U.S. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston To Receive High Honor From New York State Bar Association
1.10.2025
Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston of the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, is set to receive the Stanley Fuld Award, the highest honor of the New York State Bar Association’s Commercial and Federal Litigation Section.
“Judge Livingston has had a long and distinguished career in public service,” said Domenick Napoletano, president of the New York State Bar Association. “Throughout her career, she has elevated the field of commercial and federal law, starting with her days as a commercial litigator at Paul, Weiss and continuing through many years on the bench. We are proud to recognize her decades of service with this high honor.”
President George W. Bush appointed Livingston to the Second Circuit in 2007. She became chief judge in 2020. Livingston has taught at Columbia Law School since 1994. She teaches courses on criminal procedure and appellate advocacy and has taught classes and seminars on evidence, policing, national security, and terrorism.
She received her B.A., magna cum laude, in 1980 from Princeton University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, in 1984 from Harvard Law School, where she was an editor on the Harvard Law Review. Following law school, she served as a law clerk to Judge J. Edward Lumbard of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. After that, she practiced as an associate at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, specializing in commercial litigation cases in state and federal courts, and later as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
She will receive the Stanley Fuld Award on Jan. 15 at a luncheon at the New York Hilton Midtown hosted by the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section.
The award is named in honor of the late Stanley Fuld, who served as chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals from 1967 to 1973. It recognizes a member of the legal profession who has significantly contributed to the practice of commercial law and litigation in New York.
Honoring attorneys who render extraordinary service to the public and the profession is part of NYSBA’s Annual Meeting tradition. This year’s event promises to be dynamic and informative, featuring a wide range of sessions and activities tailored to the diverse interests and needs of lawyers practicing in New York. Annual Meeting takes place Jan. 14 to 17 at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Highlights of Annual Meeting include the Presidential Gala, where retired Associate Justice Stephen Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States will receive the association’s most prestigious award, the Gold Medal. The gala is on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., at The Plaza Hotel. Justice Breyer will speak about his career, judicial philosophy and his recent book during a fireside chat at the gala.
The Presidential Summit, the marquee event of the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting, is on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The summit, entitled “Securing Justice: Addressing Sexual Violence and the Weaponization of Individuals and Groups During Conflicts and Wars,” will focus on justice for the victims of wartime human trafficking and sexual violence.
Distinguished guests include Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, international human rights law expert and founder and chair of the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children; Susana SáCouto, director of the War Crimes Research Office of the American University Washington College of Law; and Abid Shamdeen, advocate for Yazidi genocide survivors and co-founder of Nadia’s Initiative. Susan Harper, treasurer of the New York State Bar Association, will moderate the discussion.
In addition, former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court Bridget McCormack and Jennifer Leonard, legal tech expert and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, will present on the impact AI has had on the legal profession, and how lawyers are navigating changing regulations related to privacy and data security.
Each year, more than 120 different panels and social events make up the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting and some 4,000 lawyers participate. For more information on NYSBA’s Annual Meeting, click here.
