January 27, 2011
HON. ROBERT KATZMANN HONORED WITH NEW YORK STATE BAR
ASSOCIATION’S STANLEY FULD AWARD
NEW YORK—Hon. Robert Katzmann, United States Circuit Judge for
the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, received the Stanley
H. Fuld Award from the New York State Bar Association on January 26
during its Annual Meeting at the Hilton New York in Manhattan. Sponsored
by the State Bar’s Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, the
award is presented annually to recognize individuals who have made
outstanding contributions to the development of commercial law and
jurisprudence in New York.
The section honored Judge Katzmann for his outstanding work as a
jurist on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and his outspoken advocacy
in support of enhancing the quality of legal services provided to
immigrants. A strong proponent of attorneys donating more hours of
free legal services to the indigent, his efforts have increased the
amount of pro bono representation in removal proceedings. He also served
as a judicial focal point for a group of more than 50 volunteers he
recruited – known as the Katzmann Study Group – that is
devoted to increasing the quality of competent legal representation of
the immigrant poor.
“Judge Katzmann is a visionary leader in protecting the rights
and interests of immigrants. Due to his exceptional efforts, indigent
immigrants are able to receive quality legal representation with
excellent attorneys that donate their time and skill to those who
desperately need it,” said Jonathan Lupkin of New York (Flemming
Zulack Williamson Zauderer LLP), chair of the Commercial and Federal
Litigation Section. “On behalf of the Commercial and Federal
Litigation Section, we are honored to be presenting this prestigious
award to a true champion for justice.”
A lawyer and political scientist by training, Judge Katzmann received
his undergraduate degree from Columbia College and a master’s
degree and a doctorate from Harvard University. He earned his law degree
from Yale Law School, where he was an article and book review editor of
the Yale Law Journal. Katzmann won the American Immigration Lawyers
Association 2010 Michael Maggio Pro Bono Award for his outstanding
efforts in providing pro bono representation in the immigration
field.
Judge Katzmann was nominated by President Bill Clinton to his appeals
court judgeship on March 8, 1999 and confirmed by the United States
Senate on July 14, 1999. At the time of his appointment, he was serving
as Walsh Professor of Government, Professor of Law and Professor of
Public Policy at Georgetown University; as a fellow of the Government
Studies Program of the Brookings Institution; and as president of the
Governance Institute.
Judge Katzmann also served as co-chair of the Federal Trade
Commission transition team and as special counsel to Senator Daniel
Patrick Moynihan on the confirmation of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He
has been a board director of the American Judicature Society, a public
member of the Administrative Conference of the United States, and a
vice-chair of the Committee on Government Organization and Separation of
Powers of the ABA Section on Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice.
He has also been a consultant to the Federal Courts Study Committee.
The Fuld Award is named for the late Chief Judge Stanley H. Fuld, who
also served on the New York State Court of Appeals from 1946 to
1973.
Previous award recipients include: Hon. Jonathan Lippman, chief
judge, New York State Court of Appeals; Hon. Loretta A. Preska, chief
judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New
York; Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt, retired associate judge, New York State
Court of Appeals; Hon. Antonin Scalia, associate justice, United States
Supreme Court; and Hon. Judith S. Kaye, retired chief judge, New York
State Court of Appeals.
The 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official
statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary
state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, State Bar programs
and activities have continuously served the public and improved the
justice system for 135 years.
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