On March 5, Fordham Law community members had the unique opportunity to interact with 21 judges from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), including two Second Circuit judges who sit in the EDNY by designation.
The Judicial Day in Residence program is a novel initiative of the Center for Judicial Events & Clerkships (CJEC), which develops a special collaboration between the Center and a particular area court, with the goal of instilling in the Fordham Law student body a broader appreciation for the importance of civics and the rule of law.
Throughout the day and evening, participating judges on the court co-taught all of the 1L students in at least one class, and also taught some upper-division classes, with Professors Susan Block-Lieb, James Brudney, Daniel Capra, Nestor Davidson, Deborah Denno, Sean Griffith, Nicholas Johnson, Andrew Kent, Kimani Paul-Emile, Chinmayi Sharma, Sepehr Shahshahani, Julie Suk, Zephyr Teachout, and Maggie Wittlin. The visiting judges also engaged with faculty and students over an informal lunch, interacted with cohorts of student leaders from various organizations over coffee, and participated in a dynamic town hall discussion with the Law School community followed by a reception.
“Fordham has such a special relationship with the judiciary,” said Dean Joseph Landau, who clerked for the late Judge David G. Trager on the EDNY. “It’s fundamental to our mission of preparing the next generation of legal professionals who understand law as it’s practiced and understand law as it’s interpreted. It’s a privilege to be at a school where such meaningful engagement with the judiciary happens.”
Chief Judge Margo Brodie’s strong support for the Court’s participation is evidenced in the commitment of two of its judges serving as liaisons to the CJEC – Magistrate Judges Joseph Marutollo, FCRH ’07, and James Wicks. “It was a privilege for the EDNY judges to participate in Fordham’s Judicial Day in Residence,” said the Honorable Margo K. Brodie, Chief Judge of the EDNY. “It was not only a unique learning opportunity for the students, but a rewarding experience for our judges to co-teach with the outstanding Fordham faculty and to engage with students. The EDNY Judicial Day in Residence was truly a special experience for all.”
In addition to Judges Marutollo and Wicks, CJEC welcomed the following 19 judges:
- Hon. Joseph Bianco (2d Cir, Sits by Designation on the EDNY)
- Hon. Lois Bloom
- Hon. Sanket Bulsara
- Hon. Pamela Chen
- Hon. Denny Chin ’78, co-director of the Center on Asian Americans and the Law and the Lawrence W. Pierce ’51 Distinguished Jurist in Residence at Fordham Law (2d Cir, Sits by Designation on the EDNY)
- Hon. Lee Dunst
- Hon. Lara Eshkenazi
- Hon. Nicholas Garaufis
- Hon. Hector Gonzalez
- Hon. Diane Gujarati
- Hon. Marcia Henry
- Hon. Peggy Kuo
- Hon. Robert Levy
- Hon. Kiyo Matsumoto
- Hon. Nina Morrison
- Hon. Ramón Reyes
- Hon. Vera Scanlon
- Hon. Elizabeth Stong
- Hon. Eric Vitaliano, FCRH ’68
The centerpiece of the visit was a dynamic town hall discussion with 15 of the judges, moderated by Professor James J. Brudney, Joseph Crowley Chair in Labor and Employment Law and CJEC faculty director.
The judges shared how they approach their work on the bench, including statutory interpretation methods and strategies used in dispute resolution settings, as well as how they view their roles in sentencing. They also talked about the relationship between magistrate judges and district judges and shared their thoughts on the Eastern District’s pilot program for the direct assignment of civil cases to magistrate judges, which launched in September 2023.
Said Student Bar Association President August E. Golden ’25, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have met with EDNY judges at the Judicial Day in Residence, not only because it is so crucial to humanize the judiciary—making the bench feel more accessible to students, especially those who are underrepresented in our profession—but also because it was fascinating to hear how they have navigated this tumultuous period in U.S. law.”
Charis Franklin ’25, editor-in-chief of the Fordham Law Review, added, “It was an incredible opportunity to hear each of the judge’s perspectives on various topics from sentencing to collaboration between district and magistrate judges and to learn from them in classrooms and over lunch.”
“Our students and faculty greatly appreciated the chance to engage with the judges of the Eastern District in diverse settings,” Brudney said. “One aspect that came through clearly in the Town Hall was their abiding sense of collegiality, a commitment to mutual respect and collaboration. Our daylong event also gave the judges a chance to interact with one another on a range of issues in a comfortable but stimulating setting away from the Courthouse.”
“It was an incredible experience for our entire community and the buzz among our students remains strong,” said CJEC Assistant Dean Suzanne M. Endrizzi ’96. “We are grateful to Chief Judge Brodie, our judge liaisons – Judges Marutollo and Wicks – and their judicial colleagues for making this such a terrific day for our community.”
View scenes from the visit below:
