Justice Stewart G. Pollock, Of Counsel to Riker Danzig, has been honored with inclusion in the prestigious “Oral History of Distinguished American Judges” project initiated by the Institute of Judicial Administration at the NYU School of Law. Justice Pollock was interviewed in 2020, along with other notable members of state and federal judiciary, including U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O’Connor, Sonia Sotomayor and John Paul Stevens. His interview for the project, which was recorded via Zoom due to COVID, was conducted by his former clerk John Sivolella, who is now a professor at Columbia University. The video recording is accompanied by a transcript of the interview on the project’s website.
IJA created the Oral History of Distinguished American Judges to memorialize the thoughts and contributions of the men and women who make the US judiciary the “bulwark of freedom.” The project’s website notes, “Judges are known by their opinions, but they are human beings who reflect their education, career, and philosophy in their work. This project goes beyond their written opinions to consider also their shaping influences and philosophical views of the judicial role.” The interviews are intended to serve as a “valuable and definitive resource on the American judiciary,” not just for legal scholars, but for anyone interested in our legal system and in the quality of the women and men who make it work.
Justice Pollock’s interview is, like him, priceless, starting with details from his early life growing up in East Orange and Mendham Township, personal anecdotes about his college and law school education, early career as an Asst. U.S. Attorney, private practice with a growing family, serving as Chief Counsel to Gov. Brendan Byrne, behind-the-scenes discussion of numerous intriguing cases he was involved in, the unexpected nomination to the Supreme Court and the transition to becoming a justice, commentary on some of the impactful opinions he wrote, and much, much more.
We congratulate Justice Pollock on his well-deserved inclusion in this project that brings together the finest in the U.S. judiciary.
The interview and transcript are available here.
