Norman A. Mordue

Norman A. Mordue (June 26, 1942 – December 29, 2022) was an American jurist who was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York.

Norman A. Mordue
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
In office
June 30, 2013 – December 29, 2022
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
In office
2006–2011
Preceded byFrederick Scullin
Succeeded byGary L. Sharpe
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
In office
October 22, 1998 – June 30, 2013
Appointed byBill Clinton
Preceded byRosemary S. Pooler
Succeeded byBrenda K. Sannes
Personal details
Born(1942-06-26)June 26, 1942
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 29, 2022(2022-12-29) (aged 80)
EducationSyracuse University (B.A.)
Syracuse University College of Law (J.D.)

Early life and education

Mordue grew up as one of five children in Elmira, New York and attended Manlius Military Academy. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Syracuse University in 1966 and with a Juris Doctor from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1971.[1]

Mordue played halfback for the Syracuse Orange football under coach Ben Schwartzwalder, playing alongside future NFL players Floyd Little and Jim Nance.[2][3] He was a member of the 1965 Sugar Bowl team.[1]

Career

From 1972 to 1982, he worked for the district attorney in Onondaga County, New York, the last six years as chief prosecutor.

He was a county court judge from 1982 to 1988, and a State Supreme Court Justice in Onondaga County from 1986 to 1998.[4]

Military service

Mordue earned the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, and the Distinguished Service Cross while serving as a captain in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1968.[5]

Federal judicial service

Upon the recommendation of Senator Alfonse D'Amato, President Bill Clinton nominated Mordue to replace Rosemary S. Pooler on the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York in July 1998. Mordue was confirmed unanimously by the Senate on October 21, 1998, received his commission on October 22, 1998, and took office on December 4, 1998.[6] He took senior status on June 30, 2013. He was Chief Judge of the court from 2006 to 2011.[7]

Notable cases

As a prosecutor in the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, Mordue successfully prosecuted Robert Garrow, a notorious serial killer convicted of murdering three campers in the Adirondacks and a teenage girl in Syracuse in 1973.[2]

Mordue three times ruled in favor of the school district's censorship of religious content in an assignment in Peck v. Baldwinsville School District.[8] He also ruled in favor of a school district censoring a student newspaper's cartoon of stick figures in sexual positions in R.O. v. Ithaca.

Death

Mordue died on December 29, 2022, at the age of 80.[2][3]

References
  1. "Hon. Norman A. Mordue L'71 - Law Alumni Weekend". Syracuse University. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  2. Fernando Alba (December 30, 2022). "Norman Mordue dies at 80; longtime judge served in Vietnam, played for SU". Syracuse.com. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  3. Gavin, Robert (December 30, 2022). "Judge who once prosecuted serial killer Robert Garrow dead at 80". Albany Times Union. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  4. Helm, Mark (October 9, 1998). "Judicial nominee clears hurdle". Albany Times-Union. pp. B2.
  5. "Distinguished Service Cross Awarded to Norman A Mordue".
  6. The Third Branch: Newsletter of the Federal Courts, February 1999
  7. The Third Branch: Newsletter of the Federal Courts, March 2006
  8. "Case on Kindergartener's Religious Freedom to be Heard". www.dakotavoice.com.

Sources
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