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Deborah A. Batts | |
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| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
| In office April 13, 2012 – February 3, 2020 | |
| Judge of theUnited 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 | Deborah Anne Batts (1947-04-13)April 13, 1947 Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 3, 2020(2020-02-03) (aged 72) New York City, U.S. |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Radcliffe College (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Deborah Anne Batts (April 13, 1947 – February 3, 2020)[1] was aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York. During Gay Pride Week in June 1994, Batts was sworn in as aUnited States district judge forManhattan, becoming the nation's first openlyLGBT federal judge.[2][3] She tooksenior status on her 65th birthday, April 13, 2012.[4]
Batts was born inPhiladelphia,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 aBachelor of Arts degree in government fromRadcliffe College in 1969, and aJuris Doctor fromHarvard Law School in 1972. She subsequently clerked for JudgeLawrence W. Pierce of theUnited States district court on which she served as a judge until her death. She was anAssistant United States Attorney from 1979 to 1984. In 1984, she became the first African American faculty member and an associate professor of law atFordham University School of Law.[6] She was a special associate counsel to the Department of Investigation forNew 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]
On January 27, 1994, following the recommendation of SenatorDaniel Patrick Moynihan, PresidentBill Clinton nominated Batts to a seat on the Southern District left open in 1989 when JudgeRichard Owen tooksenior status. Batts was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on May 6, 1994, and received her commission on May 9, 1994. She tooksenior status on April 13, 2012. She continued to serve concurrently as an adjunct professor atFordham 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 accusingFamily Guy ofinfringing 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 withantisemitic lyrics. Named in the suit wereFamily Guy creatorSeth MacFarlane,20th Century Fox Film Corp.,Fox Broadcasting Co.,Cartoon Network, andWalter 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 aFirst Amendment-protected parody per the ruling inCampbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.[8][9] On March 16, 2009, Batts held thatFamily 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 theCentral Park Five, permitting the Central Park Five's lawsuit against the City of New York for malicious prosecution and racial discrimination to proceed to trial.[6][11]
Batts's siblings included sisters Mercedes Ellington and Denise Batts, and her twin, Diane Batts Morrow.[12] She was raisedCatholic.[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]
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York 1994–2012 | Succeeded by |
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