Israel Leo Glasser (born April 6, 1924), also known as I. Leo Glasser or Leo Glasser, is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Education and career

Glasser was born to a Jewish family 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 ...

on April 6, 1924. His father, who spoke Yiddish, ran a butcher shop. He graduated from the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

in 1943 and then served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

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 ...

. He was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery during his service in the European theater. Upon returning from the war, Glasser obtained a law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1948, and then immediately began teaching at the school. He served on the faculty until 1969, when he was appointed a judge of the New York Family Court. For years, Glasser lectured to thousands of law students preparing for the New York

Bar Exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associat ...

on virtually all subjects covered on the bar exam. Glasser returned to Brooklyn Law School in 1977 to serve as its dean, a position he held until 1981 when he was nominated for the federal bench.

Federal judicial service

Glasser was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

on November 23, 1981, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York vacated by Judge Jacob Mishler. He 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 December 9, 1981, and received commission on December 10, 1981. He assumed senior status on July 1, 1993.

Notable cases

Glasser has presided over several high-profile trials during his tenure, the most notable of which was the trial of mobster John Gotti. The prosecutor in that case, John Gleeson, would also go on to serve on the Eastern District federal bench. Judge Glasser also presided over an early

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

trial involving an organization dubbed "The Ohio Five" and presided over a number of other significant organized crime trials and proceedings including the conviction of Vincent Gigante, the head of the Genovese crime family. In 1987 Glasser sentenced Victor Vancier, ex-chairman of the Jewish Defense League, for charges involving a series of bombings in New York beginning in 1984.

Personal life

Glasser turned 100 in April 2024.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Glasser, I. Leo 1924 births Living people United States Army personnel of World War II Brooklyn Law School alumni City College of New York alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York Deans of law schools in New York (state) United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan Brooklyn Law School faculty Deans of Brooklyn Law School 21st-century American judges United States Army soldiers American men centenarians Jewish centenarians Lawyers from New York City