Richard Berman

Richard Berman
Do you have a photo that could go here? Submit it for this profile by emailing us!
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 - 9/11/2011
Senior:	9/11/2011 - Present
Preceded by:	Kevin Duffy
Succeeded by:	Nelson S. Roman
Personal History
Born:	1943
Home State:	New York, NY
Undergraduate:	Cornell, B.S., 1964
Law School:	New York U. Law, J.D., 1967
Grad. School:	Fordham U., M.S.W., 1996

Richard M. Berman is a federal judge serving on senior status for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He joined the court in 1998 after being nominated by Bill Clinton. Berman assumed senior status on September 11, 2011. Prior to his nomination as a federal judge, Berman served as a Judge for Queens Count Family Court in New York between 1995 and 1998.

Early life and education

Berman graduated from Cornell with his Bachelor's Degree in 1964 and later graduated from New York Law (NYU Law) with his juris doctorate degree in 1967. Berman also has a Master's Degree in Social Work from Fordham.

Professional career

Berman began his legal career as a private practice in the State of New York from 1970 to 1974. He spent three years as Executive Assistant to New York U.S. Senator Jacob Javits (1974 to 1977), also serving as Executive Director of the New York State Alliance to Save Energy (1977 to 1978). He went on to work eight years as General Counsel and Executive Vice-President for Time Warner Cable (1978 to 1986) before resuming private practice work from 1986 to 1995. Berman later became a family court judge in the New York State Family Court in Queens County, New York, serving there from 1995 to 1998.

Judicial career

Southern district of New York

On the recommendation of U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Monyihan, Berman was nominated by President Bill Clinton on May 21, 1998 to a seat vacated by Kevin Duffy as Duffy assumed senior status. Berman was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 21, 1998 on a majority voice vote, receiving his commission to the court on October 22, 1998. Berman assumed senior status on September 11, 2011.

Family Court judgeship

Prior to his nomination as a federal judge, Berman served as a Judge for Queens Count Family Court in New York between 1995 and 1998.

Notable cases

A notable case on this page needs to be updated.

---

Al-Qaida case

Judge Berman is presiding in the trial of alleged Al-Qaida operative Aafia Siddiqui. Siddiqui is charged with shooting at American soldiers and FBI agents after her capture in Afghanistan last year. The judge ruled on July 29, 2009 that Siddiqui is competent to stand trial.

Since her trial began on the January 19, 2010, Siddiqui's behavior in the courtroom has been an issue on multiple occasions, resulting in Siddiqui beening thrown out of the courtroom. On January 26, 2010, lawyers for Siddiqui petitioned to Judge Berman to have her barred from testifying in the trial over issues of mental defect whic may prevent the outcome of the trial to end fairly. The judge has not ruled if Siddiqui would be barred from giving testimony.

Cameron Douglas case

Judge Berman presided in the case of Cameron Douglas, the son of movie superstar Michael Douglas. Berman denied house arrest to the son of the movie superstar on February 24, 2010, while awaiting sentencing. Douglas pleaded guilty to charges of dealing methamphetamine and cocaine in a New York City hotel.

The Judge sentenced Douglas to 52 months in federal prison on April 20, 2010, including an eight month time credit for time already served in jail. Berman also scolded Michael and Kirk Douglas, father and grandfather of Cameron who pleaded to the judge for leniency by stating: "get beyond and get over that idea...that Cameron Douglas is a victim". Douglas had family members write letters to the judge asking to put Cameron in rehab over jail. Before handing down the sentence, Judge Berman said that prison "could be the last chance to make it" as the judge mentioned that the younger Douglas has battled drug addiction since he was thirteen years old.

Craigslist

Judge Berman was asked to decide a case about whether the online website Craigslist was to blame for a June 2008 shooting by Jesus Ortiz, a schizophrenic man who shot his neighbor, Calvin Gibson, a boutique owner. Gibson survived but went on to sue Craigslist for $10 million complaining that the site was "either unable or unwilling to allocate the necessary resources to monitor, police, maintain and properly supervise the goods and services" sold there, including the sale of a gun to Ortiz.

Berman dismissed the case, saying that Craigslist has immunity under the Communications Decency Act of 1996, 47 U.S.C. §230, which says that "no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as a publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."

See also

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

External links

• Judge Berman's Biography at the Federal Judicial Center
• List of Article III judges of the Southern District of New York
• The Robing Room- Rate Judge Berman

References

Federal judicial offices
Preceded by: Kevin Duffy	Southern District of New York 1998–2011	Succeeded by: Nelson S. Roman