Harold Medina

Harold Raymond Medina (February 16, 1888 – March 14, 1990) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Medina is perhaps most well-remembered for presiding over the Smith Act trials of Communist Party leaders in 1949.

Early life and career

Medina was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Joaquin Adolfo Medina and Elizabeth Fash Medina. His father was a naturalized United States citizen from Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, and his mother from New York City of Dutch ancestry.

Federal judicial service

Medina was nominated by President Harry S. Truman on May 15, 1947, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated by Judge Samuel Mandelbaum. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 18, 1947, and received his commission on June 20, 1947. His service was terminated on June 23, 1951, due to his elevation to the Second Circuit. He also gave prison sentences to five of the defense attorneys on charges of contempt of court; among them was George William Crockett Jr., who later became a Member of Congress.

Medina was the trial judge for the Dennis v. United States case that reached the federal supreme court.

Medina presided over the year-long Investment Bankers Case in 1951-1952, an antitrust case against 17 of the most prominent Wall Street investment banking firms, known as the Wall Street Seventeen. He ruled in favor of the investment banks.

Death

Medina died on March 14, 1990, at Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood, New Jersey, at 102 years of age, after residing at a nursing home in that city his last several years.

Honors

Medina was featured on the cover of Time in its October 24, 1949 edition.

In 1957, Medina received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Elizabethtown College located in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

J. Woodford Howard Jr., professor of political science emeritus at Johns Hopkins University, along with Professor Patrick Schmidt of Macalester College and Professor David Yalof of the University of Connecticut, are currently completing an authorized biography of Medina.

The Harold R. Medina Professorship of Procedural Jurisprudence at Columbia University School of Law is named in Judge Medina's honor.