Page 5 of 17 FirstFirst ... 3456715 ... LastLast
Results 41 to 50 of 162

Thread: The Sudden and Unexplained Rapture of America’s Federal Judiciary

  1. #41
    Senior Member CnCP Legend FFM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    1,363
    ‘Not even hospice could stop him.’ Legendary federal judge Peter Fay dies at 92

    Even on his deathbed, the law kept Peter Fay going.

    Despite his declining health, the legendary 92-year-old federal appeals court judge would screen cases one by one as they came through the system.

    “My dad worked till the very end — not even hospice could stop him,” said Michael Fay of his father, who died Sunday surrounded by the family he raised in South Miami-Dade. “He loved the law, loved his work, loved people. … His mind was just so unbelievable. It’s just his body that failed him.”

    A few months before his death, Fay joined a distinguished pantheon of federal judges who made it to 50 years on the job, a milestone only 26 others in U.S. history have reached. He had been appointed to the district court in South Florida in 1970 and, six years later, was elevated to the appeals court.

    “Few judges have served our country for so long and in such an honorable and distinguished manner,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said in a written feature of Fay. Even at 92, “Judge Fay continues to perform substantial work for the Court of Appeals and the citizens of the Eleventh Circuit.”

    Through his senior years, Fay always emphasized he had no intention of retiring. “If I had to play golf every day, I’d shoot myself,” he said at the time.

    Peter Thorpe Fay was born in New York and graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park in 1951, before attending the University of Florida College of Law in 1956. In between, he served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1953.

    In 1970, Fay was nominated by President Richard Nixon as a federal judge for the Southern District of Florida. In 1976, he was appointed by President Gerald Ford to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans. In 1981, he was reassigned to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, where he assumed senior status in 1994.

    Fay’s star rose so quickly that in 1987, when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. resigned, South Florida politicians and lawyers touted him as a strong candidate to replace him.

    Former Chief U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno said Fay’s “five decades as a magnificent judge is well known, but his humility, faith and generosity with his time is his legacy.

    “He was a true American hero, who never forgot what it was like to be a trial lawyer,” said Moreno, who has assumed senior status as federal judge in the Southern District of Florida.

    In 2019, St. Thomas University named its Law School in honor of Judge Fay. He has been named Outstanding Federal Appellate Judge by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and received the William Hoeveler Award for Ethics, Leadership, and Public Service from the University of Miami School of Law. His alma mater, the University of Florida College of Law, named its Jurist-in-Residence Program after him.

    “That’s just the beginning of what my dad did, work-wise. What his resume doesn’t touch on is what an incredible father and husband he was,” Michael Fay said, as he recalled his dad’s “relentless” effort to never miss any of his kids’ sporting events.

    “He never missed a single one of my basketball games in college,” Michael Fay said. “I would be in some town, Lord knows somewhere in the middle-of-nowhere in the southeast, and he would just drive hours to watch my game.”

    “That’s who he was. He always made people feel important.”

    Fay and his wife of 62 years, Pat Fay, adopted Michael and two other children from Catholic Charities Adoption Services when they were infants.

    “Somehow, he always knew how to utilize his time to be home for family dinners alongside having such a successful law career,” Michael Fay said, noting that his father wasn’t just a lawyer, but an exceptional athlete.

    “We played hundreds of games of basketball or touch football in the yard,” he said, noting that his father was inducted into the Rollins sports Hall of Fame for water skiing, basketball and football. “He’s likely also taught more than 3,000 people in his 92 years of life how to water ski.”

    Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Huck described Fay — his first boss practicing law — as as a kind, considerate judge who had a unique ability to make lawyers feel good about his rulings, even when he ruled against them.

    Recalling an afternoon sitting with Fay on the back porch of his summer home in North Carolina, Huck said he brought up a case in which Fay had written the published opinion reversing one of Huck’s court decisions.

    “I mentioned that it was the most generously, kindly worded reversals that I had ever experienced. He broadly smiled, explaining that when he circulated his draft opinion to the other two members of his panel for comments, one, noting the generous wording of the draft, inquired, ‘Pete, is Paul Huck your friend?’, to which he replied, ‘Yes, and don’t change a word!’ “

    Fighting back tears, Huck said, “We both had a good laugh ... and that’s what he always did, he made people smile.”

    Dick Capen, former U.S. ambassador to Spain and a former publisher of the Miami Herald, said his family was “blessed by [Fay’s] friendship for over 40 years.” Judge Fay administered Capen’s oath of office as ambassador in Washington in 1992.

