Alvin Hellerstein
| Alvin Hellerstein | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
| Title: | Senior Judge |
| Station: | New York, NY |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | Bill Clinton |
| Active: | 10/22/1998 - 01/29/2011 |
| Senior: | 01/30/2011 - Present |
| Preceded by: | Louis Stanton |
| Succeeded by: | Jesse Furman |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1933 |
| Home State: | New York, NY |
| Bachelors: | Columbia, B.A., 1954 |
| Law School: | Columbia Law, J.D., 1956 |
| Military service: | U.S. Army 1957 - 1960 |
Contents |
Alvin K. Hellerstein is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He joined the court in 1998 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton. Hellerstein assumed senior status on January 31, 2011.
Early life and education
Hellerstein graduated from Columbia-New York with his Bachelor's Degree in 1954 and later graduated from Columbia-New York Law with his juris doctorate degree in 1956. He served as a member of the U.S. Army JAG Corps from 1957 to 1960. [1]
Professional career
Hellerstein began his legal career as a law clerk for federal judge Edmund Palmieri in the Southern District of New York from 1956 to 1957. He spent the rest of his pre-judicial legal career as a private practice attorney in New York City from 1960 to 1998. [1]
Judicial career
Southern district of New York
On the recommendation of U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Hellerstein was nominated by President Bill Clinton on May 15, 1998 to a seat vacated by Louis Stanton. Hellerstein was confirmed by the Senate on October 21, 1998 on a majority voice vote and received commission on October 22, 1998. [1][2]
Notable cases
A notable case on this page needs to be updated.
CIA secret documents
Judge Hellerstein ruled against the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over a lawsuit which sought to force the CIA to release secret documents in regard to interrogations involving terror detainees. Hellerstein's ruling claimed that intelligence methods must be protected without risking national security. [3]
9/11 illness case
On February 19, 2010, Judge Hellerstien accepted twelve cases filed by responders to Ground Zero over illnesses caused by ash and dust from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The twelve cases are against the City of New York and related contractors on claims that the City failed to provide protective equipment to the first responders working at Ground Zero. How the twelve cases would end could have an impact on similar cases still unsettled in court[4].
On March 11, 2010, the City of New York announced a $575 million dollar settlement between the city and 10,000 rescue and clean-up workers. The settlement must be approved by 95% of the plaintiffs and the judge before any people receive damages.[5]
After a settlement deal was announced, Judge Hellerstien wanted to hear from people who were affected by illness before making a decision on a settlement. Also, Hellerstien criticized the settlement for having 33 percent of the settlement go to legal fees in which should be reduced to 15 percent. However, amendments can be done during the public comment period before the settlement can be approved.[6]
On April 12, 2010, Hellerstien was very critical of attorneys for both sides in the case for not being notified of new settlement negotiations. Judge Hellerstien said to the attorneys in the hearing: "I'm being left in the dark". The next hearing for the settlement is scheduled on April 27, 2010.[7]
9/11 Wrongful Death
On July 28, 2009, Judge Hellerstein granted trial for three wrongful death lawsuits against two major airlines. The wrongful death lawsuits were filed by families that lost oved ones in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Trial is set for April 2, 2010. [8]
9/11 Airlines Case
On July 16, 2009, Judge Hellerstein dismissed a lawsuit filed by major airlines seeking rights to question FBI agents about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The lawsuit was part of a plan for the airlines to question FBI agents and seek access to evidence related to the September 11th attacks. The airlines who sued the FBI wanted to prove in court that the government was inadequately prepared to prevent the terrorist attacks. [9]
Hellerstein ruled against the airline's claim stating, "the defendants have also argued that the terrorists likely would have succeeded, even if the defendants had exercised due care. The issues to be tried relate to the acts and omissions of the aviation defendants, not the government". He also explained: "the government's failures to detect and abort the terrorist plots would not affect the defendant's potential liability." [9]
See also
External links
- List of Article III judges of the Southern District of New York
- The Robing Room- Rate Judge Hellerstein
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hellerstein's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ "THOMAS" Nomination of Alvin Hellerstien, May 6, 2009 (Search for Alvin Hellerstein)
- ↑ "VOA News" New York Federal Judge Denies Request For CIA Secret Documents, October 1, 2009
- ↑ The Washington Post "Judge sets stage for trials over 9/11 illnesses", February 20, 2010
- ↑ New York Daily News "City agrees to settlement with more than 10,000 Ground Zero WTC responders worth at least $575M", March 11, 2010
- ↑ FOX News "Judge Wants to Hear From Sick WTC Workers Before Voting Begins on $657M Settlement", March 13, 2010
- ↑ New York Daily News "Judge lashes out for being kept 'in dark' on 9/11 first responder talks", April 13, 2010
- ↑ "New York Times" 9/11 Wrongful-Death Suit Receives April Trial Date, July 28, 2009
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Associated Press" Judge: Airlines can't question FBI in 9/11 suits, July 17, 2009
| Federal judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Louis Stanton |
Southern District of New York 1998–2011 |
Succeeded by: Jesse Furman |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 |
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| 1994 |
Baer • Barkett • Batts • Beaty • Benavides • Bennett • Berrigan • Biery • Block • Borman • Breyer • Briones • Bryson • Bucklo • Burgess • Burrage • Cabranes • Calabresi • Carr • Casellas • Castillo • Chatigny • Chin • Cindrich • Coar • Collins • Cooper • Cote • Currie • Davis • Dominguez • Downes • Duval • Friedman • Furgeson • Garcia • Gertner • Gettleman • Gillmor • Gilmore • Gleeson • Haggerty • Hamilton • Hannah • Hawkins • Henry • Holmes • Hood • Hull • Hurley • Jack • Jones • Jones • Kaplan • Katz • Kern • Kessler • Koeltl • Lisi • Manning • McKee • McLaughlin • Melancon • Miles-LaGrange • Moore • Motz • Murphy • O'Malley • O'Meara • Oliver • Paez • B. Parker • F. Parker • R. Parker • Perry • Ponsor • Pooler • Porteous • Rendell • Riley • Robertson • Rogers • Ross • Russell • Sands • Sarokin • Scheindlin • Silver • Squatrito • Stewart • Sullivan • Tatel • Thompson • Timlin • Urbina • Vanaskie • Vance • Walls • Wells • Williams | ||
| 1995 |
Arterton • Atlas • Black • Blake • Briscoe • Tena Campbell • Todd Campbell • Chesney • Cole • Collier • Daniel • Davis • Dennis • Dlott • Donald • Duffy • Economus • Evans • Fallon • Folsom • Gaughan • Goodwin • Heartfield • Hunt • Illston • Jones • King • Kornmann • Lawson • Lenard • Lucero • Lynch • McKinley • Moody • Moore • Moskowitz • Murphy • Murtha • Nugent • O'Toole • Orlofsky • Pogue • Sessions • C. Smith • O. Smith • Stein • Thornburg • Tunheim • Wallach • Wardlaw • Webber • Whaley • Winmill • Wood | ||
| 1996 |
Broadwater • Clevert • Fenner • Gershon • Gottschall • Greenaway • Hinkle • Jones • Kahn • Laughrey • Lemmon • Marten • Miller • Molloy • Montgomery • Pregerson • Rakoff • Sargus • Tashima • Thomas • Zapata | ||
| 1997 |
Adelman • Bataillon • Breyer • Caputo • Casey • Chambers • Clay • Damrell • Droney • Friedman • Gajarsa • Garland • Gilman • Gold • Gwin • Hall • Hayden • Hull • Ishii • Jenkins • Kauffman • Kennedy • Kimball • Kollar-Kotelly • Lazzara • Marbley • Marcus • Middlebrooks • Miller • Moon • Pratt • Rendell • Sippel • Siragusa • Snyder • Thrash | ||
| 1998 |
Aiken • Barbier • Barzilay • Berman • Buttram • Carter • Collins • Dawson • Dimitrouleas • Fletcher • Fogel • Frank • Graber • Hellerstein • Herndon • James • Johnson • Kane • Kelly • G. King • R. King • Lasnik • Lee • Lemelle • Lindsay • Lipez • Manella • Matz • McCuskey • McKeown • McMahon • Mickle • Mollway • Mordue • Moreno • Morrow • Munley • Murphy • Pallmeyer • Pauley • Polster • Pooler • Rawlinson • Ridgway • R. Roberts • V. Roberts • Sack • Scott • Seitz • Seymour • Shea • Silverman • Sleet • Sotomayor • Steeh • Story • Straub • Tagle • Tarnow • Trauger • Traxler • Tyson • Wardlaw • Whelan • Young | ||
| 1999 |
Alsup • Barry • Brown • Buchwald • Cooper • Eaton • Ellison • Feess • Fisher • Gould • Guzman • Haynes • Hibbler • Hochberg • Hurd • Huvelle • Jordan • Katzmann • Kennelly • Linn • Lorenz • Lynn • Marrero • Murguia • Pannell • Pechman • Pepper • Phillips • Schreier • Stewart • Underhill • Ward • Williams • Wilson | ||
| 2000 |
Ambro • Antoon • Battani • Berzon • Bolton • Brady • Bye • Cavanaugh • Daniels • Darrah • Dawson • Dyk • Fuentes • Garaufis • Garcia-Gregory • Gregory • Hamilton • Huck • Hunt • Lawson • Lefkow • Lynch • Martin • McLaughlin • Moody • Murguia • Paez • Pisano • Presnell • Rawlinson • Reagan • Schiller • Singal • Steele • Surrick • Swain • Tallman • Teilborg • Tucker • Whittemore | ||
