Lawrence W. Pierce
Encyclopedia
Judge Lawrence Pierce is an American lawyer who served for 24 years as a federal
judge
.
A native of Philadelphia, Pierce attended St. Joseph's University and Fordham Law School. As a lawyer
, Pierce worked as a public defender
in New York City
and then served as an assistant district attorney
in Brooklyn
. From 1961 to 1963, he was a deputy commissioner of the New York City Police Department
. From 1963 to 1966, Pierce was director of the New York City Division for Youth, and from 1966 to 1970, he was director of the New York State Narcotic Control Commission.
In 1971, President
Richard Nixon
named Pierce to serve as a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
. After Pierce served as a district judge
for ten years, in 1981, President Ronald Reagan
promoted him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
. Pierce became the third African-American to serve on the Second Circuit, following Thurgood Marshall
and Amalya L. Kearse
.
Pierce assumed senior status
on the Second Circuit in 1990. In 1995, Pierce retired from the federal judiciary in order to travel abroad and become active in a project to bring law and democracy to Cambodia
.
when he was five years old and Pierce was raised with his stepmother Vi Pierce and his father Harold Pierce Sr. Judge Pierce and his older brother Dr. Harold E. Pierce Jr. were separated and only reunited at their paternal grandparents house Lillian A Willets Pierce and Warren Wood Pierce, on holidays. Pierce was married twice; first to Wilma Lorina Taylor. The couple had three sons, Warren, Michael and Mark. Warren and Michael followed in their father's footsteps and became attorneys, Mark works with the Catholic Services overseas. Pierce has four granddaughters and two grandsons. After his first wife's passing, Judge Pierce married his present wife Cynthia. She is a retired attorney and Columbia University
professor. They live in Sag Harbor, New York
.
hero Adam Pierce and Richard Pierce who married Dutch sisters Anna and Hannah Van Acka Pierce. Because of his historic lineage, he joined the Sons of the American Revolution
. This family comes from the famed Gouldtown, New Jersey
, which was one of the first interracial townships in America.
For consecutive years, Ebony Magazine listed Pierce as one of the 50 most influential African Americans in the United States.
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:...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
.
A native of Philadelphia, Pierce attended St. Joseph's University and Fordham Law School. As a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, Pierce worked as a public defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and then served as an assistant district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. From 1961 to 1963, he was a deputy commissioner of the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
. From 1963 to 1966, Pierce was director of the New York City Division for Youth, and from 1966 to 1970, he was director of the New York State Narcotic Control Commission.
In 1971, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
named Pierce to serve as a judge of the United States 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...
. After Pierce served as a district judge
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....
for ten years, in 1981, President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
promoted him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
. Pierce became the third African-American to serve on the Second Circuit, following Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
and Amalya L. Kearse
Amalya Lyle Kearse
Amalya Lyle Kearse is a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and a world-class bridge player.-Legal career:...
.
Pierce assumed 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 the Second Circuit in 1990. In 1995, Pierce retired from the federal judiciary in order to travel abroad and become active in a project to bring law and democracy to Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
Early years
Pierce was born in Philadelphia, PA. His mother, Mary Leora Bellinger Pierce. died of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
when he was five years old and Pierce was raised with his stepmother Vi Pierce and his father Harold Pierce Sr. Judge Pierce and his older brother Dr. Harold E. Pierce Jr. were separated and only reunited at their paternal grandparents house Lillian A Willets Pierce and Warren Wood Pierce, on holidays. Pierce was married twice; first to Wilma Lorina Taylor. The couple had three sons, Warren, Michael and Mark. Warren and Michael followed in their father's footsteps and became attorneys, Mark works with the Catholic Services overseas. Pierce has four granddaughters and two grandsons. After his first wife's passing, Judge Pierce married his present wife Cynthia. She is a retired attorney and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
professor. They live in Sag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, with parts in both the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton. The population was 2,313 at the 2000 census....
.
Genealogy search
Judge Pierce dedicated several years researching his family history and traced his lineage to the 18th century where he discovered he is a descendant of a Black Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
hero Adam Pierce and Richard Pierce who married Dutch sisters Anna and Hannah Van Acka Pierce. Because of his historic lineage, he joined the Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
. This family comes from the famed Gouldtown, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, which was one of the first interracial townships in America.
For consecutive years, Ebony Magazine listed Pierce as one of the 50 most influential African Americans in the United States.