    “Pete was a perennial optimist,” Capen said. “He would literally will it to be a great day, even when the world around him was in turmoil. He often spoke about how small increments of encouragement and success build an optimistic spirit.”

    Capen and other friends said that Fay and his wife, Pat, were anchored in family and faith.

    “All in all, my dad lived an unbelievable life,” said his eldest son, Michael Fay.

    “All blessings and love, literally, no regrets,” he said, reminiscing about his dad’s coined phrase. “He always used to say, ‘If it got any better, I wouldn’t know how to handle it.’ ”

    Fay is survived by his wife Pat, three adult children and seven grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are being planned.

    https://www.miamiherald.com/news/loc...248919039.html

  2. #42
    Senior Member CnCP Legend FFM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    1,363
    Respected El Paso federal Judge Philip Martinez dies at 63

    EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso has suddenly lost one of its most respected jurists.

    U.S. District Judge Philip Martinez, who presided over several major cases, died suddenly Friday night, friends and associates said. He was 63.

    Martinez grew up in El Paso and received an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and his law degree from Harvard.

    He served as an attorney in private practice in El Paso from 1982 to 1990. He served as an elected county and state district judge in El Paso from 1991 to 2002.

    He was nominated to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2001 and confirmed by the Senate in 2002. He served as a judge for the Western District of Texas in El Paso since his confirmation.

    In 2020, he ruled that a jury should decide whether a 2015 police shooting death of an El Paso man in a mental health crisis may be traced to poor training and discipline standards set by Police Chief Greg Allen. The trial had been put on hold by the Covid-19 pandemic.

    In 2019, he ruled in favor of the state of Texas in its long-running efforts to shut down gambling at El Paso’s Ysleta del Sur Pueblo. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week asked the U.S. solicitor general for an opinion on whether it should hear an appeal of that ruling.

    El Paso leaders praised Martinez’s contributions to the community.

    "I’m saddened to hear of the passing of Judge Philip Martinez. Our community has lost a tremendous leader — a great public servant dedicated to justice," said Congresswoman Veronica Escobar.

    "Shocked and saddened by this news. Judge Martinez was a true legal giant. Always had a kind words of encouragement for me on my journey," said Joe Moody, speaker pro tempore of the Texas House of Representatives.

    https://kvia.com/news/el-paso/2021/0...ez-dies-at-63/

  3. #43
    Senior Member CnCP Legend FFM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    1,363
    Longtime federal judge and lawyer from N.J. dies

    Joel Pisano, 71, who served in the U.S. Third District Court in Newark as a magistrate and judge for 24 years, has died.

    An announcement Saturday on the website of the law firm, Walsh, in which he worked shared condolences, but did not state when he died.

    “Joel was a wise counselor and dear friend to all who came to know him during his time in private practice, his many years of public service on the federal bench, and as a mediator and arbitrator,” the announcement on the website of Walsh Pizzi O’Reilly Falanga said. “Joel is survived by his wife Elizabeth, the love of his life, by his federal court family, and by the many young lawyers he mentored throughout his career.”

    There was no announcement of when funeral services will be held.

    Pisano retired as a judge in 2015. He spoke to NJ Advance Media then.

    “I’ve sentenced 800 people,” Pisano said. “And it wears on you. You take it seriously and you’ve got somebody’s life virtually under your control and it becomes very wearing after a long time. I’ll be honest with you it played a role in my decision to retire.”

    Pisano attended Belleville High School and graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. in 1971 before heading off to Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark. He served in the state’s public defender office in Newark in the early 1970s.

    “Anybody who wants to be a courtroom lawyer could not have a better starting place than as a public defender in Essex County,” Pisano said in 2015.

    After leaving the defender office, he moved on to a private practice in civil and criminal law. In 1991 he was appointed as a federal magistrate judge. In 2000, President Bill Clinton appointed him as a judge to the federal district court.

    His law firm offered a final farewell.

    “Walsh mourns the passing of Hon. Joel A. Pisano, U.S.D.J., our friend and colleague.”

    https://www.nj.com/news/2021/02/long...m-nj-dies.html

  4. #44
    Senior Member CnCP Addict johncocacola's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    643
    Both the Western District of Texas and the District of New Jersey are in dire need of more authorized judgeships. The District of New Jersey with *filled* judgeships!

    I never saw Jennifer Bendery criticize Senators Menendez and Booker for refusing to work with the White House like she did with Senators Cornyn and Cruz, despite the District of New Jersey having close to half of its seats filled. I thought courts being able to operate at full strength was important?

