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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 byBill Clinton
Preceded byRichard Owen
Succeeded byVernon S. Broderick
Personal details
Born
Deborah Anne Batts

(1947-04-13)April 13, 1947
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedFebruary 3, 2020(2020-02-03) (aged 72)
New York City, U.S.
Spouse
Gwen Zornberg
​
(m. 2011)​
[1]
Children2
EducationRadcliffe College (BA)
Harvard University (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 1994, Batts was sworn in as a United States district judge for Manhattan, becoming the nation's first openly LGBT federal judge.[2][3] She took senior status on her 65th birthday, April 13, 2012.[4]

Early life and education

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Batts was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to James Alexander Batts, director of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Harlem Hospital Center, and Ruth V. Batts, nurse, homemaker, and board member of the Philadelphia Home and School Council in the 1960s.[5]

Batts received an Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Radcliffe College in 1969, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1972. She subsequently clerked for Judge Lawrence W. Pierce of the United States district 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 faculty member and an associate professor of law at Fordham University School of Law.[6] 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.[6]

Federal judicial service

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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. 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.

She served until her death on February 3, 2020, from complications during knee surgery.[1]

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.[7] 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.[8][9] 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.[10]

In 2007, Batts was a prominent figure in the litigation over the case of the Central Park Five, rejecting the dismissal of their lawsuit.[6][11]

Personal life

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Batts's siblings included sisters Mercedes Ellington and Denise Batts, and her twin, Diane Batts Morrow.[12] She was raised Catholic.[13]

She was married to Ira A. McCown, with whom she had two children, Alexandra S. McCown and James Ellison McCown. In 2011, Batts married Gwen Zornberg.[14][15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Seelye, Katharine Q.; Weiser, Benjamin (February 5, 2020). "Deborah A. Batts, First Openly Gay Federal Judge, Dies at 72". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  2. ^ Johnson, Chris (March 13, 2011). "Senate hearing set for gay judicial nominee". Washington Blade. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  3. ^ National Black Justice Coalition (February 20, 2009), The Honorable Deborah A. Batts: Profile in Courage, http://www.nbjcoalition.org. Retrieved on March 5, 2009.
  4. ^ "Batts, Deborah A. - Federal Judicial Center".
  5. ^ "James A. Batts Jr., 78, Doctor and a Professor". The New York Times. 1992-08-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  6. ^ a b c Seelye, Katharine Q.; Weiser, Benjamin (2020-02-06). "Deborah A. Batts, First Openly Gay Federal Judge, Dies at 72". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  7. ^ Bourne Co., vs. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Fox Broadcasting Company, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Inc., Fuzzy Door Productions, Inc., The Cartoon Network, Inc., Seth MacFarlane, Walter Murphy (United States District Court, Southern District of New York October 3, 2007), Text.
  8. ^ Hilden, Julie (October 31, 2007). ""The Family Guy" Once Again Tests Parody's Limits: The Copyright Suit Challenging the Show's Use of "When You Wish Upon a Star"". FindLaw's Writ. FindLaw. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
  9. ^ "News Corp. Wins Suit Dismissal Over 'Family Guy' Song (Update1)". Bloomberg L.P. March 16, 2009. Archived from the original on November 2, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  10. ^ Kearney, Christine (March 16, 2009). ""Family Guy" wins court battle over song". Reuters. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
  11. ^ Feuer, Alan. "METRO BRIEFING | NEW YORK; Manhattan: Lawsuit Over Jogger Case Can Proceed". query.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  12. ^ Naedele, Walter F. (May 12, 2012). "Ruth S. Batts, leader in Home and School". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  13. ^ The Honorable Deborah A. Batts (The HistoryMakers A2007.239), interviewed by Adrienne Jones, August 15, 2007, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 9, The Honorable Deborah A. Batts describes her relationship with the Catholic church
  14. ^ "Deborah Anne Batts Engaged To Ira A. McCown Jr., Lawyer". New York Times. November 17, 1974. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  15. ^ "Member Spotlight - Page 7 of 7". LGBTQ+ Judges. Retrieved 2021-05-07.

Sources

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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
1994–2012 		Succeeded by
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