Deborah Batts
Encyclopedia
Deborah A. Batts is a United States federal judge
, currently serving on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
. In June 1994, Deborah Batts was sworn in as a Federal District Judge
for Manhattan, becoming the nation's first openly LGBT
, African-American federal judge. She has announced her intention to take senior status
on April 13, 2012 – the day of her 65th birthday.
, Batts received an A.B.
from Radcliffe College
in 1969, and a J.D.
from Harvard Law School
in 1972. She subsequently clerked from Judge Lawrence Pierce on the Federal Court on which she now serves as a Judge. She was an Assistant U.S. Attorney
from 1979 to 1984. In 1984 she became an Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University
. She was a Special associate counsel to the Department of Investigation for New York City from 1990 to 1991.
On January 27, 1994, following the recommendation of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
, President Bill Clinton
appointed Batts to a seat on the Southern District left open in 1989 when Judge Richard Owen
took senior status
. Batts was confirmed by the United States Senate
on May 6, 1994, and received her commission on May 9, 1994. She continues to serve as an adjunct at Fordham.
2001-04 - criminal trial of Mamdouh Mahmud Salim
, charged with stabbing jail guard while awaiting separate trial in 1998 United States embassy bombings
conspiracy.
2006 - civil suit against former Environmental Protection Agency
administrator Christine Todd Whitman
alleging that she misled people near World Trade Center
site about risks of toxic air pollution after September 11, 2001 attacks
.
2008 - commercial litigation between Exxon Mobil and PdVSA with regards to Venezuela's expropriation of Exxon assets in the Orinoco Basin of Venezuela.
2009 - litigation regarding the publication of an unauthorized "sequel" to "Catcher in the Rye". Batts ordered an injunction to stop the book to going to press.
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
, currently serving on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is a federal district court. Appeals from the Southern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case...
. In June 1994, Deborah Batts was sworn in as a Federal District Judge
United States federal courts
The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
for Manhattan, becoming the nation's first openly LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
, African-American federal judge. She has announced her intention to take senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
on April 13, 2012 – the day of her 65th birthday.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Batts received an A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
in 1969, and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1972. She subsequently clerked from Judge Lawrence Pierce on the Federal Court on which she now serves as a Judge. She was an Assistant U.S. Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
from 1979 to 1984. In 1984 she became an Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
. She was a Special associate counsel to the Department of Investigation for New York City from 1990 to 1991.
On January 27, 1994, following the recommendation of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick "Pat" Moynihan was an American politician and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the United States Senate for New York in 1976, and was re-elected three times . He declined to run for re-election in 2000...
, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
appointed Batts to a seat on the Southern District left open in 1989 when Judge Richard Owen
Richard Owen (judge)
Richard Owen is a United States federal judge.Born to an opera-loving attorney, he grew up in New York, New York. Owen was in the United States Army Air Corps from 1942–45, and then received an A.B. from Dartmouth College in 1945. He received an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1950, and entered...
took senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
. Batts was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on May 6, 1994, and received her commission on May 9, 1994. She continues to serve as an adjunct at Fordham.
Major cases
1999 - criminal trial of Cheng Yong Wang and Xingqi Fu, charged in scheme to arrange transplant of organs taken from executed Chinese prisoners.2001-04 - criminal trial of Mamdouh Mahmud Salim
Mamdouh Mahmud Salim
Mamdouh Mahmud Salim is an alleged co-founder of the Islamist terrorist network al-Qaeda. He was arrested on 16 September 1998 near the German town Munich...
, charged with stabbing jail guard while awaiting separate trial in 1998 United States embassy bombings
1998 United States embassy bombings
The 1998 United States embassy bombings were a series of attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998, in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the United States embassies in the East African capitals of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The date of the...
conspiracy.
2006 - civil suit against former Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
administrator Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...
alleging that she misled people near World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
site about risks of toxic air pollution after September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
.
2008 - commercial litigation between Exxon Mobil and PdVSA with regards to Venezuela's expropriation of Exxon assets in the Orinoco Basin of Venezuela.
2009 - litigation regarding the publication of an unauthorized "sequel" to "Catcher in the Rye". Batts ordered an injunction to stop the book to going to press.