  5. #45
    Senior Member CnCP Legend FFM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    1,363
    Eugene Lynch deceased October 9, 2019.

    https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/lynch-eugene-f

  6. #46
    Senior Member CnCP Legend FFM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    1,363
    Peter Hall, lone Vermont judge on federal appeals court, dies at 72

    Judge Peter Hall died early Thursday morning, one week after announcing he would step back from the region’s federal appellate court.

    Hall, 72, was the lone Vermonter on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, which is based in New York City. Judge Geoffrey Crawford, Vermont’s chief federal district court judge, confirmed the news.

    The cause of Hall’s death was not immediately available.

    Hall announced last Thursday that he was taking “senior status” on the court, a form of semi-retirement. His decision allowed for President Joe Biden to appoint a successor, likely flipping the court from a 7-6 majority of Republican appointees to a slight Democratic majority, Bloomberg Law reported at the time.

    The influential 2nd Circuit hears appeals for federal districts in Connecticut, New York and Vermont.

    Hall, who worked for a Rutland law firm earlier in his career, continued to keep chambers in an office in the Rutland federal building, as well as one at the court in New York City.

    President George W. Bush appointed Hall to the post in December 2003 on the recommendation of Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. He was confirmed by the Senate in June 2004.

    Jerry O’Neill, a Burlington attorney who worked with Hall when they both were federal prosecutors, said last week that Hall held what some call “Vermont’s seat” on the 13-member court.

    Hall served as U.S. attorney for Vermont — the state’s top federal prosecutor — from 2001 until his appointment to the appeals court. He is also a past president of the Vermont Bar Association.

    “It’s such a deep loss for the state,” said Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, who served as a law clerk for Hall. She described him as a “personal mentor to me and so many Vermonters.”

    Gray added that Hall “defines integrity.” It was Hall who swore Gray in as lieutenant governor in January.

    “This is someone who has committed his life to service and the rule of law,” she said, “and despite the deteriorating health situation fought hard to do his work and do his job ’til last Thursday.”

    https://vtdigger.org/2021/03/11/pete...rt-dies-at-72/

  7. #47
    Senior Member CnCP Legend FFM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    1,363
    Obituary: Terrence F. ‘Terry’ McVerry, a former legislator and judge

    For re*tired U.S. Dis*trict Judge Ter*rence “Terry” McVerry, be*ing a ju*rist seemed to come nat*u*rally.

    “He was just born to be a judge,” said for*mer U.S. Dis*trict Judge Robert J. Cin*drich, his long*time friend, for*mer law part*ner and col*league on the fed*eral bench. “When you think of some*one who would make a great judge, you would think of Terry McVerry. He had all of the char*ac*ter*is*tics.”

    Known for his em*pa*thetic, even*handed and plain*spo*ken man*ner, Judge McVerry never strayed far from the val*ues he learned grow*ing up in a tiny coal patch in Ce*cil.

    “He never lost the foun*da*tion from those roots,” said his col*league U.S. Magis*trate Judge Mau*reen Kelly. “Terry was al*ways about treat*ing ev*ery*one with the ut*most re*spect when they came in front of him, no mat*ter who they were.”

    Judge McVerry died at his Mt. Leb*a*non home on Mon*day of com*pli*ca*tions from a re*cent fall. He was 77.

    Una*fraid of hard work, Judge McVerry, who lost his mother at the age of 11, put him*self through col*lege and law school at Duquesne Univer*sity work*ing in a strip mine and at his fam*ily’s tav*ern and con*fec*tion*ery in the ham*let of Hill Sta*tion.

    “Most peo*ple in town ei*ther worked in the coal mines or at May*view State Hos*pi*tal,” Judge McVerry re*called in the Pitts*burgh Post-Ga*zette in 2002, shortly af*ter he was ap*pointed to the fed*eral bench. “My broth*ers and I not only worked in the busi*ness, but we all worked in other jobs. My dad couldn’t af*ford to send any of us to col*lege.”

    After briefly serv*ing in ac*tive duty with the Army Re*serve, Judge McVerry joined the Air Na*tional Guard for sev*eral years as a cap*tain.

    In col*lege, he met Judy Kausek and the cou*ple wed in 1966.

    Their se*cret to a long and happy mar*riage? Respect and time to*gether, Mrs. McVerry said.

    “We just made it a point to do things to*gether,” said Mrs. McVerry, a re*tired math teacher. “We raised three won*der*ful kids that we doted on and loved ev*ery minute of it.”

