Published December 2013 Judicial Profile by Phil Schatz

Hon. Loretta A. Preska Chief U.S. District Judge, Southern District of

hief Judge Loretta Preska of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) was raised in Delmar, N.Y., a small hamlet in the town of Bethlehem, a suburb of Albany. Her father, Victor, was an ordnance Cdesign engineer for Benet Laboratories at the Watervliet Arsenal. Her mother, Etta Mae, worked as a registered nurse at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. Judge Preska had a part-time job at the Delmar Public Library, a passion for chemistry, and a burgundy Mustang. She was captain of the field hockey team and president of the National Honor Society at Bethlehem Central High. Delmar is unquestionably a nice town (a 2005 CNN/ Money Magazine survey ranked it as one of the great American towns), but it’s a small place, and a homogeneous one. Girl Scouting opened up Judge Preska’s world.

The Golden Age of Scouting In 1965, her district nominated her to attend the Senior Roundup in Idaho. The Senior Roundup was a big deal, a national aggregation of the most dedicated Senior Girl Scouts in the nation. Places were highly prized and hotly contested. The 1965 Roundup was the largest, and the last, national Roundup. The promotional jacket for the EP 12,000 Girl Scouts Sing America’s National Favorites,1 “presented for your listening pleasure by Ground Maxwell site became a city, vivid with flags of many nations House Coffee,” catches the tenor of the event: and regions.

Senior Girl Scouts—12,000 strong—converged in The Scouts also engaged in trading S.W.A.P.S. —“spe- Farragut, Idaho, for the 1965 Girl Scout Senior cial whatchamacallits affectionately pinned somewhere” — Roundup, July 15–28. They came from all over this small items brought specifically for the purpose of trading, country and from 45 foreign countries. From places that represent something about the girl or her troop, home- as far flung as Australia. From Thailand and Tobago. town, or state.2 Judge Preska served as a radio reporter at the Roundup, sending bulletins to her hometown radio sta- They pitched their own tents. Cooked their own tion from a broadcast tent in Idaho. This was her first foray meals. And their beds were sleeping bags. The camp- into public relations, a skill that has come in handy since.

Phil Schatz is a partner at Wrobel Schatz & Fox LLP, a litigation firm in . He is a past president of the SDNY Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and a member of the editorial board of The Federal Lawyer. In the summer of 1966, she was again selected out of ing, communication, and cooperation between nations many applicants to represent the Northeast region of the and cultures. Judge Preska says her time abroad further United States at the Girl Scouts East–West International expanded her understanding of people. During her junior Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. This trip was her first on year, Judge Preska became more involved in public speak- an airplane, and a further expansion of her worldview. ing and realized that her future lay in the law, not in the lab. Even her trusted chemistry professor, Sister Mary Rehfuss, Organic Chemistry and Debate at the College said she should work with people. of St. Rose Judge Preska’s graduating class was the last all-female That same year, she entered the class at St. Rose. The real value of a St. Rose degree, she on a merit scholarship to study organic chemistry. Saint notes, is the “moral com- Rose was then an all-female school. Founded in 1920 by the pass” it represents. St. Rose “If I had fallen asleep in Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet to train teachers, the sis- instills knowledge of right ters at Saint Rose sought to nurture critical thinking, good and wrong and a sense of 1973 and awakened in values, and responsible citizenship in a caring and diverse responsibility as a citizen of 2013, I wouldn’t have community of scholars. the world. “No one succeeds been a bit surprised to Judge Preska had a passion for chemistry and spent at St. Rose if they lack a long hours in the lab. Because she was a “day hopper”—the moral compass.” learn of her amazing St. Rose name for commuters—she often got home very In 1995, she gave the success.” late. Her mother worried, as mothers do, saying, “I hope commencement address —Susan Harrington you are going to use all this chemistry you are spending so at St. Rose and received much time on.” She said she would, and so she has—but an honorary Doctorate of not in the way that she expected. Her organic chemistry Humane Letters. In her address, she noted that the world background has come in handy in quite a few disputes, is