Deborah Batts

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Deborah A. Batts
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
In office April 13, 2012 – February 3, 2020
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
In office May 9, 1994 – April 13, 2012
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Richard Owen
Succeeded by	Vernon S. Broderick
Personal details
Born	(1947-04-13)April 13, 1947 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	February 3, 2020(2020-02-03) (aged 72) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Gwen Zornberg ​ (m. 2011)​ [1]
Children	two
Education	Radcliffe College (AB) Harvard Law School (JD)

Deborah Anne Batts (April 13, 1947 – February 3, 2020)^[1] was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. During Gay Pride Week in June of 1994, Deborah Batts was sworn in as a United States District Judge for Manhattan, becoming the nation's first openly LGBT, African-American federal judge.^[2] She took senior status on her 65th birthday, April 13, 2012.^[3]

Biography[]

Batts was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Dr. James Alexander Batts, director of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Harlem Hospital Center, and Ruth S. Batts, nurse, homemaker, and board member to Philadelphia Home and School Council in the 60's.^[4]

Marriage and Family[]

Batts siblings included sisters, Mercedes Ellington and Denise I. Batts, and twin, Diane Batts Morrow.^[5]

She was engaged and married to Ira A. McCown, in which she mothered two children, Alexandra S. McCown and James Ellison McCown. In 2011, Batts was married to Dr. Gwen Zornberg and was preceded by her after her passing.^[6][7]

Education and Career[]

Batts received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in Government from Radcliffe College in 1969, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1972. She subsequently clerked for Judge Lawrence Pierce on the Federal Court on which she served as a Judge until her death. She was an Assistant United States Attorney from 1979 to 1984. In 1984, she became the first African American to faculty member, and an Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law,.^[8] She was a special associate counsel to the Department of Investigation for New York City from 1990 to 1991. Outside of work, Batts dedicated her time to the RISE program, aiming to lower recidivism amongst at-risk offenders and continued to teach at the Fordham University School of Law.^[8]

Federal Judicial Service[]

On January 27, 1994, following the recommendation of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, President Bill Clinton nominated Batts to a seat on the Southern District left open in 1989 when Judge Richard Owen took senior status.

On October 3, 2007, Bourne Co. Music Publishers filed a lawsuit accusing Family Guy of infringing its copyright on the song "When You Wish Upon a Star", through a parody song titled "I Need a Jew" appearing in the episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein". Bourne Co., which holds the copyright, alleged the parody pairs a "thinly veiled" copy of their music with antisemitic lyrics. Named in the suit were Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, 20th Century Fox Film Corp., Fox Broadcasting Co., Cartoon Network, and Walter Murphy; the suit sought to stop the program's distribution and asked for unspecified damages.^[9] Bourne argued that "I Need a Jew" uses the copyrighted melody of "When You Wish Upon a Star" without commenting on that song, and that it was therefore not a First Amendment-protected parody per the ruling in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.^[10][11] On March 16, 2009, Batts held that Family Guy did not infringe on Bourne's copyright when it transformed the song for comical use in an episode.^[12]

In 2007, Batts was a prominent figure in the litigation over the case of the Central Park Five, rejecting the dismissal of their presented lawsuit.^[8][13] Batts was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 6, 1994, and received her commission on May 9, 1994. She took senior status on April 13, 2012. She continued to serve concurrently as an adjunct professor at Fordham University.

Her service terminated on February 3, 2020, due to her sudden death from complications from knee surgery at a rehabilitation center in Manhattan.^[1][14]

See also[]

• List of African-American jurists
• List of first women lawyers and judges in New York
• List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States

References[]

Sources[]

• Deborah A. Batts at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.