    After law school, Judge McVerry went to work as an as*sis*tant dis*trict at*tor*ney in Al*le*gheny County, where he of*ten faced off with Judge Cin*drich, who rep*re*sented the pub*lic de*fender’s of*fice.

    “We were ad*ver*sar*ies and that’s how I got to know him, al*though we played high school foot*ball against each other grow*ing up,” Judge Cin*drich re*called. “In court he was the most hon*or*able, forth*right per*son you can imag*ine. He was al*ways kind to ev*ery*body and he was never rude or crude to a de*fen*dant. For those of us pub*lic de*fend*ers that was un*usual — most peo*ple didn’t treat us or our cli*ents like that. I ad*mired that and we be*came close friends.”

    While serv*ing in their re*spec*tive gov*ern*ment jobs, the two, along with the late Fred Bax*ter, started a pri*vate prac*tice that even*tu*ally grew to in*clude sev*eral other at*tor*neys.

    From 1979 to 1990, Judge McVerry served as GOP state rep*re*sen*ta*tive in the 42nd Leg*is*la*tive Dis*trict in the South Hills.

    In 1997, Judge McVerry was ap*pointed to the eight-mem*ber com*mis*sion that drafted a home rule char*ter for Al*le*gheny County.

    “He was in*stru*men*tal in build*ing the new gov*ern*ment,” Judge Cin*drich said. “I think that kind of launched his ca*reer in the ju*di*ciary.”

    By 1998, he was tapped by Gov. Tom Ridge for the county Court of Com*mon Pleas, where he served an un*ex*pired term for two years in fam*ily court.

    When the home rule char*ter was ap*proved by vot*ers, Judge McVerry worked for two years as the first so*lic*i*tor in the new form of gov*ern*ment with Jim Roddey, the first county ex*ec*u*tive.

    He was nom*i*nated by Pres*i*dent George W. Bush in 2002 to the U.S. Dis*trict Court for the Western Dis*trict of Penn*syl*va*nia, hav*ing been rated unan*i*mously by his peers in the Amer*i*can Bar As*so*ci*a*tion as “well qual*i*fied” — the high*est rec*om*men*da*tion from the or*ga*ni*za*tion. Judge McVerry was con*firmed by the U.S. Senate in a bi*par*ti*san 88-0 vote.

    His years on the fed*eral bench were marked with mo*men*tous and long-rang*ing de*ci*sions.

    With the ad*vent of in*ter*net chat*rooms and the fledg*ling so*cial me*dia scene in the 2000s, his were among the first key rul*ings in what was un*charted ter*ri*tory.

    His 2007 de*ter*mi*na*tion about whether a high school could dis*ci*pline a stu*dent for an in*ter*net par*ody of his prin*ci*pal on Myspace.com had re*ver*ber*a*tions for years to come.

    In a much-pub*li*cized de*ci*sion, he ruled that with*out ev*i*dence of sub*stan*tial dis*rup*tion to the school sys*tem, the stu*dent was pro*tected by his First Amend*ment right to free speech.

    “Pub*lic schools are vi*tal in*sti*tu*tions, but their reach is not un*lim*ited,” Judge McVerry wrote in his opin*ion.

    Judge McVerry rel*ished his time in the fed*eral courts, see*ing it as the cap*stone of a long and re*ward*ing ca*reer in the law.

    “I had as*pi*ra*tions of be*ing a [fed*eral] judge for a long, long time,” he said in the 2002 Post-Ga*zette story. “But you never know whether those as*pi*ra*tions will be ful*filled. I see it as [achiev*ing] a goal and the cul*mi*na*tion of a ca*reer.”

    Be*fore his re*tire*ment in 2016, he was one of the hard*est-work*ing mem*bers of the court, said Judge Kelly, who also got to know Judge McVerry and his wife as fel*low pa*rish*io*ners of St. Anne Cath*o*lic Church in Cas*tle Shan*non, where the cou*ple served as Eucha*ris*tic min*is*ters, de*liv*er*ing Com*mu*nion to shut-ins for many years.

    “Terry was ex*tremely dil*i*gent and con*sci*en*tious about ev*ery*thing he did,” she said. “He was in the court*house, work*ing at his desk ev*ery morn*ing by 5:30.”

    “He loved ev*ery minute of ev*ery day,” his wife said. “There wasn’t a day that he dreaded go*ing to work.”

