DISROBED: An Inside Look at the Life and Work of a Federal Trial Judge
Providing a view into the private world of a sitting judge on one of the highest benches, and in one of the world’s most famous cities, Judge Frederic Block gives a personal account of his experiences with controversial legal topics such as the death penalty, racketeering, terrorism, discrimination and foreign affairs in his new book. In DISROBED: An Inside Look at the Life and Work of a Federal Trial Judge, Judge Block illuminates this sometimes mysterious branch of government, sharing a behind-the-scenes look into his life and some of the trials of a federal court judge.
The federal bench is presided over by men and women who adhere to the traditional standard of judicial lock-jaw where nearly all of the communication outside of their courtroom is through formal written opinions and scholarly journals. Judge Block breaks that mold by taking readers on his own personal journey to the bench, a journey riddled with political potholes, and bares some of the most intimate details surrounding several landmark cases of our time.
DISROBED, available through the Westlaw Store, is an autobiographical account that begins miles from the federal bench with a small-town attorney in Suffolk County making headlines extending the “one man, one vote” policy. Appointed to the federal bench in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, Judge Block provides commentary throughout DISROBED on some of the most prominent and sensational cases that he has presided over during his nearly 20 years as a federal judge.
DISROBED takes you into the courtroom and chambers of a federal judge, offering a rare and real look at some of the least-talked-about aspects of the bench, including the difficulties of sentencing and the mental toll it takes knowing you have the power to drastically alter someone’s life and liberty. The prevalence of death threats and the risks that judges and their families have to face to serve and uphold the justice system also is discussed.
Judge Block spoke to us recently about the book.
