Batts, Nation's First Openly Gay US Judge, Remembered as 'Trailblazer' and for Work on Offender Rehabilitation
"Judge Batts' devotion to these individuals and to their rehabilitation earned their loyalty and trust; it will be difficult to replace her," Southern District of New York Chief Judge Colleen McMahon said.
February 04, 2020 at 01:11 PM
4 minute read
Deborah A. Batts, the nation's first openly gay federal judge, who died Monday at the age of 72, was remembered by New York's legal community as a "trailblazer" and devoted jurist who inspired generations of lawyers.
A Philadelphia native and former law professor, Batts had served on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, since her confirmation under President Bill Clinton in 1994. The court confirmed her death on Monday but did not provide additional details.
Batts took senior status in 2012 and served in that capacity until her passing on Monday. The cause of death was not immediately clear.
"Deborah Batts was a trailblazer in every respect: an openly gay African-American woman who became a United States District Judge after a distinguished career as a federal prosecutor and law professor," Colleen McMahon, chief judge of the Southern District said in a statement. "She will be remembered by her colleagues for her devotion to the work of the court, for her mentorship of a cadre of young lawyers of all backgrounds, and for her infectious smile and extraordinary collegiality."
McMahon said one of Batts' greatest contributions to the court came at the end of her life, as she oversaw the Southern District's RISE Courts, which allow offenders to earn reductions in their period of supervised release in exchange for participating in a special rehabilitative program under intensive judicial supervision.
"Judge Batts' devotion to these individuals and to their rehabilitation earned their loyalty and trust; it will be difficult to replace her," McMahon said. "Our hearts are broken at her premature passing."
Batts received her undergraduate degree from Radcliffe College in 1969 and earned her law degree from Harvard Law School in 1972. She clerked for former Judge Lawrence Pierce of the Southern District before working as a federal prosecutor from 1979 to 1984. She also taught property, legal research and writing at Fordham University Law School from 1984 to 1994, when she resigned her tenure to join the federal bench.
Her professional affiliations included the Bar Association of the City of New York, the Metropolitan Black Bar Association and the Lesbian and Gay Law Association of Greater New York, or LeGaL.
Henry "Hank" Greenberg, president of the New York State Bar Association, called Batts' death a "huge loss."
"She was revered by the bench and the bar alike, not only for her legal acumen and long career of service, but also for the number of students she taught during her time at Fordham University School of Law," Greenberg said in a statement. "Even when she assumed senior status, she kept a very busy docket, and she will be deeply missed by all New Yorkers as a judge's judge."
LeGaL, which honored Batts' distinguished service to the LGBT community with its Community Vision Award in 1995, said she was owed a "tremendous debt of gratitude" for her contributions to law and legal community.
"Judge Batts leaves behind a broad legacy for all New Yorkers as a trailblazer and an astute jurist," the group said. "Judge Batts was a member of the LGBT Bar Association of New York for many years, and her decades of public service are an inspiration to the diverse LGBT legal professionals this bar association represents."
At the time of her death, Batts was slated to preside over Michael Avenatti's planned trial on charges that he cheated adult film star and former client Stormy Daniels out of the proceeds of a book deal.
The trial, which was scheduled to begin in April, was expected to be delayed, and the case was reassigned Tuesday morning to McMahon.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllDecision of the Day: Attorney in Social Security Case Awarded Fees, But Must Pay Client Refund Under Equal Access to Justice Act
The Kids Online Safety Act Threatens Free Speech and Opens the Door to Political Weaponization
6 minute readFTC's New 'Click To Cancel' Rule Is Here, But Will It Survive Judicial Challenge?
9 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Infant Formula Judge Sanctions Kirkland's Jim Hurst: 'Overtly Crossed the Lines'
- 2Trump's Return to the White House: The Legal Industry Reacts
- 3Election 2024: Nationwide Judicial Races and Ballot Measures to Watch
- 4Climate Disputes, International Arbitration, and State Court Limitations for Global Issues
- 5Judicial Face-Off: Navigating the Ethical and Efficient Use of AI in Legal Practice [CLE Pending]
- 6How Much Does the Frequency of Retirement Withdrawals Matter?
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250