now very different. “In those ancient times, we had a from the composition of cargo tanks to the validity of pat- 10 p.m. curfew on weeknights and a midnight curfew on ent licenses. weekends.” The only constant, in the words of science fic- During freshman orientation, Sister Bernarda Jacques tion writer Ursula K. Le Guin, is “permanent, intolerable dragooned Judge Preska into the debate team. Sister uncertainty, not knowing what comes next.” Her advice to Bernarda scoured every incoming freshman’s high school graduates: “Embrace uncertainty and take advantage of the transcript for debate experience. If you had it, you were on dynamic opportunities open to you because of it.” the team. Sister Bernarda tolerated no objections. This year, Judge Preska returned to St. Rose as the Judge Preska was teamed with Patricia Fox, two years inaugural Jurist in Residence to help prepare the Loretta her senior, now a plastic surgeon in Schenectady and life- A. Preska Mock Trial Team, a foundation funded by the long friend. Preska and Fox stood out from the other teams: generous gifts of her former law clerks. She also gave a talk Judge Preska is 5 foot 10 inches and Dr. Fox is barely 5 about her career, “From the Chem Lab to the Courtroom,” feet tall. “She fit under my chin,” says Judge Preska. “We and hosted a panel discussion about the opportunities, definitely were an odd couple,” says Dr. Fox. challenges, and changes in the legal profession. Debate experience was not the only reason Sister Bernarda valued the pair. “We didn’t have much choice From St. Rose to Fordham Law about debate,” says Dr. Fox. “We had debate experience. Following her graduation in 1970, she entered Fordham More importantly, we had cars. Sister Bernarda needed our Law School. She was one of only eight women in her sec- cars to get back and forth from tournaments.” tion of 100. Sidley Austin LLP partner Susan Harrington, Sister Bernarda sat in the back seat holding a rosary. head of Sidley’s private clients group in New York and an Both Dr. Fox and Judge Preska had a tendency to drive authority on international estate planning and taxation, was fast. “No matter who drove, Sister Bernarda always prayed.” in the same section. “The women who were at Fordham in Dr. Fox says Judge Preska had an uncommon ability to the early 1970s really wanted to be there,” says Harrington. persuade, even then. “I remember one time we got a flat tire “There were only a handful of us, so we all knew each other on the BQE [the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]. Loretta very well. Loretta was always a lot of fun, but she also had the young policemen—Tootie and Muldoon type a professional mien and incredible poise. She was clearly a characters3—into changing the tire for us.” woman who knew where she wanted to go and how to get there.” Adds Harrington, “If I had fallen asleep in 1973 and Opting for a Life in the Law, Not the Lab awakened in 2013, I wouldn’t have been a bit surprised to In the summer between her sophomore and junior learn of her amazing success.” years, Bethlehem selected Judge Preska to be its commu- Judge Preska has nothing but the fondest memories nity ambassador in Denmark on an exchange program run of her time at Fordham and her professors there, such as by the Experiment in International Living. The Experiment, Joseph McLaughlin (who was later dean, Eastern District whose alumni include Supreme Court Justice Stephen Judge, and member of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals), Breyer, Director Julie Taymor, and Peace Corps founder and John Sprizzo (later a colleague on the Southern District Sargent Shriver, seeks to foster peace through understand- bench). The fondness is mutual: Fordham awarded Judge Preska the Louis J. Lefkowitz Public Service Award; the by Judge Robert Ward. She was confirmed as part of a Fordham Law Alumni Association awarded her its Medal bipartisan package that included , now an of Achievement; and the Milton and Moselle Pollack associate justice of the Supreme Court. In 2008, President Foundation created a scholarship at Fordham called the George W. Bush nominated Judge Preska to the Second Judge Loretta Preska Award, given annually to the son or Circuit Court of Appeals, but the nomination died with the daughter of a New York firefighter or police officer. 