Hon. Robert Katzmann Honored With New York State Bar Association's Stanley Fuld Award

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Lupkin, Katzmann, Rakoff

ALBANY, NY (01/27/2011)(readMedia)-- 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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