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article_15.txt
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article_15.txt
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eugene nickerson the first democrat serve nassau county executive and later the district court judge who presided over the abner louima police brutality cases died tuesday luke hospital manhattan was died complications from ulcer surgery his brother adams said nickerson who was descendant president john adams entered public life patrician liberal politician but later developed reputation steely independent minded judge with little patience for lawyers antics like all great judges can pigeonholed particular political philosophy said joan wexler the dean brooklyn law school looked each case before him and dealt with the issues that were presented his years the federal bench brooklyn nickerson presided over many prominent cases the most notable being three trials which new york city police officers faced charges torture assault and lying the case louima haitian immigrant who was savagely beaten and had broomstick rammed his rectum inside brooklyn station house the louima case shocked new york fueled racial tensions and raised cries police brutality nickerson presided over racketeering trial which john gotti head the gambino crime family was acquitted became the first judge strike down the pentagon don ask don tell policy for gays the military rejected claims vincent gigante reputed mob boss who wore pajamas and bathrobe the street that was not mentally competent stand trial ruling that paved the way for gigante conviction racketeering charges and ruling boldly strayed from supreme court precedent and barred prosecutors from using their peremptory challenges oust jurors solely the basis race his reasoning ultimately helped persuade the supreme court stop allowing jurors removed the basis race legal scholars said nickerson whom president jimmy carter nominated the federal bench brooklyn showed law and order sternness when handling criminal cases while often exhibiting liberal impulse civil cases castigated new york public school officials when learned that they had dragged their feet for years establishing adequate education program for the city handicapped schoolchildren hotly contested case struck down the pentagon don ask don tell policy calling the policy violation free speech nickerson wrote hitler taught the world what could happen when the government began target people not for what they had done but because their status year later three judge federal appeals panel new york sent the case back him directing him assess the constitutionality the pentagon ban homosexual activity again struck down the pentagon policy but this time the ground equal protection rejecting the military argument that prohibiting homosexual conduct was needed maintain unit cohesion wrote hard imagine why the mere holding hands off base and private dangerous the mission the armed forces done homosexual but not done heterosexual showing his civil libertarian bent added not within our constitutional tradition for our government designate members one societal group pariahs but the following year three judge appeals court overruled nickerson and upheld the military ban homosexual activity and the don ask don tell policy saying that courts are ill suited second guess military judgments the appellate panel ruled that the pentagon policy did not violate constitutional rights because the special circumstances the military many lawyers who appeared before nickerson complained that kept them too short leash although they gave him grudging respect for doing good job maintaining decorum his courtroom soft voiced often humorous man who wore half glasses often warned lawyers not raise their voices and often cut off those who thought were badgering witnesses impressed many lawyers with his command details nickerson presided with firm hand over the louima cases which several the indicted police officers insisted they were being made scapegoats the first case white police officer justin volpe pleaded guilty after three weeks testimony the trial acknowledging that beat louima who black police car and then sodomized him with broomstick the station house basement causing severe internal damage another white police officer charles schwarz was convicted assisting the torture that trial two other police officers were cleared beating louima police car but subsequent trials the two officers were convicted seeking cover schwarz role and another officer was convicted lying federal investigators sixth police officer pleaded guilty lying story can end here optional material follows eugene hoffman nickerson was born orange aug and the family moved nassau county six years later his father hoffman nickerson was army intelligence officer both world wars who later became prominent writer military matters one his paternal ancestors william nickerson came this country bought cape cod from the indians and founded the town chatham mass his mother ruth comstock nickerson also had prominent bloodlines she was descendant presidents john adams and john quincy adams mark school southborough mass had been quarterback the football team and captain the hockey team but shortly before entered harvard college nickerson was stricken polio seemingly ending what had started out promising athletic career for two years was forced wear his right arm brace held out from his body while harvard nickerson showed unusual perseverance teaching himself play squash with his left hand ultimately was named the squash team captain and its ranking player harvard athletic director william bingham wrote another harvard graduate president franklin roosevelt about the courage this young squash player soon nickerson received letter from the president which roosevelt discussed the disabilities they both shared nickerson kept that letter for the rest his life was kent scholar harvard graduating completed columbia university law school where was editor the law review then landed prestigious clerkships with judge augustus hand the 2nd circuit court appeals and then with chief justice harlan fiske stone the supreme court married marie louise steiner classmate columbia his wife went become respected jurist serving nassau county district court judge they lived roslyn survived his wife and their four daughters marie louise lawrie stephanie and susan also survived five grandchildren and three brothers adams william and martin after his clerkships went work for the prominent wall street law firm milbank tweed hope hadley amp mccloy from worked another firm hale stimson russell amp nickerson while there waded into politics losing race for surrogate nassau county republican stronghold but that race made him well known through the county and paved the way for this tall athletic looking politician with regal manner elected county executive became the first democrat win countywide seat nassau since when regular republicans and the progressive bull moose party split the republican vote another democrat was not elected county executive nassau until last november when thomas suozzi won nickerson died the day that suozzi was sworn his three three year terms county executive nickerson took more liberal approach than his republican predecessors often working expand social services for the needy what was then one the nation fastest growing counties was early advocate environmental protection expanded nassau county park system recruited college graduates for the police force and favored progressive zoning regulations open housing opportunities minorities and the poor later described his years the post reorienting government concern itself with human beings and their problems pressed robert kennedy who recognized nickerson considerable political talents ran for the senate won the endorsement the state democratic committee but narrowly lost the primary election paul dwyer popular maverick politician jacob javits the republican incumbent won election that november nickerson began campaigning for the democratic nomination for governor but withdrew from the race because fund raising problems and tough competition from howard samuels and arthur goldberg the former supreme court justice goldberg won the democratic primary but lost november the state long time republican governor nelson rockefeller deciding that three terms county executive was enough nickerson returned private practice becoming senior partner what became known nickerson kramer lowenstein nessen kamin amp soll three years after nickerson became federal judge for the eastern district new york president jimmy carter nominated him for seat the 2nd circuit court appeals new york but that nomination was withdrawn when the senate had not confirmed him the time ronald reagan took office for many people was mystery why patrician like nickerson became democrat referring the man who was the democratic presidential nominee and nickerson once explained adlai stevenson turned into democrat was active his first campaign and stayed active brought other people like myself who had intense interests about government ideals and principles