Daniel Mortimer Friedman (February 8, 1916 – July 6, 2011) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has special appellate jurisdiction over certain categories of cases in the U.S. federa ...

and previously was chief judge of the

United States Court of Claims The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims (), and abolished in 1982. Then, its jurisdiction was assumed by the n ...

Education and career

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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, Friedman received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1937, and a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

in 1940. He entered private practice in New York City until 1942, and was briefly an attorney for the

Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

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and

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in 1942. He joined the

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in September 1942 and was in the

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, including service in Europe during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

."Judge Daniel M. Friedman"
''United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: A History: 1990-2002''
compiled by Members of the Advisory Council to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2004, page 79. He was discharged in February 1946 as a

master sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. Israel Defense Forces The (abbreviated "", master sergeant) is a non-commissioned officer () rank in the Israel Defense Force ...

. Following his military service, he returned to the Securities and Exchange Commission until 1951, when he became assistant chief of the appellate section of the Antitrust Division in the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

, in Washington, D.C. In 1959, he joined the Office of the

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, serving as an assistant to the solicitor general from 1959 to 1962, then as a second assistant to the solicitor general until 1968, and then as first deputy solicitor general until 1978. He was the Acting United States Solicitor General in 1977.

Federal judicial service

On March 22, 1978, Friedman was nominated by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

to become

Chief judge Chief judge may refer to: In lower or circuit courts The highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. * Chief judge (Australia) * Chief judge (United States) In supreme courts Some of Chief ...

of the

, to the seat vacated by Chief Judge

Arnold Wilson Cowen Arnold Wilson Cowen (December 20, 1905 – October 28, 2007) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and previously was the chief judge of the United States Court of Claims. Education and c ...

. Friedman was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on May 17, 1978, and received his commission on May 19, 1978. When the Court of Claims was abolished during the

Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following his landslide victory over ...

he was reassigned on October 1, 1982, by

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of the

Federal Courts Improvement Act The Federal Courts Improvement Act, 96 Stat. 25., was a law enacted by the United States Congress on April 2, 1982, which established the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Claims Court (later changed to t ...

, 96 Stat. 25, to be a United States Circuit Judge of the

. He assumed senior status on November 1, 1989, and served in that capacity until his death on July 6, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

Legacy

In cooperation with former clerks of Friedman, the Federal Circuit Bar Association in 2012 established the Friedman Memorial Committee to honor Friedman's memory, spirit, and accomplishments. The Committee organizes a prestigious annual lecture, the Judge Daniel M. Friedman Appellate Lecture, to advance the field of appellate advocacy. The first annual lecture on November 16, 2012, featured Chief Judge

Frank H. Easterbrook Frank Hoover Easterbrook (born September 3, 1948) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as a United States circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit since 1985. He was the Seventh Circuit's chief judge from 200 ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (in case citations, 7th Cir.) is the U.S. United States federal court, federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, courts in the following United Stat ...

.Audio recording of the first Annual Lecture, featuring Chief Judge Frank H. Easterbrook, on November 16, 2012

References

Sources

*
FJC Court of Federal Claims biography of Daniel M. Friedman
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Friedman, Daniel Mortimer 1916 births 2011 deaths Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Law School alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Judges of the United States Court of Claims United States Army non-commissioned officers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Article I federal judges appointed by Jimmy Carter Lawyers from New York City