Shira Scheindlin

Shira Scheindlin
Joelspector · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Shira Scheindlin
Birth date	1946
Birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Judge, lawyer, adjunct professor
Alma mater	Vassar College; Columbia Law School
Known for	United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York

Shira Scheindlin is a former United States District Judge who served on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, known for high-profile civil and criminal rulings and influential opinions on electronic discovery, sentencing, and constitutional law. Her career spans private practice, federal service, and academia, with decisions frequently cited by courts, legislatures, and scholars across the United States. Scheindlin's judicial approach drew attention from practitioners at law firms, commentators in legal journals, and institutions engaged in litigation, policy, and technology.

Early life and education

Born in New York City and raised amid the cultural institutions of Manhattan, she attended Vassar College where she studied liberal arts before proceeding to Columbia Law School at Columbia University. During her legal formation she engaged with clinical programs and law journals connected to the American Bar Association and social justice organizations associated with New York City Bar Association. Her contemporaries included graduates who later worked at institutions such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and public interest organizations like ACLU and Human Rights Watch.

Legal career

Scheindlin began in private practice and civil litigation in New York City, joining firms and litigation boutiques that handled matters for corporations, labor unions, media companies, and nonprofits, interacting with entities such as The New York Times Company, Dow Jones & Company, Time Inc., AT&T, and General Electric. She later served as a magistrate judge in the Southern District of New York, working alongside judges from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and engaged with prosecutors from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and defense counsel from firms including Debevoise & Plimpton and Sullivan & Cromwell. Her litigation background included cases touching on civil rights claims under statutes like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and regulatory matters involving agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.

Federal judicial service

Nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the United States Senate, she received her commission as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, joining a bench that included jurists appointed by presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford, and later peers appointed by George W. Bush and Barack Obama. During her tenure she presided over matters implicating federal statutes including the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and handled cases with parties such as Microsoft Corporation, WorldCom, Enron, Lehman Brothers, and governmental actors from the United States Department of Justice. She took senior status consistent with practices recognized by the Judicial Conference of the United States and contributed to panels and committees linked to the Federal Judicial Center.

Notable rulings and legal impact

Scheindlin authored leading opinions on electronic discovery that influenced amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and were cited by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States Supreme Court, and other circuits in decisions involving litigants like Apple Inc., Google LLC, Verizon Communications, and AT&T Inc.. Her ruling in an e-discovery case addressed obligations under rules comparable to matters in Zubulake v. UBS Warburg and informed guidance by organizations such as the Sedona Conference and the American Law Institute. She issued high-profile rulings in employment and civil rights litigation with parties including municipal agencies like the New York City Police Department and unions such as the Transport Workers Union of America. In criminal sentencing and constitutional law, her opinions engaged with doctrines articulated in precedent from the Fourth Amendment jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States including cases like Mapp v. Ohio, Miranda v. Arizona, and later decisions construing search and seizure law cited by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Her decisions were discussed in outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and law reviews from institutions like Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, NYU School of Law, and University of Chicago Law School, and debated at conferences hosted by Federalist Society and American Constitution Society chapters.

Post-judicial activities and academia

After leaving active service she returned to private practice and academia, teaching at law schools and serving as an adjunct professor at institutions including Fordham University School of Law, New York University School of Law, and guest lecturing at Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School. She provided consulting and mediation services to law firms and corporations such as Jones Day, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, and technology companies like IBM and Cisco Systems. Scheindlin participated in symposia sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of Litigation, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and the New York State Bar Association and contributed to continuing legal education programs for groups including Practising Law Institute.

Awards, honors, and memberships

Her recognitions include awards and fellowships from entities like the Legal Aid Society, the Federal Bar Council, and honors from academic institutions including Vassar College and Columbia University. She has been a member of the American Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Federal Bar Council, and served on advisory panels linked to the Federal Judicial Center and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Her work has been cited in treatises published by West Publishing and judged in rankings by organizations such as Chambers and Partners and The Best Lawyers in America.

Category:Federal judges appointed by Bill Clinton Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York Category:Vassar College alumni Category:Columbia Law School alumni