Judge Fred Block: Politics, Sentencing, and Crime

The Sydcast

Episode Summary

As the world rages around us it may seem like there is no rule of law to keep us safe but Judge Fred Block provides us with ample evidence to be optimistic about the enduring independence of the Judicial Branch. Speaking to Syd from Greece, Fred shares his journey to a judgeship, why New York is still a great place to live, and why he doesn’t consider the infamous Gotti trial to be his most important case. In this episode of The Sydcast, get an enlightening view from the bench with Judge Fred Block.

Syd Finkelstein

Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Professor Finkelstein has published 25 books and 90 articles, including the bestsellers Why Smart Executives Fail and Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent, which LinkedIn Chairman Reid Hoffman calls the “leadership guide for the Networked Age.” He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Management, a consultant and speaker to leading companies around the world, and a top 25 on the Global Thinkers 50 list of top management gurus. Professor Finkelstein’s research and consulting work often relies on in-depth and personal interviews with hundreds of people, an experience that led him to create and host his own podcast, The Sydcast, to uncover and share the stories of all sorts of fascinating people in business, sports, entertainment, politics, academia, and everyday life.

Fred Block

Frederic Block was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York on September 29, 1994, and entered duty on October 31, 1994. He assumed senior status on September 1, 2005. He received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in 1956 and an LLB degree from Cornell Law School in 1959.

During his twenty-three years on the bench, Judge Block has presided over a number of high-profile cases, including the trials of former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, Peter Gotti, Lemrick Nelson, and nightclub magnate Peter Gatien. He regularly sits by designation on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In addition to Race to Judgment and Crimes and Punishments: Entering the Mind of a Sentencing Judge, he recently authored the best-selling book, Disrobed: An Inside Look at the Life and Work of a Federal Trial Judge.

He also co-authored the 1985 off-Broadway musical Professionally Speaking (music and lyrics) and he has published articles on a variety of legal topics.

Insights from this episode:

• Details on how he became a federal court judge, why the process is not the same for everybody, and the importance of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• How the current administration is affecting the dynamic and independence of the judiciary and why their strategy is unlikely to yield the desired results.
• Reasons why mafia cases always seem to be tried in New York and why the mafia isn’t quite the bogeyman they used to be.
• Difficulties that come with being a judge in an age of technology that removes privacy and safety.
• Details on collateral consequences, the lifetime impact they have on people, and how they can affect sentencing.

Quotes from the show:

• On the current judicial climate: “There’s really something different in the waters today than I think we’ve had, historically, in the United States.” – Fred Block
• “[The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals] is one that’s looked at very carefully because it’s the largest circuit court, it covers twenty percent of all the appeals of district courts throughout the country. It’s the most profound court in terms of the impact it has on the Senate judiciary.” – Fred Block
• “I think any of our privileges, any of our functions of government, any of our institutions can be subject to abuse in the wrong hands.” – Fred Block
• On the separation of powers: “We’re independent yes, conceptually, but certainly not in practice and we’re subject to a lot of pressures from the other branches of government.” – Fred Block
• “Judgement itself is central to society, to leadership, and to organizations.” – Syd Finkelstein
• “We’re being challenged like never before to really maintain the independence and the integrity of the judiciary.” – Fred Block
• “Sometimes strange things happen and have a positive effect when you least expect them.” – Fred Block
• “The people that have been among the most positive and have helped society the most [during this pandemic], of course first-line responders goes without saying, but the arts community would be next. We’ve watched many streaming events from all over the world and it’s been powerful and there’s been an exposure to something that people would never have gone to.” – Syd Finkelstein
• On collateral consequences: “I think it adds a human dimension to the law.” – Fred Block
• “I think we have a pretty sound federal judicial system correlated to merit, correlated to being well-educated, correlated to having a good sense of judgement with a good moral compass.” – Fred Block

Resources:

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

By Frederic Block:

Race to Judgment

Crimes and Punishments: Entering the Mind of a Sentencing Judge

Disrobed: An Inside Look at the Life and Work of a Federal Trial Judge

Stay Connected:

Syd Finkelstein

Website: http://thesydcast.com

LinkedIn: Sydney Finkelstein

Twitter: @sydfinkelstein

Facebook: The Sydcast

Instagram: The Sydcast

Fred Block

Website: fredericblock.com

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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)