Judge Arthur Spatt. Photos: David Handschuh/NYLJ U.S. Senior District Judge Arthur Spatt. Photos: David Handschuh/NYLJ

U.S. Senior District Judge Arthur Spatt of the Eastern District of New York, who died Friday from complications related to blood cancer, will be remembered for his kind spirit and his tireless work ethic, his fellow judges agreed.

"His hours were legendary," Second Circuit Judge Joseph Bianco said Saturday. "It made everybody else feel like they were part-timers. He's in his 90s, working six days a week and hearing cases."

At 94, Spatt remained an active senior judge on Long Island even as courthouse operations were interrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Judge Roslynn Mauskopf of the Eastern District of New York said.

His enthusiasm for the job was the same on his last day as on his first, Bianco said, remembering how Spatt's face would light up when he described a case.

"He used to say all the time that being a district court judge is the best job you could ever have," Bianco said.

Mauskopf described Spatt as a "true gentleman" with an infectious smile.

"[He] didn't suffer fools lightly but had the biggest, kindest heart imaginable," she said. "It didn't matter if you were a judge or a law clerk or a secretary or someone on the cleaning staff, he treated everyone exactly the same way, kind and caring."

Spatt grew up in Brooklyn and served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific theater during World War II, before returning home to finish college at Ohio State University and graduate from Brooklyn Law School. He spent 25 years in private practice, and 2020 marked his 70th year as a member of the Nassau County Bar Association.

Before taking the federal bench in 1989, Spatt served as a state court judge, including as administrative judge of Nassau County and as an associate justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department.

In December, the atrium of Central Islip's federal courthouse was dedicated in Spatt's honor and to commemorate his 40 years of service as a federal judge.

"He was beaming that day," Bianco remembered. "He had his family there, all his colleagues who he loved so much. That dedication, I think, reflected the permanent mark he's left on the court, on the law, on Long Island."

Bianco said Spatt's love for the law was contagious, and he was always willing to share his wisdom and advice with his colleagues.

"To him it was not work, it was a labor of love," Bianco said.

In an email to the staff of his office, U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said trying a case before Spatt reminded attorneys of "what a privilege it is to do what we do."

"The term 'the Honorable' is an honorific that we attach to judges' names as a sign of respect for the court itself," Donoghue wrote. "In the case of Judge Spatt, there is no adjective more accurate. He was truly an honorable man who loved his country, the court and the people we all serve."

Read more:

Still Serving: Eastern District Judge Arthur Spatt

Long Island Court Atrium Dedicated to Judge Arthur Spatt