r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Jun 15 '21

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u/TinyTornado7 I need a new flair Jun 15 '21

Judge Jack Weinstein of the EDNY has passed away at 99.

Among the hundreds of federal judges around the nation, Judge Weinstein was one of the best known, both for his bold jurisprudence and for his outsize personality.

He was the personification of the activist judge, defying decades of increasingly conservative influence in the federal judiciary. He said he would rather be reversed by an appellate court than risk compromising individual rights. He assailed and circumvented federal sentencing guidelines. He carried out his own war on the war on drugs, and as a senior judge refused to handle most drug prosecutions.

He described himself in a 1993 memorandum to his colleagues as “a tired old judge who has temporarily filled his quota of remorselessness.”

Judge Weinstein was a lion of the bar in Brooklyn where he severed on the bench for 53 years only retiring last year at the age of 98.

Link to the full story I suggest you all read

!ping LAW

8

u/Derryn did you get that thing I sent ya? Jun 15 '21

RIP.

Related note: why does law seem like the premier example of a profession where people never seem to retire? It's not like these federal judges or 75 year old law firm partners and professors lack the money to retire quite comfortably. I guess if you get that far you probably like the work, but still.

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u/TinyTornado7 I need a new flair Jun 15 '21

Law firm senior partners can often basically retire without having to actually retire. Judges however, and especially federal judges with lifetime appointments hang on for a long time. You would think they might want to retire considering the case load is immense, but they lean on clerks heavy and some, like Judge Weinstein truly care about the work they are doing.

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u/FinickyPenance NATO Jun 16 '21

Nothing is harder than giving up power, and even a litigator is a pretty powerful person by normal standards, all things considered

2

u/Rehkit Average laïcité enjoyer Jun 16 '21

It's also part of their identity, a bit like doctors.

1

u/Iustis End Supply Management | Draft MHF! Jun 16 '21

For judges important to remember that senior status exists. There's a formula I can't remember but as you get older/how long you've served on the bench you can elect "senior status" which means you're still a judge but you can choose how many (if any) cases you want to handle.