Nina Gershon
Encyclopedia
Nina Gershon is a federal district judge
in the Eastern District of New York
. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton
in 1996 at the recommendation of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
. She assumed senior status
on October 16, 2008.
Prior to her appointment as a district judge, Judge Gershon served for twenty years as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of New York
. Before that, she was Chief of the Consumer Protection Division for the New York City Law Department
(1975–76); Chief of Federal Appeals for the Law Department (1972–75); Assistant Corporation Counsel
for the Law Department (1968–69 and 1970–72); and a Staff Attorney for the Supreme Court of New York and the Mental Health Information Service (1966–68).
in English with honors from Cornell
(1962) and an L.L.B. from Yale
(1965). In 1965 and 1966, she was a Fulbright Scholar at the London School of Economics
' Hampstead Clinic.
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....
in the Eastern District of New York
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the entirety of Long Island and Staten Island...
. She was appointed by 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...
in 1996 at 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...
. She 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 October 16, 2008.
Prior to her appointment as a district judge, Judge Gershon served for twenty years as a United States Magistrate Judge in 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...
. Before that, she was Chief of the Consumer Protection Division for the New York City Law Department
New York City Law Department
The New York City Law Department is the branch of the municipal government of New York City responsible for most of the city's legal affairs. The Department is headed by the Corporation Counsel of New York City.-Duties of the Department:...
(1975–76); Chief of Federal Appeals for the Law Department (1972–75); Assistant Corporation Counsel
Corporation Counsel
The Corporation Counsel is the title given to the chief legal officer in some municipal and county jurisdictions, who handles civil claims against the city, including negotiating settlements and defending the city when it is sued. Most corporation counsels do not prosecute criminal cases, though...
for the Law Department (1968–69 and 1970–72); and a Staff Attorney for the Supreme Court of New York and the Mental Health Information Service (1966–68).
Education
Gershon holds a B.A.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...
in English with honors from Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
(1962) and an L.L.B. from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
(1965). In 1965 and 1966, she was a Fulbright Scholar at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
' Hampstead Clinic.
Notable cases
- In the 1970s, working as a lawyer for New York City, Gershon won a court ruling that rejected the building of Grand Central Tower on top of Grand Central TerminalGrand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, which would have ruined the historical site. The ruling was later upheld in Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York CityPenn Central Transportation Co. v. New York CityPenn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City, was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision on compensation for regulatory takings.-The New York City Landmarks Law:...
.
- In 1999, Gershon ruled that New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani could not cut the Brooklyn Museum of Art's funding after it mounted an exhibit entitled "Sensation"Sensation exhibitionSensation was an exhibition of the collection of contemporary art owned by Charles Saatchi, including many works by Young British Artists, which first took place 18 September – 28 December 1997 at the Royal Academy of Art in London and later toured to Berlin and New York...
. Giuliani described the works in the exhibit as "sick" and "disgusting."
- In 2000, Gershon ruled that New York's century-old kosher food laws violated the First AmendmentFirst Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
.
- In the spring of 2006, Gershon presided over the trial of Shahawar Matin SirajShahawar Matin SirajShahawar Matin Siraj is a Pakistani American who planned to bomb the Herald Square of Manhattan, New York, when police arrested him in 2004. A New York court found Siraj guilty of plotting to commit a terrorist act in U.S. v. Shahawar Matin Siraj . Siraj worked at an Islamic bookstore in Bay...
, a PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i immigrant who was accused of plotting to blow up New York's Herald SquareHerald SquareHerald Square is formed by the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue and 34th Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Named for the New York Herald, a now-defunct newspaper formerly headquartered there, it also gives its name to the surrounding area...
subway station. After a four week trial, a jury found Siraj guilty of four crimes, including plotting to bomb a public transportation system. On January 8, 2007, Gershon sentenced Siraj to 30 years imprisonment for his role in the plot.
- On December 11, 2009, Judge Gershon issued a preliminary injunctionPreliminary injunctionA preliminary injunction, in equity, is an injunction entered by a court prior to a final determination of the merits of a legal case, in order to restrain a party from going forward with a course of conduct or compelling a party to continue with a course of conduct until the case has been decided...
against the United States Government preventing the implementation of a law barring the Association of Community Organizations for Reform NowAssociation of Community Organizations for Reform NowThe Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now was a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues...
(ACORN) from receiving federal funds. Judge Gerson found that the law, passed as part of an Appropriation billAppropriation billAn appropriation bill or running bill is a legislative motion which authorizes the government to spend money. It is a bill that sets money aside for specific spending...
, was an unconstitutional Bill of attainderBill of attainderA bill of attainder is an act of a legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a judicial trial.-English law:...
. The Second Circuit Court of AppealsUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
overturned this decision on August 13, 2010.