2008 election. Judge Preska calls it a blessing in disguise, because it permitted her to become chief judge in 2009, Litigation Associate and Partner when then-Chief Judge took senior status. Following graduation in 1973, she was a summer associ- Chief Judge Preska was a litigator in the federal courts ate at the prestigious New York law firm Cahill Gordon & before becoming a federal judge and understands the pres- Reindel. At the time, Cahill had no female partners, and sures on lawyers as advocates. Her courtroom demeanor Judge Preska was the only female summer associate. She is unfailingly polite, but she also ensures that the trains was lucky to get the opportunity to work with Cahill part- run on time. She values solid presentations by prepared ner and First Amendment specialist (whose lawyers, which she says make the judge’s job much easier. daughter Ronnie she swore-in as a U.S. District Judge for “Good lawyers make judges look good.” Her judicial philos- the Southern District in 2012). She speaks of Abrams with ophy is conservative in the old-school sense. “An essential great admiration. “He was, and is, a gracious advocate, quality of any good judge is the discipline to put aside one’s striking just the right tone between vigorously arguing his personal views and apply the law,” she says. “The judiciary position, avoiding stridency, personal attacks, and other is not a policy-making branch of government.” She may also shabby practices.” share her judicial mentor Judge Milton Pollack’s view that Judge Kevin Castel, now a colleague on the Southern “the harder you work, the longer you live.” Pollack was the District bench, was a fellow-associate (and later partner) oldest sitting federal judge when he died in 2004. at Cahill. “We were good friends,” he says. “We met and bonded over our mutual affection for rice pudding” at the Relationships with Her Law Clerk “Family” long-vanished Lawyer’s Club in the Equitable Building, Judge Preska has unusually warm relationships with her 120 Broadway. “I was her bag carrier in her first appel- law clerks, whom she calls family. Maura Monaghan, now a late argument, which was in the Appellate Division, First litigation partner at Debevoise & Plimpton, who clerked for Department.” Judge Preska from 1996–97, says, “I adore Judge Preska. While at Cahill, she earned an L.L.M. from the New York She’s been an amazing mentor.” Mike Longyear, a defense University School of Law alongside her future husband, lawyer at Lankler, Siffert & Wohl LLP who clerked for her Tom Kavaler. Kavaler is one of the country’s top securities from 2009–10, says, “She is one of the nicest people I ever litigators and a former editor-in-chief of the Fordham Law met, and she is always like that. She taught us how to Review. (He clerked for Judge Milton Pollack, who later conduct ourselves, in and out of the courtroom, and how became Judge Preska’s judicial mentor when she ascended to approach complex legal questions.” James Bernard, a to the Southern District bench). In 1983, she and Kavaler litigation partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP who married, with Justice Ernst Rosenberger officiating, and clerked for her from 1997–98, says, “I can’t tell you how Judge Preska left Cahill to partner with her Fordham class- much I enjoyed my clerkship.” mate, Peter Calamari, at Hertzog Calamari & Gleason. All of her law clerks recall that Judge Preska refers to Carla Craig was an associate and partner of Judge litigants and jurors as her customers and goes out of her Preska’s at Hertzog. “I first met Judge Preska when she way to service their needs. “The message that we were interviewed me for an associate position in 1983,” says there to serve our customers resonated with all of us,” says Judge Craig, “and we worked together a lot. She was and Bernard. “The judge really emphasized public service,” is a wonderful role model and mentor.” When Judge Craig says Longyear. Judge Preska actively participates in settle- ascended to the bankruptcy bench in 2000, Judge Preska ment discussions, patiently working long hours to help the spoke at her induction ceremony. Judge Craig is now the parties reach a negotiated resolution. She talks to jurors chief bankruptcy judge for the Eastern District of New after every case, asking how she might improve the experi- York. ence. Not surprisingly, the jurors love her. So do litigants. Judge Preska credits pro bono with providing oppor- Monaghan says, “She has true insight into people. Litigants tunities to develop as a litigator. She says her experiences feel they’ve gotten a fair hearing in front of Judge Preska, were “absolutely invaluable” to helping her build confi- no matter what the result. And that’s the goal of any civil dence as a litigator. She continued to support pro bono at society.” Jennifer Mone, one of Judge Preska’s first clerks Hertzog, where she acted as pro bono special trial coun- and now deputy general counsel for Hofstra University, sel to the First Department’s Departmental Disciplinary says, “She commands respect but at the same time brings Committee. humanity to the process. That’s