N.Y. district gets a new chief judge
A new chief judge will steer the Southern District of New York starting April 10 as the storied federal courthouse seeks some semblance of normalcy during the second year of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chief Judge Colleen McMahon will assume senior status, and Judge Laura Taylor Swain will succeed her in the administrative role at Manhattan Federal Court that took on immense importance as the wheels of justice nearly ground to a halt in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We had a constitutional obligation to keep the doors open — to keep operations going at a time when everybody was being told to stay at home,” McMahon, 70, said. “Frankly, no one focused on the fact that the judiciary was an essential service — a constitutionally essential service. We could not quit.”
Swain’s new role means that President Biden has four vacancies to fill in the court known for headline-grabbing cases.
Current defendants awaiting trial include accused Jeffrey Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell, alleged Hudson River bike path terrorist Sayfullo Saipov and Rudy Giuliani pal Lev Parnas.
There have been 16 jury trials in Manhattan Federal Court during the pandemic — nine in the fall and seven since February.
One trial recently continued even after a juror tested positive for coronavirus — a testament, court officials said, to the effectiveness of the many COVID-prevention measures in place at 500 Pearl St. and 40 Foley Square in lower Manhattan, as well as a courthouse in White Plains.
Six of 40 courtrooms have been overhauled to accommodate social distancing.
Witnesses and lawyers speak inside plexiglass booths equipped with air filters, allowing them to remove face masks.
Lawyers whisper to clients in courtrooms using high-tech phones that allow them to stay 6 feet apart.
Swain, 62, said the measures made the Southern District an example to the rest of the country.
The judge is perhaps best known for overseeing the mammoth Puerto Rico bankruptcy case.
“This is the first time, as far as I know, that the chief judge has had very substantial responsibilities in two districts,” the Brooklyn-born judge said. “I haven’t had a day off in four years.”
McMahon credited her fellow judges and court staff for “endless creativity.”
The judge, who was nominated by former President Bill Clinton, has worked at the courthouse throughout the pandemic.
She anticipated one more “viral wave” as people continue receiving vaccines, but added that Swain would make the decision when to resume normal court operations in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other experts.