    “Be*cause his ca*reer was so var*ied he saw things from a dif*fer*ent per*spec*tive,” said his daugh*ter Erin Crow*ley, of Bloom*ing*ton, Ind. “He was fair-minded, ded*i*cated and re*ally very pas*sion*ate about the law. He brought a lot of wis*dom to the bench.”

    And he wouldn’t brook dis*re*spect in any form in his court*room, Judge Kelly said.

    “He was al*ways an ad*vo*cate and sup*porter of women in the le*gal pro*fes*sion, and I think that’s re*ally im*por*tant,” she said. “He treated women the same way he treated men and if a male law*yer wasn’t re*spect*ful to a fe*male law*yer, he im*me*di*ately ad*dressed it. He called them on the car*pet. I can tell you that from my own ex*pe*ri*ence.”

    Known as “tickle mon*ster” to his nine grand*chil*dren and as a lover of sum*mer*time at the beach, a good game of Hearts and jaunty Ir*ish jigs, Judge McVerry knew how to let his hair down.

    “Even when we were kids, I re*mem*ber how play*ful he was,” Ms. Crow*ley said. “He’d whisk us all off to the pool in the sum*mer or sled*ding in the win*ter.”

    When her father once man*aged to jam 18 kids into his con*vert*ible to get ice cream, he in*stantly be*came the neigh*bor*hood hero, said his other daugh*ter, Brid*get McVerry, of Re*dondo Beach, Calif.

    “He was the dad who would do that,” she said, laugh*ing at the mem*ory.

    Along with his wife, daugh*ters and grand*chil*dren, Judge McVerry is also sur*vived by his son, Bryan, of Mt. Leb*a*non.

    Friends will be re*ceived at Laugh*lin Cre*ma*tion & Funeral Trib*utes, 222 Wash*ing*ton Road, Mt. Leb*a*non, from 2 to 7 p.m. Fri*day. Mass of Chris*tian Burial will be on Satur*day at 9:30 a.m. at St. Paul of the Cross Par*ish, St. Anne Church, 400 Hoo*dridge Drive, Cas*tle Shan*non.

    In lieu of flow*ers, the fam*ily re*quests me*mo*rial con*tri*bu*tions to Neigh*bor*hood Legal Ser*vices: www.nlsa.us or with a check made out to Duquesne Univer*sity School of Law, Attn: Alumni Of*fice, 600 For*bes Ave., Pitts*burgh 15282. Please note the Honor*able Ter*rence F. McVerry En*dowed Schol*ar*ship Fund in the memo line.

    https://www.post-gazette.com/news/ob...s/202103100191

  8. #48
    Senior Member CnCP Legend FFM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    1,363
    Judge John A. Nordberg

    U.S. District Court Judge John A. Nordberg of Northbrook, and longtime resident of Golf, Illinois, and Green Lake, Wisconsin, died on March 12, 2021 at the age of 94. Born in Evanston in 1926, he was active in the Swedish Covenant Church, YMCA, and Boy Scouts-rising to Eagle Scout. He was a member of the Evanston Township High School graduating class of 1943, attended Carleton College, joined the U.S. Navy and served on a ship in the Pacific Theater during WWII. While at Carleton he met Jane Spaulding, and they were married after graduation in 1947. After the war, John attended Law School at the University of Michigan, where he received his JD, class of 1950. He became a partner in the Chicago firm of Pope, Ballard, Shepherd, and Fowle, where he spent 26 years. In 1976 he became a Cook County Circuit Court Judge, and in 1982 President Ronald Reagan appointed John to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, where he served with distinction. John was an active member of many professional, social, civic, and philanthropic organizations. John was an avid sailor and tennis player. He enjoyed spending time with Jane at their summer house on Green Lake, surrounded by family and friends. John and Jane were married 73 years and have four children, Carol (Walt Gardner), Mary Eimers (David Layman), Janet (Gary Garcia), and John (Susan); 11 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.

    https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries...?pid=198034592

  9. #49
    Administrator Aaron's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Location
    New Jersey, unfortunately
    Posts
    4,382
    Former Judge Bye of the 8th Circuit died on March 20.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Edward_Bye
    Don't ask questions, just consume product and then get excited for next products.

    "They will hurt you. They will hurt your grandma, these people. The root cause of this is there's no discipline in the homes, they don't go to school, you know, they live off the government, no personal accountability, and they just beat people up for no reason, and it's disgusting." - Former Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters

  10. #50
    Senior Member CnCP Legend FFM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    1,363
    Robert Parker deceased 8/27/2020.

    https://www.fjc.gov/node/1386106

Page 5 of 17 FirstFirst ... 3456715 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •