Appointed by Bill Clinton Preceded by Jack B. Weinstein | Name John Gleeson Role Judge | |
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Born July 14, 1953 (age 70)
Bronx, New York, U.S. ( 1953-07-14 ) Alma mater Georgetown University
University of Virginia Books Fyffes Dictionary of Irish Sporting Greats Education University of Virginia School of Law, Georgetown University, University of Virginia | ||
2016 guarini government lecture judge john gleeson
John Gleeson (born July 14, 1953) is a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Contents
- 2016 guarini government lecture judge john gleeson
- Early life and education
- Legal career
- Federal judicial service
- Tenure as district judge
- Resignation
- Views
- References
Early life and education
Gleeson was born in the Bronx, New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1975, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville in 1980.
Legal career
He was a law clerk for Boyce Martin on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1980 to 1981. He was in private practice of law at the firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City from 1981 to 1985. He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York from 1985 to 1994 where he was noted for his prosecution of Mafia cases, most notably that of Gambino crime boss John Gotti which resulted in Gotti's conviction.
Federal judicial service
Gleeson was nominated by President Bill Clinton on July 22, 1994, to a seat vacated by Jack B. Weinstein. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 28, 1994, and received his commission the next day. He served until his resignation on March 9, 2016.
Tenure as district judge
As a district judge Gleeson was a critic of harsh mandatory sentencing, going so far as to request federal prosecutors vacate convictions he had been forced to impose. Judge Gleeson’s ruling against the FBI in a landmark racial profiling case was reversed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Ashcroft v. Iqbal (2009). Judge Gleeson oversaw the prosecution of Jordan Belfort, famous as the “Wolf of Wall Street”. In 2012 Judge Gleeson approved a deferred prosecution agreement with HSBC widely criticized as being too lenient. He caused controversy in 2016 by ordering reports by the bank's independent monitor publicly disclosed. In his last days on the bench Judge Gleeson, instead of issuing a writ of audita querela, invented a new "federal certificate of rehabilitation" to help convicts find jobs.
Resignation
On January 4, 2016, it was announced that Gleeson plans to resign from the bench and return to private practice on March 9, 2016. Gleeson would join white shoe firm Debevoise & Plimpton to practice white-collar crime defense.
Views
He is a supporter of "Drug Court" programs which encourage rehabilitation rather than mandatory minimum jail sentences for non-violent drug offenses.