Foley Hoag is proud to sponsor the Portrait Unveiling for Hon. Deborah A. Batts. Judge Deborah A. Batts (1947-2020) was the first openly LGBT federal judge in the United States. Appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (S.D.N.Y.) in 1994, Judge Batts served for 25 years and presided over numerous high-profile cases. Judge Batts was Fordham Law School's first Black faculty member, and she oversaw the S.D.N.Y.'s "Reentry through Intensive Supervision and Employment" (RISE) Court to enhance opportunities for people with conviction records to reestablish their lives.
The New York City Bar Association, through its LGBTQ Rights and Women in the Legal Profession Committees, commissioned a portrait of Judge Batts by artist Jade Yasmeen, to be displayed in the City Bar’s landmarked building at 42 West 44th Street as part of the City Bar's “Women on the Walls” initiative. The initiative honors female members of the legal profession with strong ties to the New York City legal community, with the goal of achieving gender representation on the walls of the City Bar’s building.
The program will feature remarks by:
- Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
- Hon. Alison J. Nathan, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- Hon. Laura Taylor Swain, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- Susan J. Kohlmann, President, New York City Bar Association
Ben Weissman, Associate and Deputy Chair of the firm’s Business Disputes Group will be in attendance.
