formerly taught constitutional law at American University. His mother, Sarah Bloom Raskin, is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a former U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary.

—Staff writer Emmy M. Cho can be reached at emmy.cho@thecrimson.com.