Eastern District of New York celebrates 150 Years
Special Guests Include 2 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, Met Opera Singer
The Eastern District of New York (EDNY), with its primary courthouse located on Cadman Plaza East in Downtown Brooklyn, celebrated 150 years on Monday during a special session of the court presided over by the Chief Judge of the Eastern District Carol Amon. Hons. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the judges of the Eastern District joined Amon.
Though not the exact date of the first EDNY court session, which was held on March 22, 1865, Monday’s celebration was a look back at the humble and noble beginnings of the court, the progressions made toward diversity and the application of justice as well as a look ahead to a district that has become one of the most respected and revered federal courts in the country.
It was on Feb. 25, 1865, that President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill that created the Eastern District.
“Many courthouses place the current president on the wall,” Amon remarked. But in Brooklyn, “it has been the picture of President Lincoln, our founder, that hangs in our courthouse.”