User:JCO312/sanbox/clifford scott green

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Judicial Career[edit]

Green was initially hesitant about seeking a position on the bench because he enjoyed the practice of law.[1] Nevertheless, he began to seek an appointment to the state court in the late 1950s.

Green was a lifelong member of the Republican party, serving as a ward leader from the 1952 to 1964.[2] Green's first attempt to gain a seat on the bench was in 1959, when he was unanimously endorsed by the Republican party for a seat on the Municipal Court, but lost in the general election.[3]

In 1962 Green joined with a group of Republican ward leaders who broke off from the main party, which was led by Sheriff Austin Meehan, to support Governor William Scranton.[1] All of the other ward leaders were voted out of office, and although Green retained his position Sheriff Meehan told him that he would no longer support his appointment to the bench.[1]

Judge Green with Senators Hugh Scott and Richard Schweiker

Green, however, had the support of Bernie Segal, who was then Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, his former law partner Austin Norris, and the Chancellor of Temple University Robert Johnson.[1] Segal was appointed by Governor Scranton to head a merit commission to select nominees for the state court positions.[1] In addition, Green was endorsed by newspapers across the state.[4][5]

Scranton ultimately did appoint Green as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia in 1964.[6] He was elected to a full term in the next general election.[1] Green served primarily as a juvenile court judge while in state court.[7]

In 1971 a vacancy was created on the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania when Judge Harold K. Wood assumed senior status.[8] Senator Huge Scott supported Green to fill the position.[1] Green also had the support of Billy Meehan, the son of Sheriff Austin Meehan, and at the time the head of the Philadelphia Republican Committee.[1] President Nixon nominated Green on December 1, 1971, and he was confirmed by the Senate on December 4.[6] In 1984 Green declined a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, citing "the joy his district court job provided him and [the] numerous friendships he enjoyed there."[9]

Throughout his time on the bench, Green remained a popular judge; a 1994 survey of Philadelphia lawyers concluded "Green is the most well-liked judge on the bench, and attorneys could not praise him enough for his wonderful demeanor."[10]

Notable cases[edit]

Judge Green presided over a number of notable cases during his 35 year tenure on the Eastern District. In Bolden v. Pennsylvania State Police Judge Green ordered the Pennsylvania State Police to reinstate William Bolden, a minority trooper who had been dismissed.[11] The case, which began in 1973, resulted in a consent decree that required the State Police to hire one minority for every non-minority hired, and set additional goals for promotion and retention of minority troopers.[11] Judge Green presided over the consent decree for 25 years, disolving it in 1999.[12] The case was credited with helping to abolish racism in the hiring of troopers, and integrate the State Police.[13]

In 1981 Judge Green threw out the fraud conviction of Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Fumo,[14] concluding that the governmetn had failed to prove that Fumo and two others were involved in a single scheme to pad state payrolls with ghost workers as alleged in their indictment.[13] The decision was upheld on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[15]

Awards and Honors[edit]

Judge Green was the first recipient of the NAACP’s William H. Hastie award in 1985. He was awarded the Spirit of Excellence award by the American Bar Association in 2002. [16] The Philadelphia chapter of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association is named in Judge Green’s honor. He was a lifetime trustee of Temple University, and a former member of the Board of Trustees of Philadelphia State Hospital, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Death[edit]

Judge Green suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died of pneumonia on 31 May 2007. He is survived by his wife and daughter. [7]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference oralhistory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Biographical Sketch of Clifford Scott Green
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference questionnaire was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Boost Clifford Green for Local Judgeship, The Philadelphia Independent
  5. ^ Green Boomed for Philly Judgeship, The Pittsburgh Courier
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FJCbio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference InquirerObit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=2638 Judge Wood's Federal Judicial Center Bio
  9. ^ Green noted for comppasion: Trailblazing Judge was 84, The Philadelphia Tribune, Jennifer Phiilips and Eric Mayes, June 6, 2007
  10. ^ Almanac of the Federal Judiciary, Volume 1, Prentice Hall Law and Business, 1994
  11. ^ a b 73 F.R.D. 370 (E.D.Pa. 1976)
  12. ^ Bolden v. Pennsylvania State Police, 79 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 63 (E.D.Pa. 1999)
  13. ^ a b Judge Clifford Scott Green dies, Philadelphia Daily News, June 2, 2007
  14. ^ United States v. Camiel, 519 F. Supp. 1238 (E.D.Pa. 1981)
  15. ^ United States v. Camiel, 689 F.2d 31 (3rd Cir. 1982)
  16. ^ http://www.abanet.org/minorities/spirit/winners.html
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