Philip M. Halpern

Philip M. Halpern
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Incumbent
Assumed office February 21, 2020
Appointed by	Donald Trump
Preceded by	P. Kevin Castel
Personal details
Born	Philip Morgan Halpern (1956-04-17) April 17, 1956 (age 68) Derby, Connecticut, U.S.
Education	Fordham University (BS) Pace University (JD)

Philip Morgan Halpern (born April 17, 1956) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Education

Halpern was born on April 17, 1956, in Derby, Connecticut.^[1] He received his Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, from Fordham University, and his Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law.^[2]

Legal and academic career

Upon graduation from law school, he clerked for Judge Irving Ben Cooper of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He was a managing partner of Collier, Halpern & Newberg, LLP, in White Plains, New York,^[3] where his practice focused on commercial, employment, real estate, and securities litigation. One of his former partners at the firm was Albert Pirro. Pirro left the firm in 2000 after being convicted of tax fraud.^[4] From 2016 to 2017, and again in 2019, he was an adjunct professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, where he taught "The Anatomy of a Trial: The Burden of Proof."^[2]

Federal judicial service

Halpern was recommended to the White House by former Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a prominent talk show host who's an outspoken supporter of the Trump Administration and the former wife of Halpern's law firm partner.^[4] On October 10, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Halpern to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. On November 13, 2018, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Halpern to the seat vacated by Judge P. Kevin Castel, who assumed senior status on August 5, 2017.^[5]

On January 3, 2019, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. On January 22, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to renominate Halpern for a federal judgeship.^[6] His nomination was sent to the Senate the next day.^[7] On October 30, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.^[8] On November 21, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 17–5 vote.^[9] On February 11, 2020, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 75–18 vote.^[10] On February 12, 2020, his nomination was confirmed by a 77–19 vote.^[11] He received his judicial commission on February 21, 2020.^[12]

References

1. Voruganti, Harsh (August 14, 2019). "Philip Halpern – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York". The Vetting Room. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
2. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Fourteenth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Thirteenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees, and Eighth Wave of United States Marshal Nominees". whitehouse.gov. October 10, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via National Archives. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
3. "Contact – DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr LLP".
4. "Philip Halpern – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York". August 14, 2019.
5. "Twenty Six Nominations Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov. November 13, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via National Archives.
6. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Judicial Nominees". whitehouse.gov. January 22, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via National Archives.
7. "Nominations Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov. January 23, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via National Archives.
8. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for October 30, 2019
9. Results of Executive Business Meeting – November 21, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee
10. "On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture: Philip M. Halpern to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York". www.senate.gov. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
11. "On the Nomination: Confirmation: Philip M. Halpern, of New York, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York". www.senate.gov. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
12. Philip M. Halpern at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

External links

• Philip M. Halpern at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by P. Kevin Castel	Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York 2020–present	Incumbent