Thomas P. Griesa
| Thomas P. Griesa | |
|---|---|
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
|
In office 1993–2000 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles L. Brieant |
| Succeeded by | Michael Mukasey |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
|
In office June 30, 1972 – March 13, 2000 |
|
| Appointed by | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Laura Swain |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Poole Griesa October 11, 1930 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University Stanford University |
Thomas Poole Griesa (born October 11, 1930) is a Senior United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Griesa received a A.B. from Harvard University in 1952 and served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1952 to 1954, thereafter receiving an LL.B. from Stanford Law School in 1958. He was an attorney with the Admiralty and Shipping Section of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1958 to 1960, and was then in private practice in New York City from 1960 to 1972.
He was nominated to the court by Richard M. Nixon on June 15, 1972, to a new seat created by 84 Stat. 294, confirmed by the United States Senate on June 28, 1972, and received his commission on June 30, 1972. He served as chief judge from 1993 to 2000 and assumed senior status on March 13, 2000.
In 1978, Griesa issued an order holding United States Attorney General Griffin Bell in contempt of court for Bell's refusal to turn over FBI records about eighteen "informants" in the Socialist Workers Party. This was the first time that a U.S. Attorney General had been held in contempt for conduct during pretrial proceedings. Although Griesa declined a request to immediately jail Bell for contempt, he did indicate that if Bell failed to comply with the order within a one-week deadline, Griesa would "entertain a motion for more drastic sanctions". Bell indeed refused to comply, and was held in contempt, although this order was stayed pending appellate review. On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that "it was clearly erroneous for the district court to determine that the files are so central to the plaintiffs' case that contempt is the only appropriate sanction for the Government's failure to disclose them", and ordered Griesa to consider alternative sanctions.
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