Upon graduating from his hometown Walnut Hills High School, Levinson attended Stanford University where he obtained his bachelor's degree in political science in 1968.
It is from his private practice that Governor John Waihee appointed Levinson in 1989 to the Hawaii State Judiciary as a circuit court judge.
[citation needed] In 1993, as a Hawaii State Supreme Court Justice, Levinson wrote a notable opinion in the case of Baehr v. Lewin, 852 P.2d 44 (Haw.
He cited Article I, Section 5 of the Hawaii Constitution in stating: No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of the person's civil rights or be discriminated against in the exercise thereof because of race, religion, sex or ancestry.
Although the ruling gave a push to the gay-rights movement, in 1998, Hawaii's residents voted in favor of amending the state's constitution to allow the legislature "the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.