Ira Gammerman | |
|---|---|
| Justice, New York Supreme Court, Manhattan | |
| In office 1983–2004 | |
| Judicial Hearing Office,New York Supreme Court,Manhattan | |
| In office 2004-2018 | |
| Judge,New York City Civil Court | |
| In office 1979–1983 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 30,1927 New York City,US |
| Died | January 26,2019 (aged 91) New York City,US |
| Education | Columbia College (1947),Columbia Law School (J.D. 1950) |
Ira Gammerman (July 30,1927 - January 26,2019) was an American judge who served as a trial division judge on the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan for over 20 years,and then for another 14 years as a Judicial Hearing Officer after his judicial retirement. He was one of the first specialized business court judges in New York City and the United States. He oversaw thousands of cases,including numerous high-profile cases.
Gammerman was first elected in 1979 as a judge to the New York City Civil Court where he served until 1983. In June 1983,he was appointed as a justice of the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan,and was elected to that position later in 1983. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
In 1993,Administrative Judge Stanley S. Ostrau established pilot Commercial Parts in the New York County (Manhattan) Supreme Court. [6] This was a specialized business court program with a jurisdiction focused on disputes of a business and commercial nature. The original four judges assigned to this pilot business court were Gammerman,Myriam Altman,Herman Cahn,and Beatrice Shainswit, [7] with Walter M. Schackman replacing Altman in 1994. [8] Gammerman began actively handling pilot part cases as a business court judge on January 4,1993. [9]
Two years later,New York Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye established a Commercial Division within the Supreme Court. The new Commercial Division was first established in Manhattan's Supreme Court, [10] and in the 7th Judicial District (Rochester,Monroe County) Supreme Court. [11] Like the pilot commercial parts,the new Commercial Division had a specialized jurisdiction focusing on complex business and commercial disputes,with one specialist business court judge overseeing a case from beginning to end. As to judges selected to the Commercial Division,"[t]he caseload of the Division is ... very demanding,requiring of the court scholarship in commercial law,experience in the management of complex cases,and a wealth of energy." [12] [13]
In 1995,the four commercial pilot part judges (including Gammerman),plus Justice Stephen G. Crane,became the first five justices assigned to the new Manhattan Commercial Division. [14] [15] Gammerman continued to serve in the Commercial Division until his mandatory judicial retirement in 2004 at age 76,altogether serving over ten years as a business court judge. [16]
Gammerman continued to serve on the Supreme Court and the Commercial Division beyond judicial retirement,in the role of Judicial Hearing Officer (JHO). A person has to have been a judge or justice to be accepted as a JHO under New York law. [17] Further,even if accepted by the court as a JHO,an individual can only serve as a JHO in a specific case if all parties consent,meaning that parties would now be choosing Gammerman to oversee or rule in their cases. [18] [19]
As a JHO,Gammerman could be called upon to make the same kinds of decisions he would make as a judge. He continued carrying a significant volume of cases in the Commercial Division,while also presiding over some non-commercial matters in the Supreme Court's general assignment part. [16] [20] [21] Gammerman was still serving as a JHO until his 2018 retirement,less than a year before his death in January 2019. [22] [23] [24]
As a judge and JHO,he was known for his industriousness,decisiveness,alacrity,wit,and intelligence. [9] [16] [18] [19] [25] [26] Gammerman served on the Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of New York's Pattern Jury Instructions Committee for 25 years,being described by Justice Helen Freedman as a "dominating force" on that committee. [27] He also was a member of Chief Judge Judith Kaye's jury selection reform project. [28]
Gammerman heard thousands of cases in his career as a judge and JHO. [16] He oversaw or decided a considerable number of high-profile lawsuits in the New York Supreme Court,including the following,among others;
Gammerman was admitted to law practice in New York in 1950. [64] As a lawyer in private practice,he practiced labor law in representing trade unions,and he tried personal injury cases. [65]
Gammerman received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College in 1947,and his Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School in 1950. [65] [66] [67]
Gammerman held the following positions or received the following honors,among others;