Abraham David Sofaer
Appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 and confirmed by voice vote, Abraham David Sofaer was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He earned a law degree from New York University School of Law in 1965. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Born
- 1938 · age 88
- Appointed by
- Jimmy Carter, 1979
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- Yeshiva 1962 · New York Law 1965
- Succeeded
- Marvin E. Frankel
- Succeeded by
- Michael B. Mukasey
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Southern District of New York succeeded Marvin E. Frankel | Carter (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| Yeshiva University | B.A. | 1962 |
| New York University School of Law | LL.B. | 1965 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Sofaer authored 140 published opinions for the court (1979–1985). Most cited: American Home Products Corp. v. Liberty Mutual Insurance (122 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | American Home Products Corp. v. Liberty Mutual Insurance | 565 F. Supp. 1485 | 122 |
| 1985 | United States v. Castellano | 610 F. Supp. 1359 | 91 |
| 1980 | Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Chuckleberry Publishing, Inc. | 486 F. Supp. 414 | 82 |
| 1984 | Davis v. Costa-Gavras | 580 F. Supp. 1082 | 80 |
| 1981 | MacArthur v. Bank of New York | 524 F. Supp. 1205 | 73 |
| 1984 | Cauble v. Mabon Nugent & Co. | 594 F. Supp. 985 | 59 |
| 1983 | Armstrong World Industries, Inc. v. James A. Phillips, Inc. (In Re James A. Phillips, Inc.) | 29 B.R. 391 | 58 |
| 1982 | Gianna Enterprises v. Miss World (Jersey) Ltd. | 551 F. Supp. 1348 | 58 |
| 1984 | Sharon v. Time, Inc. | 599 F. Supp. 538 | 56 |
| 1984 | Akerman v. Oryx Communications, Inc. | 609 F. Supp. 363 | 56 |
| 1984 | Smith v. Weinstein | 578 F. Supp. 1297 | 56 |
| 1981 | Dreyfus Fund v. Royal Bank of Canada | 525 F. Supp. 1108 | 55 |
| 1981 | Hener v. United States | 525 F. Supp. 350 | 51 |
| 1982 | Vulcan Society of Westchester County, Inc. v. Fire Department of White Plains | 533 F. Supp. 1054 | 45 |
| 1984 | Morrison v. Lefevre | 592 F. Supp. 1052 | 40 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 140 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Abraham David Sofaer?
- President Jimmy Carter appointed Abraham David Sofaer to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1979.
- Was Abraham David Sofaer appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Abraham David Sofaer was appointed by President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Abraham David Sofaer's confirmation vote?
- Abraham David Sofaer was confirmed by voice vote on March 21, 1979. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Abraham David Sofaer on?
- Abraham David Sofaer was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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6 years on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).