a delicate balance, and she does it naturally.” Joining the Southern District Bench In 1992, George H. W. Bush nominated Judge Preska The Operation of the Mother Court to take the seat on the District Court previously occupied The Southern District of New York was the first federal court in the country to actually sit, preceding even the was instrumental in organizing a letter, on her letterhead, Supreme Court. For this reason, it is known as the Mother from the chief judges of 87 federal court jurisdictions to Court (or in some parts of the country, less charitably, as Congress explaining the devastating effect of sequestration the ‘Sovereign District of New York’). It is the largest and on Court operations and the administration of justice. busiest federal court in the country. The court acts through This sort of cooperation among chief judges is largely a board of judges who act through committees. Every judge unprecedented—but so are the effects of sequestration. and magistrate judge serves on one or more of the Court’s These Congressionally mandated cuts threaten to make 22 committees.4 The Chief Judge oversees the entire appa- our courts less safe, less efficient, and less fair. The district ratus, with an extraordinary management team, includ- courts have been able to make do only because they have ing Clerk of Court Ruby Krajik, who is in charge of court slashed their operations to the bone. Further cuts will administration; District Executive Ed Friedland, who is in cause grave harm to the judiciary’s Article III mission. As charge of procurement and physical operations; Michael noted in the letter, “A second year under sequestration will Fitzpatrick, the chief probation officer; and Art Penny, the have a devastating, and long-lasting, impact on the adminis- chief pretrial services officer. tration of justice is this country.” The signatory chief judges There is a general consensus around the courthouse, agree “our constitutional duties, public safety, and the qual- and the New York legal community, that Judge Preska was ity of the justice system will be profoundly compromised by born to be the chief judge of the court. Dr. Fox wastes no any further cuts.”  words. “Loretta is as good as it gets,” she says. “She makes things happen—effortlessly, impeccably, and unpreten- Endnotes tiously.” 1Judge Preska may be the only chief judge with a nation- “I think Loretta truly enjoys the challenges and variety ally distributed record under her belt. of issues that she encounters as the chief,” says Chief Judge 2Judge Preska still has her yellow Roundup cowboy hat Craig. as well as numerous S.W.A.P.S.: sassafras tea from Pennsyl- Judge Castel agrees. “Loretta’s a doer. She not only sees vania; tomato recipes from Ohio; Spanish moss from South a problem, she comes up with a plan of action to attack Carolina; a fabric outline of the State of Rhode Island; and the problem. That’s her special gift. Most smart people can a leather arrow with the legend of Chikagou, the chief who identify problems. Loretta solves them. She forms a plan gave his name to Chicago. and then implements it.” 3Author’s Note: Tootie and Muldoon were two lovable “It’s no surprise to me that she’s turned out to be a fabu- NYC policemen, played by the great Joe E. Ross and Fred lous chief judge,” continues Castel. “Loretta is a consider- Gwynne, respectively, in the 1961–63 TV series “Car 54, ate and thoughtful person and a strong leader. It’s more Where Are You?” The theme song is etched in many child- difficult than you can imagine to combine these skills.” hood memories: Moreover, as chief, Judge Preska needs all the diplomacy she can muster. “Federal judges are notoriously indepen- There’s a holdup in , dent,” he says. “Any attempt to order a judge may lead to Brooklyn’s broken out in fights; the famous rejoinder, ‘Last time I checked, my Presidential There’s a traffic jam in Harlem commission is the same size as yours.’ The job of chief That’s backed up to Jackson Heights; doesn’t come with any big bag of powers. The chief has There’s a scout troop short a child, to persuade. Her leadership skills have to be refined and Khrushchev’s due at Idlewild! subtle.” Car 54, Where Are You?

The Challenges of Sequestration 4When she teaches the annual seminar for new chief Judge Preska’s diplomatic skills have also caused her judges, titled “The Leadership Role of the Chief District to be a leader for the entire country on the pressing issue Judge” (colloquially known as “Baby Chief Judge School”), of sequestration, which has forced judicial districts to she often remarks that, “the Southern District has more slash their operations and even furlough personnel. She committees than most courts have judges.”