Stanley Sporkin

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Stanley Sporkin
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
In office
February 12, 1999 – January 15, 2000
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
In office
December 17, 1985 – February 12, 1999
Appointed byRonald Reagan
Preceded byJune Lazenby Green
Succeeded byReggie Walton
Personal details
Born(1932-02-07)February 7, 1932
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedMarch 23, 2020(2020-03-23) (aged 88)
Rockville, Maryland, U.S.
SpouseJudith Imber[1]
Children3[1]
EducationPennsylvania State University (A.B.)
Yale Law School (LL.B.)
Awards President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1979)

Stanley Sporkin (February 7, 1932 – March 23, 2020) was a director of enforcement for the

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), general counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency and United States federal judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. His 40-year federal judicial career, beginning in 1961 at the SEC, at times attracted both derision and admiration for his perceived judicial activism, at times also displaying a quick mind and pugnacity on the bench.[1]

Education and career

Sporkin was born in 1932 to a Jewish family in

Caleb M. Wright of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware,[1] and also for Judge Paul Conway Leahy of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware in 1960. He was in private practice of law in Washington, D.C. from 1960 to 1961.[3]

Sporkin served with the

Exxon, Mobil, Lockheed, R.J. Reynolds, and 3M, among others;[1] one of his first major SEC cases led to the 1974 conviction of George Steinbrenner for illegal campaign contributions,[1] and he became an advocate for the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enacted in 1977.[1]

From 1981 to 1986, Sporkin was the

General Counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency. In 1978, he was awarded the Rockefeller Public Service Award for administering justice and reducing crime.[5] In 1979, Sporkin received the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service.[6]

Federal judicial service

Sporkin was nominated by President

Mayor of Washington, D.C. Marion Barry, sparking a major scandal and Barry's subsequent conviction for possession of cocaine.[1] He assumed senior status on February 12, 1999. He retired on January 15, 2000.[3]

Post judicial service

Following his retirement from the bench, Sporkin became affiliated with the Weil Gotshal law firm and embarked on a solo law practice.[7] Sporkin was a member of the Gavel Consulting Group, a private consultancy that consists of several former federal judges and high-ranking government officials. He was in charge of the BP America Ombudsman Team,[8] working from Chevy Chase, Maryland.[1]

On March 23, 2020, Sporkin died after suffering from congestive heart failure in Rockville, Maryland. He was 88 years old. He leaves behind a wife and three children.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Schudel, Matt (2020-03-24). "Stanley Sporkin, crusading SEC enforcer and tough-minded U.S. judge, dies at 88". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  2. ^ Roberts, Sam (24 March 2020). "Stanley Sporkin, Bane of Corporate Corruption, Dies at 88". The New York Times.
  3. ^ a b Stanley Sporkin at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  4. .
  5. ^ "Rev. Jackson and S.E.C. Official Among 7 Cited for Public Service". The New York Times. 12 November 1978. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  6. ^ "1979 President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service" (PDF).
  7. ^ "Stanley Sporkin ESQ". www.stanleysporkin.com.
  8. ^ "BP America Ombudsman Program". Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2010-07-04.

Sources

External links

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
1985–1999
Succeeded by